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Democracy Lives from Returning! But Please Don't Be a Nuisance in the District Council!You know the situation: You wake up in the morning, the sun is shining, the coffee smells great, and you think to yourself: Today is my day of democracy! Today is the district council meeting. Finally! You know the situation: You wake up in the morning, the sun is shining, the coffee smells great, and you think to yourself: Today is my day of democracy! Today is the district council meeting. Finally! So you quickly research online to see what’s on the agenda, because you want to be prepared. You’ve got a few questions too – nothing major, just some uncertainties about the topics that will be voted on later. After work, you quickly fix your hair, straighten your shirt, and head to the district council hall, way up high, where democracy supposedly resides. Then it starts: The chairman opens with his usual charming official tone. There’s some small talk – what you typically say before democratically managing things – and then it begins: The citizen’s question hour! Well, "hour" is a bit of an exaggeration. 30 minutes. For everyone together. But hey: You get to ask questions! Isn’t that wonderful? Democracy to take home, please! But hold on – don’t get too excited! Because the whole “questions” thing is a bit tricky. Every citizen is allowed to ask exactly one question. And heaven help you if you exceed the magical three-minute limit! After all, speaking in democracy is all about efficiency. Freedom of speech, yes – but please keep it short and to the point, we’re not here for a citizens' coffee chat. And then comes the real kicker: No questions about current agenda items! That sounds about as democratic as an all-you-can-eat buffet where you can only look but not eat. Why? Good question! Maybe it’s so the poor district council members aren’t confused by public opinions. District Administrator Götz Ulrich recently put it this way regarding the IKIG topic (no, it’s not a new political party, it’s an investment project): It has already been fully discussed, so there’s no need to ask questions. After all, voting is the real democratic act. Thinking beforehand? Optional. Of course, I had a question about IKIG myself. Of course, it was shut down. Democracy for spectators, indeed. Now, district council politician experts will argue: "You could have asked beforehand." Yes. You could have. But where exactly? In the committee meetings? They’re free of citizen questions. In writing? Sure, in theory. In practice, you wait so long for an answer that it eventually becomes archival material. And anyway: One question per person? Seriously? The chairman clings to the rules of procedure as if his political integrity depended on it. Who made them? Naturally, the district council members themselves. Who could change them? Exactly – the same people. But why should they? Everything’s going just fine: The citizens can show up once a month, sit down, ask one question, and then be quiet again. Democracy Lives from ParticipationIt’s said that democracy lives from participation. But it seems to be a problem when someone takes that seriously. Citizen involvement? Sure – but not where it might hurt. Not where district council members might start thinking before they pass something.Democracy Lives from ReturningSo: Democracy lives from returning. Month after month, question after question. Always with a smile. Just please, not too loudly, not too critically, not too relevant. Otherwise, it might disturb the democratic process.Constant Dripping Wears Away the StoneBut don’t be discouraged! Even if the doors are only slightly open and it feels like you should stay outside and wave politely – stay persistent. Constant dripping wears away the stone, and when more and more citizens ask their one question, when month after month people sit on the visitor chairs and make it clear that they don’t just not care about everything, then the pressure builds. Because in the end, it’s true: The citizen is the sovereign. The politicians are not the bosses, they are the employees of the people.Some politicians now act as if they are not representatives of the people, but guardians of the citizens. With a raised finger, a pedagogical tone, and the firm belief that they always know what is good and right. The citizen, it seems, is viewed by them as an immature being that needs to be guided, educated, and protected from themselves. But this role understanding is fundamentally wrong. We don’t need political oversight over the mature citizen – we need citizens who are not intimidated and realize: The politician is not above the citizen; the citizen is above the politician. Whoever is elected is not the father or mother of the people, but their employee. All it takes is an internal basic understanding: I am not a subject, I am the client. A district administrator, a district council member, an administrator – they are not princes, they are public servants. And if they forget whom they are actually obligated to, then it’s high time to remind them, kindly but firmly. Again and again. More and more clearly. Author: AI Translation - Michael Thurm | 10.05.2025 |
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