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The Junge Union was one of the most important supporters of Friedrich Merz in his second attempt to become party leader of the CDU.
Now JU boss Tilman Kuban is pleading for the union to be readjusted in terms of content in order to involve the supporters of the liberal-conservative party wing.
WORLD:
Mr. Kuban, can it be that the young union like Jusos, the youth organizations of the two governing parties, as lobbyists of the younger generation, fail in the pandemic?
Tilman Kuban:
No.
The federal government is currently focusing heavily on curbing the number of infections and reducing the number of deaths.
That's right.
However, we see clear grievances, especially in the area of digital education.
We just stepped on the spot last year and didn't get any better.
That annoys me.
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We ask people to become more digital.
That is why politics must deliver here too.
I think it's good that the digital ministry we have called for has meanwhile reached consensus in the Union, and I am relying on new impulses here.
WORLD:
Do you share the impression that the concerns of young people do not play a role at the conferences between the prime ministers and the chancellor?
Kuban:
It is correct that we should all grit our teeth for another three weeks and see to it that the incidences continue to decrease.
But we also have to finally show the light at the end of the tunnel - if we don't, it will be difficult to keep people going.
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We need a perspective - and this should now be shown quickly by the working group that has been set up.
It is clearly noticeable that people have a certain resignation and Corona fatigue.
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WORLD:
What must the federal states do so that the current generation of students does not have permanent disadvantages?
Kuban:
We urgently need to speed up digital education.
One should also consider what additional educational offers can be made during the year.
For example in the form of summer academies in which missed material is made up.
But we also have to make new offers to our generation in other areas.
So much freedom has been lost in the past few months.
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WORLD:
For example?
Kuban:
Take traveling.
The chance to get to know other countries and other cultures is especially given when you are young.
Something like that sounds banal, but it is important to develop your own personality.
After the pandemic, we should therefore rapidly expand offers such as the Interrail ticket - so that our generation can catch up at this point too.
It's now about managing the pandemic, but we also need to start thinking about what to do next.
WORLD:
Another topic: How many of your members did you have to call in the past few days to persuade them to stay in the JU despite the failure of Friedrich Merz?
Kuban:
There is of course resentment and disappointment with the result of the party congress, including some resignations.
But that's normal after such intense competition.
I have had to make a few phone calls here - and so far all the people I spoke to have assured me that they will reconsider their decision.
Merz's failure and the consequences
WORLD:
Have there been many withdrawals?
The JU had very clearly committed to Merz in the run-up to the party congress?
Kuban:
So far, around 20 members have registered with the Federal Association of the Young Union, I cannot yet say how many there were in our district associations.
But I am optimistic that we can convince most of them to stay with us.
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WORLD:
How disappointing was it for you personally that Merz did not become party leader?
Kuban:
It is known that I supported and voted for him.
His result of 47 percent shows how strongly the economically liberal-conservative idea is rooted in the party.
That is precisely why it must now also be a matter of making the supporters of this conviction in Armin Laschet's team a substantive offer.
WORLD: In
your opinion, why was it that it wasn't enough for Merz?
Kuban:
That would be reading coffee grounds.
My concern now is to look ahead.
Merz reached many supporters and almost 500 delegates at the grassroots level, but in the end there was a majority for Armin Laschet.
That is democracy, but Armin Laschet should involve this half of the party.
I am sure he will.
WORLD:
Were you very shocked when Merz offered himself as Minister of Economic Affairs after his election defeat?
Kuban:
There is no question that Friedrich Merz would be a very good Minister of Economic Affairs.
Whether it was the smartest time to make such an offer, I put a question mark.
In this respect, I thought it was good that he cleared up the irritations that had arisen with his letter to the party members.
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WORLD:
How could Laschet realistically involve Merz in party work?
In his party conference speech, he referred to him indirectly and somewhat disrespectfully as a kind of CEO who did not really fit at the top of a party.
Kuban:
We will still be able to use the expertise and courage of many CEOs to cope with the consequences of the economic pandemic.
In particular, we need young entrepreneurs who are ready to set up something, to give people work, more than ever.
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I think this passage from Armin Laschet's speech at the party conference was due to competition within the party.
I am sure that he stands behind our entrepreneurs.
In the end, he will decide for himself where Friedrich Merz has the best place in his management team.
WORLD:
What is actually the reason that the CDU is divided into two camps at the end of the Angela Merkel era?
Kuban:
The CDU does not split into two camps.
The party has simply not discussed enough in recent years.
We need strong debates.
The Union has always been strong when we have allowed different wings, different opinions and also in the form of heads in the government, the party and parliamentary groups.
Under Helmut Kohl there were always strong personalities who represented these wings - and that is exactly the point of popular parties.
That different ideas, such as those that exist in society, are discussed, which then lead to a compromise that is acceptable to the majority of the population.
We have neglected this struggle for the best solution.
WORLD:
Has Merkel overwhelmed the CDU?
Kuban:
A party leader - especially if she is also Federal Chancellor - always has the task of leading her party and, if necessary, making decisions about direction.
It was no different with Helmut Kohl, nor with Gerhard Schröder.
Whether these directional decisions were ultimately all good for Germany is usually only decided much later in retrospect.
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Most of the people today look back on the terms of office of Kohl and Schröder very positively, and I am sure that this will also be the case with Angela Merkel in a few years.
WELT:
In any case, the Chancellor did not allow conservative figures of identification to distinguish themselves in the CDU.
A mistake?
Kuban:
I already said that I would have liked more discussion, but let's look ahead.
I trust Armin Laschet to give different minds and convictions in the Union the space they need to develop.
It is precisely Laschet's great strength that he brings these under one roof in NRW.
He will also succeed in this in the covenant.
WORLD: In
your opinion, what should be included in a Union election manifesto so that the conservative-economically liberal wing is motivated to enter the election campaign?
Kuban:
From my point of view, many people, both in the party and in the population, would like us to focus more on personal responsibility, motivation and freedom of the individual.
We need an innovation offensive so that we can turn the 1920s into a decade of researchers and developers, not virologists.
In the past few years we have constantly created new social benefits - a stop sign is needed now.
The debt brake must apply again from 2022.
We want to support young families by eliminating the real estate transfer tax for the first home.
And we should - keyword: integration - think again about how we implement the party convention resolution on dual citizenship.
WELT:
Against this background: Who would you prefer as the Union's candidate for chancellor?
Kuban:
I always said: the CDU chairman has the first right of access.
Armin Laschet has been elected - and therefore the decision about who has the best chances for us is in his hands.
That will be decided in spring.
The focus now is on the state elections.
The Chancellor question follows the chairmanship question
Armin Laschet prevailed against his rivals Norbert Röttgen and Friedrich Merz in the race for the party leadership of the CDU.
But no sooner has the post been reassigned than a new discussion about the candidate for chancellor is necessary.
Source: WELT / David Schafbuch