In politics, excuses are rare. The former FP chairman Jrg Haider increased it to absurdity: “Then I’ll just apologize for me.”
In the past few days, the public Mea culpa has become the new normal: Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (VP), Health Minister Wolfgang Mckstein (Green) and Upper Austria’s Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP) regretted that they had to expose the population to the lockdown again and admitted that politics should have acted earlier.
“Before a politician denounces himself, he often sits out the criticism,” says communications consultant Heidi Glck. “Apologize reveals a weak point and offers attack surfaces for opponents.” It would require respect for someone to admit mistakes, but there is no guarantee that the mistake will be forgiven.
Journalists in particular have a tendency to demand an apology from the politician in comments and interviews, adds Glck, former spokeswoman for Chancellor Wolfgang Schssel (VP). If a politician agrees, he follows the “ritual of self-sufficiency”.
Emotional community
Has Catholicism left such traces in Austria that one has to ask for forgiveness? Already in the Sermon on the Mount you can read: “First reconcile yourself with your opponent”, only then can the offering be brought to the altar, quotes Sigrid Mller, head of the institute for theology and ethics at the University of Vienna from the Holy Scriptures. “Apologizing is a pacification ritual with which one tries to create an emotional community again,” says the university professor. The native German sees this less theologically, but recognizes differences in mentalities. “If you say in Germany that you did something wrong, then you usually have to step back.”
The ex-Chancellor spokesman and PR advisor Josef Kalina, who is close to the SP, has a similar opinion. He views half-hearted apologies as problematic and doubts that words are enough in the current situation. “It is important that you feel that the person concerned is serious about the apology and takes responsibility. After the recognizable failure, a resignation would be necessary.” Because such a failure – especially in the federal states of Upper Austria and Salzburg – cannot be settled by simply admitting a mistake.
The fact that an apology must be honest is also essential for happiness. There should not be a feeling that one is only paying tribute to popular opinion. “An apology is only accepted if you don’t get the impression that the politician just wants to free himself from the burden of criticism.” Incidentally, if Glück were to advise a politician, she would suggest other formulations to him. “We try to do better and not repeat mistakes.”
International opinions on Austria’s path
- “The problem in Austria, as in other German-speaking regions as well as elsewhere in Central Europe, is the large number of vaccination refusals who are fed with conspiracy theories, which are subsequently reinforced by right-wing parties. Austria does have a Green Pass, but its effects have been dampened by easily accessible free tests. ”- Financial Times, London
- “Austria is the first EU country to impose a general compulsory vaccination from February. Compulsory vaccination is a drastic measure, but can be legally and ethically justified in this emergency. In Germany, too, many people are still not vaccinated. You put yourself and others at risk and the health system to the limit. (…) If so many people continue to refuse immunization, Germany will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination. ” Sddeutsche Zeitung
- “Apparently, business circles have come to realize that the hard lockdown will cause economic damage, but that doing nothing would be even more harmful. (…) At the demonstration in Vienna on Saturday there was no sign of such an insight into the necessity. You have the feeling that you have gotten into a carnival of bizarre ideas. “- Handelsblatt, Dsseldorf
- “Europe is currently experiencing a threatening fourth wave of the coronavirus, with infection rates rising sharply. Austria is the first European country to respond with a nationwide lockdown, but it may not be the last. This prospect, along with increasingly stringent vaccination regulations, is provoking violent backlash here and elsewhere. But top European politicians are likely to have the feeling that they have little choice. ”- The New York Times
Source From: Nachrichten
