"My notes from November 1989:
'Lasst uns Dir zum Guten dienen, Deutschland, einig Vaterland!' (Let us serve our good weal truly, Germany, our fatherland!) – the long forgotten text of the GDR national anthem. And a sentiment that dominated the seventh large and peaceful mass demonstration in Plauen. Thousands of local people had put the words up on posters and banners. And the original chant 'Wir sind das Volk' (We are the people!) had become 'Wir sind ein Volk' (We are one people!). Where had all those countless black, red and gold flags suddenly come from?
Since the start of the GDR's 40th anniversary, the growing number of demonstrations in East Germany has helped us achieve so much already. But there's still a lot that needs doing! A few weeks ago who would have said that the inner German border, the 'anti-fascist protection wall', would just disappear like that? And that's how we've suddenly come to find ourselves in a totally new situation! But new questions require new answers; and it's not always possible for us to find the right answer straight away. By that I mean, we should try to avoid just raging blindly at 40 years worth of totalitarian rule with a wall, barbed wire, shoot-to-kill orders, lies, self-adulation and misguided economic policy. Rather, we should work towards creating something new, and constructively – create a turning point without renegades ('Wendehälse', a term referring to the turncoats among former Communist writers and intellectuals). This is because there are too many people who were willing to applaud the rhetoric Mr Honnecker and his cronies put forward yesterday but who now want to be the 'fathers of change' today! The message on the banners at the Plauen demonstration in November '89 could hardly have been clearer. We are no longer willing to put up with the SED's (the former GDR's Socialist Unity Party of Germany) ongoing ensnarement of the entire country and the incredible privileges it grants. More and more things are coming to light. This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg.
We have gathered thousands of signatures. They are supposed to add weight to the citizen's initiative demanding that the electoral fraud committed by the SED in the most recent local elections be exposed mercilessly. It was indeed also thanks to this electoral fraud that the Lord Mayor, Dr. Martin, took the helm of our city council in Plauen. And since all the electoral documentation has in the meantime apparently been 'lawfully destroyed', the council stays in office! Especially given that, bar one person, our city council had passed a vote of confidence in itself in a closed meeting. I think it is a travesty of democracy!
And the investigation into the serious assaults made by the People's Police and the State Security Service against the peaceful demonstrations in Plauen and elsewhere is also progressing slowly. After some not very detailed, supposed 'disciplinary action', those responsible seem to be of the opinion that 'all necessary action has been taken'. If those responsible still have eyes and ears, they must be aware of what's happened; surely the demonstration that took place in November 1989 must have spelled things out for them – we haven't forgotten anything! What I mean by that is that we've still got a lot to do – let's get on with it!
Since autumn 1989, we citizens of the GDR have progressively learnt how to walk tall; we no longer crouch in order for our national anthem to be significant again. After all, 'Wenn wir brüderlich uns einen, schlagen wir des Volkes Feind und die Sonne, schön wie nie über Deutschland scheint.' (In fraternity united, we shall crush the people's foe and over our Germany, there is radiant sun).'"
Martin Flach (Plauen)
