On federal centralism and future of the Danubian Federation, by Graf Peter von der Pahlen
For a while I have been a supporter of the status quo in the Federation, however, constant attempts of the Hofburg authority to infringe the rights of the states, makes them subservient and colorless, have persuaded me to think this matter over. Think over the so-called federalist centralist issue. For a while it has been plaguing our Federation, causing strife and mutual hatred, had a number of loud-mouthed supporters – but what is really its nature and history?
First of all, all of us should understand one simple thing. This political ideology and the so-called ironclad federal supremacy that has been enforced during all these times has been inherited by us from the previous imperial regime. During the rule of Habsburgs people of completely different religions, history and culture were held together by brute force of bayonets, were humiliated and enslaved by the central government (in fact the centralist despotism, not the fact that Austria was a monarchy caused the revolution!) – and this tradition still exists, and is enforced vigorously. Even more, now more states are treated in such a way.
I understood it quite well a couple of days ago, when President Aerts asked me a provocative question, whether I would secede, if the Hofburg bureaucrats would abolish our monarchy. I never was a secessionist, always trying to talk reason into the people who saw Silesia as a subservient administrative unit, without its voice and rights. But suddenly I thought – what would really happen, if a majority of Silesian people would indeed want to become free? The answer is simple – the federal authorities, propagating the rights of men, would send an army to kill my people and burn their towns and villages, in order to enforce the will of Hofburg. So much talks about democracy and brotherhood…
Current rather centralized Federation, as a public entity, is often declared as the summum bonum, as the something our people should be ready to give everything for, including their rights, believes and cultural identity. However, what is its foundation, what is its so-called unity based on? Maybe, common bloodties, common history or common culture? No, we have Greek, Romanian, Italian, German states. Common religion? Orthodox, Catholics and Muslim states would certainly not agree with that, Common ideology? All of us have seen how different are the views of the inhabitants of different federal entities.
Hofburg demagogues would say that some kind of revolutionary spirit and love for freedom unites this Federation – as if you cannot be free without being part of this entity and bowing to the bureaucrats in the central government! Also, all of us have seen how our past governments tried to take rights and freedoms from some of our citizens, and how some states tried to dismantle the others. We saw civil wars during which thousands of our citizens killed each others, because of their differences. So, does this free-mindedness and mutual respect always unite us? We should not kid each other. Current centralized Federation is just an antiquated administrative behemoth, based on Habsburg traditions and the guns of the federal-paid soldiers.
As a member of the federal legislature, I travelled from one state to another. And you know what I saw? People in all of them valued their cultural identity. What happened in their home state, home town, home street was always the most important thing for them. State elections, really influencing their lives always were primary, and the federal ones, deciding who will take the power in distant Hofburg, were secondary. Usually people just saw elections as an opportunity to send their own representative to the parliament to defend their regional interests. Another thing I noticed – that, because of the differences between ideology, culture and psychology of different inhabitants of our Federation, they usually understood the regional matters quite well, without understanding the way of thinking, needs and necessities even of their closest neighbours. This is what happened when people of republican states voted for the abolition of the monarchy in the monarchical ones – and certain demagogues tried to portray that as an act of popular will. During this times I very often thought – what would happen next? What if, for example, the Christian majority of our Federation would vote for the ban of Islam, ignoring, for example, the will of Albanian people? Would it be democratic and justified?
It is quite clear, gentlemen, that in its current form the Federation only causes strife and hatred between different groups and states. It seems that we have forgotten what its main aim is – to protect us against foreign enemies, guarantee safety and cooperation between its different people. Maybe it is time to remember that and ensure that true freedom or brotherhood, not the sensless dictatorship of Hofburg, prevails in these lands? The federal authorities should deal with federal matters – such as foreign affairs and diplomacy, military matters, global financial questions. But it should not interfere with completely internal matters of each state, should not endanger cultural and political identity of each of them, should not try to take our right, languages, faith or preferred practices of governance from us. The complete dictatorship of majority that some of the centralists try to propagate is contrary to the common sense – as I have said, Federation is inhabited by completely different people, of alien traditions, preferences, history, and it is absurd, when, for example, people of Slovakia are asked to decide, what shoes should the people of Albania wear. I believe that the time is ripe to reform the Federation along moderate confederalist lines – or it would fall apart, or become a mechanism of tyranny and oppression.
- Graf Peter von der Pahlen, Chancellor of Silesia
Article for the Continuity of Law and Order: Aye
Statement of Fundamental Principles: Nay
Acceptance of a Unitary System: Nay
Principles of this Federation Clause: Nay
Presidential Republic Proposal: Aye
Parliamentary Republic Proposal: Nay
Act of Name: Nay
Establishment of Federal Supremacy: Nay
Assurance of State's Rights: Aye
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