Nationalist Gains in German Election a Defeat for German Elites -Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser
September 25 2017 - 11:04AM
Dow Jones News
By William Boston
BERLIN--The chief executive of Siemens AG, one of Germany's
largest corporations, said German elites had "again stood by and
watched" as a nationalist party rose from the fringes of society to
become a powerful force in German parliament.
Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser called on Chancellor Angela Merkel and
the next government to "boldly and ambitiously address" key
challenges including "investing in the digital world and making
greater investments in education, in work-based training programs,
and--above all--in the further and continuing education of today's
workforce."
The anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland won 13% of the
vote on Sunday as voters angry over Ms. Merkel's refugee policies
abandoned the mainstream parties.
Mr. Kaeser's full statement was: "I wish German Federal
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her new cabinet a steady hand in their
work on behalf of our country for the next four years. Although
it's not yet clear what exactly the next coalition government will
look like, one thing is clear: for it to succeed, it will be
crucial for the new government to boldly and ambitiously address
the imminent changes, which I'd like to group together under the
term societal transformation. Tackling these issues includes
investing in the digital world and making greater investments in
education, in work-based training programs, and--above all--in the
further and continuing education of today's workforce. We are an
industrialized country and must shape the fourth industrial
revolution, and we must do this in a way that is inclusive for our
entire society--in other words, in a way that allows all people to
profit from it to the greatest possible extent. We might call this
a combination of "Industrie 4.0" with "Social Market Economy
2.0."
"Burgeoning populism and short-term thinking coupled with global
migration and climate change are not making the world a simpler
place. However, I have positive expectations because we have a very
experienced and wise chancellor who knows how to represent the
interests of Germany and Europe on the international stage and
enjoys the highest levels of respect around the world.
"Nevertheless, the AfD--a nationalist and populist party--has
managed to enter parliament with a strong surge. This political
victory is also a defeat for Germany's elites. We have dismissed
the AfD's voters as people on the fringes of society. We have again
stood by and watched this happen, and that has to change. Each of
us must see it as our responsibility to integrate people who feel
disadvantaged and to help them find new perspectives."
Write to William Boston at william.boston@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 25, 2017 10:49 ET (14:49 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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