The Hindu Business Line : On her Marx, and more...

Katja Kipping, 28, Deputy Chairperson of Germany's new Left Party and one of the youngest members of Parliament, swears by Marx. But she is also a great admirer of the revolutionary ideas of Rosa Luxemburg, founder of the German Communist Party before World War I.

Hailing from Dresden, formerly communist East Germany, she says that she is always open to new ideas about social justice and human liberation. Her latest list of essential reading includes From Marx to Michael Moore by Austrian journalist Robert Misik, who suggests that the only choice for intelligent people in this `Age of Entertainment' is to remain Leftist.

Kipping discusses the relevance of Left politics, and what it means to be a young Leftist woman politician today.

What is the difference between the way in which you from the new Left look at Marx and the way bosses of the former Soviet Union interpreted his theoretical analysis?

There is a huge difference! Today, the entire Left bloc in Germany is reinventing itself, and reinterpreting Marx. In the past, the focus was only on Marx's analysis of economic equality and on the solidarity of workers.

Marx's liberal ideas have been ignored and other forms of non-economic oppression in society, like gender, are neglected.

Today, the Left aspires for social justice within a more inclusive and democratic framework. Political freedom, civil liberty and economic justice must go hand-in-hand in any ideal society that looks beyond capitalism.

The world is a changed place since Marx wrote about the plight of workers and wanted the proletariat to unite. There is a dire need now to unite the `precariate' — all those people living under extremely precarious conditions.

There is a completely new understanding of solidarity today when it makes little sense to interpret Marx as a champion only of strong men ploughing fields and operating machines. We have to look at Marx from a fresh perspective, including the gender perspective that Marx did not touch.

What is the difference between the new Left and the traditional party of the social democrats?

The Social Democratic Party in Germany no longer seems to believe in social justice. Nearly five million are unemployed, real incomes are falling, including those of pensioners, and there have been radical cuts in welfare spending for the public. The old Left-party system in the former East Germany made it possible for women to participate in the labour market.

Now we want to make sure that rules in the home are also fair. Men should take 50 per cent of the responsibility in the home and in childcare. We need to instil ideas of social justice from a very young age and support a type of education that no longer glorifies the classical role model of the mother in the kitchen and father as cabinet minister.

Before 1989 in East Germany, 80 per cent of children older than three years of age were guaranteed a place in a kindergarten, but such facilities are now decreasing due to lack of funds, even as money seems to be available for more buildings and highways.

What role do you see for women in ensuring a more just society?

In Germany the experience can be divided between the one in East Germany before 1989, when women participated equally in the labour market but were absent in most other walks of life. A majority of those working in the public sector were women.

Now, with privatisation of the public sector, women have been the first to be excluded from the labour market too. And, on an average, women in united Germany still earn 20 per cent less than men.

In West Germany, women enjoyed opportunities to participate in many aspects of public life, including politics.

However, as a young woman from former East Germany, I find that the rules of the game in politics continue to favour men. We have to find new ways that allow women to be independent and to create new role models. For that reason, the Left Party has a 50 per cent quota for women.

At a time when capitalism promises so much fame and fortune to young people, how can you remain so passionate about socialist ideals?

I grew up in the lap of socialist ideas, with a strong notion of social justice. These ideas were only reinforced with the end of communism in 1989. I was horrified at the thought that a system that seemed so strong on the surface could collapse so easily. It was not healthy to have a few old men make all the decisions independent of the will of the majority under communism.

I participated in a huge student demonstration against cuts in education in the late 1990s. Later, a meeting was called to discuss the role that education must play in the future. Out of the hundreds who were part of the demonstration, only 10 appeared for this meeting. That is when I decided that it was not enough to collect a crowd and protest on the street.

To make lasting changes in society, I had to be part of the legislative process. I was 21 years old and I gave up the idea of a career in academics to join the Left Party and to contest elections to the provincial parliament.

Religion plays a big role in society today. What is your relationship to religious issues?

Me, and religion? (laughs) In my life, religion plays no role but I do realise that religion is important to many people and I have no problem working with religious people to bring about a more just society.

In our fight with the government for a basic minimum income, I work closely with Catholic women. While studying in Russia, my hosts were Italian monks. I have found that the most difficult discussions with our Muslim colleagues are those over gender equality.

What is your opinion of Angela Merkel?

She is not a source of inspiration to me, but I do admire the way she has made it to the top job in the country. The difference is that Merkel's conservative party fights women's rights while we in the Left Party fight for the rights of women.

Germany, and indeed Europe, is often seen as a tired, ageing continent today. What do you see when you look around?

I am young and I am very optimistic!

Women's Feature Service

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