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The newly elected Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit from the Social
Democrats and his Senator for Science and Culture, Thomas Flierl from the
Socialists completely misjudged the responses to the Senate`s decision to
close down the medical faculty of "The Free University".
Fierce resistance not only from the medical staff of the Benjamin
Franklin University Hospital and the local unions being in fear of rising
unemployment but also protests from the wide public including scientists
and doctors from all over the world brought the new coalition severely
under pressure.
Mayor Wowereit now agreed to accept proposals from an independent
science-commission in search of solutions to guarantee top-level research
and medical care in Berlin and still save DM 98m for the Senate`s budget.
While critics of the Mayor from the opposition comment his yesterday
given statement as "lack of support in his own party and by the coalition-
partner", there is much more to it than it seems. Agreeing to an
independent commission to suggest unpopular solutions enables the Mayor to
withdraw from a political dangerous position for himself without losing
his face and also calming down the emotions that might cause losses for
the Social Democrats in the upcoming federal elections and thus
endangering Gerhard Schröder as Bundeskanzler.
The hunt for savings by the commission will not only look for
potentials within The Free University but also include the scientific and
medical faculties of the Charité of the East Berlin Humboldt University.
Here Wowereit has the chance to restructure both universities and even
take action in East Berlin against the interests of the Socialists without
running the risk of being scapegoated by his coalition partners.
Now scientific projects, their staff and the medical faculties of
both universities in Berlin are under fire and it is completely open,
which branches will be cut. For the people that are affected it holds
true: "Hope is the last to die".
Competing interests:
No competing interests
06 February 2002
Werner W. Wyrwich
Surgeon
Trauma Zentrum Berlin, Hindenburgdann 30, D-12200 Berlin
Hope is the last to die
The newly elected Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit from the Social
Democrats and his Senator for Science and Culture, Thomas Flierl from the
Socialists completely misjudged the responses to the Senate`s decision to
close down the medical faculty of "The Free University".
Fierce resistance not only from the medical staff of the Benjamin
Franklin University Hospital and the local unions being in fear of rising
unemployment but also protests from the wide public including scientists
and doctors from all over the world brought the new coalition severely
under pressure.
Mayor Wowereit now agreed to accept proposals from an independent
science-commission in search of solutions to guarantee top-level research
and medical care in Berlin and still save DM 98m for the Senate`s budget.
While critics of the Mayor from the opposition comment his yesterday
given statement as "lack of support in his own party and by the coalition-
partner", there is much more to it than it seems. Agreeing to an
independent commission to suggest unpopular solutions enables the Mayor to
withdraw from a political dangerous position for himself without losing
his face and also calming down the emotions that might cause losses for
the Social Democrats in the upcoming federal elections and thus
endangering Gerhard Schröder as Bundeskanzler.
The hunt for savings by the commission will not only look for
potentials within The Free University but also include the scientific and
medical faculties of the Charité of the East Berlin Humboldt University.
Here Wowereit has the chance to restructure both universities and even
take action in East Berlin against the interests of the Socialists without
running the risk of being scapegoated by his coalition partners.
Now scientific projects, their staff and the medical faculties of
both universities in Berlin are under fire and it is completely open,
which branches will be cut. For the people that are affected it holds
true: "Hope is the last to die".
Competing interests: No competing interests