Letters to the editor

I feel ashamed

I’ve lived in Germany for 26 years and have always received a warm welcome as a Swiss citizen. Today on 21 September 2015 I’m deeply ashamed to be Swiss. A village in canton Aargau is supposed to accept eight (!) refugees but would rather pay 20,000 Swiss francs. Poor prosperous Switzerland.

R. G., Erkrath, Germany

Supposed to sound educated

I rarely write comments or voice criticism in newspapers. But it is just too much this time. “POINTIERTER, SALOPP, DIFFAMIERT, KONKORDANZ, KONKORDANZDEMOKRATIE, KONSENSES etc.” (“more pointedly, sloppy, defamed, concordance, concordance democracy and consensus etc.”) – is this supposed to sound educated? My mother would turn in her grave if she could see such mutilation of the (Swiss) German language – and written by the editor-in-chief of a Swiss magazine that people enjoy reading worldwide. Kind regards.

René Graf, Maple Bay BC, Canada

Poorly represented

As SwissAbroad we are generally poorly protected and represented. All we hear from politicians and the administration are empty words. You can feel the reluctance to take the Swiss Abroad seriously as fully fledged Swiss citizens (including at many consulates and embassies). After all we are not all billionaires living in the US. The Swiss Abroad have long since failed to receive the recognition they deserve from any party and are represented abysmally. The Committee for the Swiss Abroad is a playground for good-for-nothings and lacks any purpose, specific mandate and effective approach.

Wave Dancer, argonaut51@hotmail.com

We are foreign Swiss

Professor Kohler’s “Shadow war and interpretating the present times” is an astute and non-judgmental short essay on the dilemma of the Swiss at Home at the present time. However, it has little to do with the Swiss Abroad, myself included, who make up the so-called 5th column. We truly have no identity at all. We are foreign Swiss, and have been treated as such, especially if one happens to be American Swiss or Swiss American. If we become the 27th canton one day, we will be divided at least into five parts: the EC Swiss, the Swiss American (the American Swiss who are presently treated the worst by our banks – all thanks to the Americans of course!), the Common Wealth Swiss, the South American Swiss, and for brevity the Rest of the World Swiss. In terms of Switzerland, we often older folks are mostly Heimweh-Swiss, who may be in search of a bank account in order to buy a Swiss cup of coffee.

Robert Enggist, Hamilton, Ney Jersey, USA

Putting in our two cents’ worth

I find the demands of many Swiss Abroad concerning political representation and their own electoral constituency downright impudent. It was our decision to leave Switzerland!!! I believe it is an extremely generous display of social solidarity that we can still vote – or put our two cents’ worth in – at all despite no longer living in Switzerland and the fact that our everyday lives are barely affected by ballot results (except where issues of the Swiss Abroad are directly concerned). I am very much opposed to a special constituency for the Swiss Abroad. I would never vote for a Swiss Abroad either. Anyone wishing to be actively involved in Swiss politics should kindly return there to live. In my view it is a privilege that we can take part in elections and referenda at all and one that far from every country grants to its citizens residing abroad.

Susanne Boss, s-boss@online.no

A shift to the right please!

It is high time that the Swiss reflected upon their 724 years of independence. Instead of edging its way towards the EU while spouting empty phrases that have no clear meaning (with the exception of the straight-talking SVP), Parliament would do well to use its precious time for better purposes, namely Switzerland and the Swiss people. Only the SVP is doing this. I urge MPs and Federal Councillors from the other parties in Switzerland to shift significantly to the right towards the SVP. The Swiss people will be grateful to you. Europe is a corrupt union that squanders taxpayers’ money rather than looking after it. Just look at Greece and the unfortunately ever-more corrupt “Podemos” socialist/communist party in Spain. Andalusia is the best example of the problem.

Daniel Oppliger, danieleufemia@gmail.com