By Margrit Pittman

G BERLIN, GDR
erald Goetting talks warmly of his
friendship with the late Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr. and, when asked for a picture of
himself, presents one taken with King at the
Pacem in Terris conference in Geneva in
1967, a year before King was assassinated.
His affinity for King is based on a shared
dream of peace and aigeity for their people
and all the peoples of the world.

Goetting, who is 54, has the good fortune
of having been able to see considerable prog-
ress for his people and to have made a sub-
stantial contribution toward it.

He is chairman of the Christian Democra-
tic Union (DU), a deputy to the GDR parlia-
ment, the People’s Chamber, deputy chair-
man of the State Council and chairman of the’
GDR League for Friendship among Peoples.

He is one of the architects of the anti-
fascist, democratic coalition formed after
World War II to foreclose a recurrence of
fascism and to assure a genuine democratic
development for his people.

After the victory over fascism in 1945, he
says, the nation was confronted with the
question whether ‘the old bankrupt social
system of capitalism would be restored
under Christian auspices or whether our
people would take a new path, a path of
democracy and progress. In our founding
declaration we say that we are conscious of
our responsibility for humanity and for
peace and therefore opt for a new type of
democracy.”’

The declaration was issued on June 26,
1945, a few short weeks after the victory. In
it, the founders showed how a truly democra-
tic state could be build on “the ruins of moral

Goetting, second from right, talking to his constituents.

and material values” which fascism left in
its wake. The political principles of this call
closely followed the spirit of the Potsdam
agreement by the wartime allies designed to
prevent a recurrence of aggression by a
German state.

Among its proposals for a Christian
Democratic Union was the cooperation with
all other anti-fascist, democratic forces and
the smashing of the monopolies which
brought Hitler to power.

At that time Goetting was a history stu-
dent and member of the Free German Youth
(FDJ) and officer of its student council. “‘We
had plenty of discussions about the future of
our country,’’ he says. “The FDJ rallied
young anti-fascist, democratically minded
young people from all walks of life. We came
to réalize that we must find ways of working
together.” 3 :

Goetting came from a family of intellec-
tuals in Halle. He was enrolled in the
Franksche Stiftung, a prestigious preparat-
ory college where he studied Latin, Greek
and German. His studies were interrupted
when he was drafted into Hitler’s air force.
His opposition to fascism was aroused early
when his grandfather was expelled from the
university faculty for his anti-fascist at-
titudes.

_After the war Goetting returned to Halle
to study history and work in a war damages
office. In addition to joining the FDJ he be-
came a member of the CDU and, in 1949, was
called to Berlin to become its general secre-
tary.

In those days the struggles around what
type of party to build were intense. There
was strong pressure to follow the lead of

Goetting, left, with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Pacem in Terris ll conference in Geneva, 1967.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 24, 1978—Page 6

Christan Democrats in the Western occupa-
tion zones who took a strongly anti-
Communist position, as for example Konrad
Adenauer — who was strongly committed to
capitalist recovery and a cold war path and
became the first chancellor of the Federal
Republic of Germany.

“The ethical tenets of Christianity, we
felt, imposed on us the responsibility to fight
for a just society,’’ Goetting says. ““We had to

throw old notions overboard and find new |

relations for Christians to the other democ-
ratic forces.”

These considerations led the party to view
socialism as a ‘“‘historically necessary, mor-
ally viable and scientifically founded alter-
native to capitalism, its exploitation and its
wars and colonial policies.”

It became the party’s aim to achieve
unanimity through discussion, Goetting
says. Socialist democracy, he explains, is not
expressed in terms of a parliamentary
majority but by achievement of consensus.
“For example all laws are discussed until
general agreement of all parties and mass
organizations is obtained. The only time our
party voted against a law was the one that
permits abortions on demand.” It was
enacted in 1971. : ne

Goetting quotes examples of his party’s
proposals that were incorporated into laws.
Most recently the CDU made proposals re-
garding the new labor law, adopted in June
1976, which dealt with the connection bet-
ween work qualification and the develop-
ment protection as well as social conditions.

‘Neither does representation in legislative
bodies depend on the party’s membership
base. Goetting says with satisfaction that
they will be able to announce at their forth-
coming 14th congress that the membership
has increased from 105,000 to 110,000 but on a
proportional basis this would not guarantee

the party the 52 seats in the People’s ©

Chamber. The composition of parliament is
arrived at by common consent and gives the
Socialist Unity Party 127 seats, 52 each to the
four other political parties and the remain-
ing 165 seats are divided among the mass

organizations — the trade union, federation,
Free German Youth, Democratic Women’s:

Federation and the Cultural Federation.
This term 54 deputies are CDU members,
two of them elected by mass organizations.

To preserve the element of consensus and |

make possible the representation of all
groups on an equitable basis, all groups rep-
resented in legislative bodies belong to an

electoral coalition called the National Front. .

There slates of candidates are compiled,
based on nominations from unions and
community groups, and a proper represen-
tation from all participating groups is as-
sured. In this manner the CDU, with its
membership of just over 100,000, has 21,000

_ pean Security and, since 1976, president of F

various sources including ‘sizable contrib”

‘ that our contribution is paid promptly.”

~ newspaper.

put that out after his assassination,” he said

members who hold public office. (For detailS st
on CDU members in leading functions Se w)
box on this page.) 4

In addition to his legislative and partY bo
functions Goetting is a member of the pre> le;
idium of the German Peace Council, a vic si
president of the GDR Committee for Eur?

the League for Friendship among People. lo
His election to that post was ner se

partly prompted by his wide internation® d:
contacts. He was a friend of Alber W
Schweitzer and of Salvador Allende. “I mel m
Allende when he visited the GDR years be ta
fore his-election. I then had the good fortun® tr
to see him again while the Popular UnitY a
government was in power,” |
Goetting is happy with his responsibilif¥ sq
at the League. “‘My teachers in school used! in
preach ‘many enemies mean much honor fol re
Germany,’’’ he says. ‘‘I am proud to servy

_ the cause of friendship.’’ The League has “ w]

GDR Friendship Societies and Committe de
which maintain contact with 54 GDR”
friendship groups in 51 countries. These af ac
offered exhibits, films, pamphlets and ! w
some instances cultural groups are sent de
foreign countries. a

In countries where friendship societie®
are large, regular contacts are often de
veloped between cities and municipalities:
The League has a special committee fol
these types of contacts. Friendship societie>
cover all types of activities in the social i
cultural sector that are not covered by stalé
relations.

Plans are under way now to also establisl
a GDR-USA Friendship Society. Members”
the societies are prominent citizens with 4
special interest in the partner-country an®
serve in a voluntary capacity.

Last year, Goetting says, the League oF”
ganized a large public meeting to mark thé
U.S. bicentennial celebrations. Another out
standing event was the visit of a U.S. a
tronaut organized in collaboration with thé
GDR Academy of Sciences.

Goetting himself recalls with pleasure ?
meeting with a delegation of the Blac
Newspaper Publishers Association who
were guests of the GDR Peace Council ip
1975.

Funds for League activities come fro?

tions by political and mass organizations
“Since I am the League’s president,” Goe ‘
ting says with a smile, ‘‘I certainly see tot -

CDU funds, in addition to membershi?
dues, are derived from the income of thre?
publishing houses which publish a wide vat
ety of books and art books. The party als?
puts out periodicals and a daily national cpu

,

As a memento of our meeting Goetting
presented me with a handsome memoria!
coin of Martin Luther King, Jr. “Our party