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“In local politics, successes are often inconspicuous, sometimes just a few lines on the asphalt. I learned this lesson when my mother, an SP politician in the local parliament of Zollikofen BE until 2016, campaigned for a safe pedestrian crossing at a school. There are actually no zebra crossings in 30 km/h areas, which can lead to dangerous situations. So my mother fought for it. And received the support of the Grand Council. Since then I know: it is worth fighting for small changes.
I was born in the Bernese Midlands community of Zollikofen in 1995, grew up here and am politically active. After the resignation of a fellow party member, I have been one of the seven municipal councilors since January 1. A news portal stated that at the age of 28 I was one of the youngest members of a local government in the entire Bern conurbation.
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This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
My party is the SP, the majority in the region is bourgeois. It’s not an easy match, but I think it’s the same as on the football field as an old central defender with a small stature: with good positional play you can make up for a lot.
I hope I can be a role model. There is a shortage of young talent in local politics, but a democracy is only as good as its staff. For example, young people use public space differently than families or the elderly. Who represents these concerns in local politics? I see it: crosswalks and zoning laws – these are not the most exciting topics on Tiktok. But we live here, in the village. Why not have your say here too?
Opinions differ about the main road
Every community has its long-standing political issue. For us it is the main road to Bern. I don’t want to go into details, you can imagine the points of contention around a busy artery.
But what I find exciting is that all conceivable conflicts in social coexistence are reflected in the dispute over this strip of concrete. Some want traffic calming and safe cycle paths, others want to travel freely. This is psychologically very interesting. Other parliaments are conducting debates on urban expansion or connection to the public transport network. We have Bernstraße. Personally, I would find underground relocation an interesting solution.
Politics were discussed at the kitchen table
My father emigrated from Sri Lanka to Switzerland in the 1980s. My mother came here in the 1990s. Politics was always an issue at the kitchen table, I would say: that’s where I was politicized. The father is a bus driver at the regional transport company RBS, the mother is a health specialist and vocational trainer at the Inselspital. My two younger sisters are in medical school and I am currently studying for the bar exam. And, perhaps a bit atypically for a leftist, I served in the army longer than the minimum service requirement.
A few years in the military won’t hurt your resume: I’ve internalized this national assumption. Initially they wanted to send me to the infantry, but I preferred to go into military accounting and eventually became a Fourier. In short, he takes care of all the logistics. I have now been transferred to the military justice system, which has extended my service even further.
During my service I learned a lot about Switzerland. And about me. Order, responsibility, precise work. Hierarchy. I learned to stand up in front of people and speak my mind. The fact that I have politicized for the SP has not gone unnoticed in the army. “How can you work for a party that doesn’t have a V in its name?” There have already been such statements. I can handle that. But when one recruit jokingly called the other a “faggot,” I intervened. It’s not about left or right. It’s about dignity and respect. I also fight for this as a lawyer.
I’m a down to earth man. Local politics is a team game; there is no point in stubbornly pushing your own ideology. But what upsets me is the attitude of people who think they have the truth in their hands. Politics is always a negotiation, something I see every day as a volunteer legal advisor at an asylum organization. One case is one way, the other completely different, you have to tolerate that. Anyone who thinks they know everything has lost their political grip.”
Created by Daniel Faulhaber
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
