Friedrich Naumann "The idea of liberalism has to be recreated. In the course of
time it has lost so much of its clarity and attraction that it first
has to rise like a new dawn in front of the people."
Friedrich Naumann (1906)
The
political principles were agreed to by the Board of Directors and
approved by the Board of Trustees on September 24, 1993.
Preamble
The
political principles describe what the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
understands by the constitutional clause "the Foundation acts on the
basis of liberalism" (ยง 2, clause 1). These political principles shall
serve to guide persons working on behalf of the foundation, either in
an honorary capacity or as salaried staff, in the aelection of
candidates for its various activities, in the definition of objectives
in political education in political consulting, in the support of
talent and ability, and in the editing of publications.
THE POLITICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE FRIEDRICH NAUMANN FOUNDATION FOR ITS ACTIVITIES IN GERMANY AND ABROAD
The
Friedrich Naumann Foundation is the foundation for ideas on liberty and
training in freedom. It wants to contribute to the furtherance of the
principle of freedom in human dignity in all sectors of society in the
united Germany as well as together with partners abroad.
It is
the goal of liberal policies that all citizens can freely live together
in an open society: the civic society. Without freedom other human
values cannot be realized. Each human being needs freedom in order to
develop his or her talents and to realize him or herself. Without
freedom the human spirit languishes, culture and science decay, and the
economy stagnates. The spirit needs freedom like the body needs air to
breathe.
Each human being is an individual with his own ideas and desires.
But
he is also a social being, dependent on other human beinqs and under an
obligation to them. Freedom and responsibility are inseparable. They
determine the relationship between the individual and community.
Liberals base human relationship on spontaneity not coercion - on the
exchange of ideas and goods, free trade, reason, compassion, and
responsibility. Voluntary associations promote mutual trust. They lead
to the recognition of the values and goals of others and they deserve
respect.
Liberal policies and the individual
Liberal policies promote respect for the rights of the individual,
for
civil rights. The individual needs these rights, if he wants to freely
shape his own life. Therefore, freedom of opinion is not only a
compelling moral command of tolerance and of the rule of law. It is
also the path toward progress of the human spirit, a path which can be
found only through the competition of free ideas and knowledge. The
right to private property is a civil right, too.
Without respect for private property, many other rights cannot be realized.
Liberal
policies are in favour of equal opportunities from the start, in favour
of competition and pluralism. They strive, therefore, for the free
access of all to all markets, education, information, labour, goods,
and capital markets.
Liberal policies seek to free the
individual from coercion by the state and by anonymous institutions so
that he can fulfill his responsibility in freedom. Freedom requires
responsibility for the community.
Liberal policies and civic society
Liberal
policies strive to enlarge the freedom of citizens in all spheres of
life and to restrict the role of the state to the essentials. This
includes recognizing the capacity of citizens to organise themselves.
Citizens
can undertake many tasks in municipalities, wards, associatations,
lobbies, other private institutions and initiatives and wish to do so.
Liberal policies and the state
Liberals
see the tasks of the state as the protection of individual freedom and
the protection of citizens against violence from within and abroad, as
well as safeguarding of the constitution. Liberal policies want to
ensure that rules apply to all, while leaving space for the free
decision of the individual. Liberal policies do not want to
predetermine a certain outcome; they want just rules instead of just
results, because such results do not exist.
Liberal policies
want democracy. Democracy permits choice and change, but it does not
guarantee freedom. That is why Liberals are for the strict division,
control, and limitation of power. public power as well as private.
Liberal
policies want a state that is bound by rules and that respects freedom.
The state has the duty to guarantee legal security to everybody. In a
liberal state, the rule of law respects group interests. That is why it
provides them with freedom in responsibility, but not with political
power. Liberal policies do not want the state to be active
economically. They do not want the state to compete, through its own
institutions with private enterprises.
Liberal policies want
to maintain the citizens' freedom to make decisions in all areas of
politics, both now and in the future. Therefore, they reject solving
today's problems at the expense of tomorrow's generations, at the
expense of sound public finances, and particularly at the expense of
environment.
Liberal policies and international cooperation:
Liberal policies want an open world culture and a free world market.
For
Liberals, the common features of mankind are more important than the
divison into categories of natives and foreigners. The liberal vision
is a world society, in which there is free exchange, cooperation, and
competition among different peoples, states, regional groups, and
cultures.
Liberal policies strive for cooperation in
development through free international trade and through helping to
establish free and responsible civic societies in developing countries.
Liberal policies work towards the world-wide liberalization of
all markets- information, technology, goods and services as well as
currency and capital markets.
Liberal policies want European
unity and other regional associations, but not at the expense of
internal diversity and openess towards others.
Liberal policies want world-wide victory of human and civil rights.
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