Germany still in transition<\/p>\n
Being a German citizen currently living in Indonesia, I would
\nlike to comment on the German ambassador's greeting to the
\nRepublic of Indonesia on the occasion of the German National Day
\n(Oct. 3, 2000).<\/p>\n
Dr. Gerhard Fulda stresses the point of the united Germany
\nstill being a country in transition, of still facing a \"mental
\ndivide\" between East and West.<\/p>\n
I fully agree with this, and would like to add some more
\npractical information: Supposedly as a counter reaction to the
\ncommunist dictatorship of former East Germany, extreme
\nnationalism and neofascism are on the rise in many areas of
\neastern Germany today. Foreigners are attacked and sometimes even
\nkilled by gangs of hoodlums on the streets of eastern German
\ntowns on an almost weekly basis. These hoodlums are a minority,
\nbut does this matter to their victims?<\/p>\n
By no means do I want to damage the reputation of my country,
\nnor do I want to support those hoodlums' concept of a \"foreigner
\nfree\" Germany. But I do want to call on Indonesian students
\nplanning to study in Germany to make sure of where you are going
\nto. Get information about the area where you want to go. Be
\nespecially careful if you are offered a chance to study in
\neastern Germany.<\/p>\n
I feel ashamed having to say this about my own country, but
\nstill I do value human life more than the reputation of my home
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
JAN BUDWEG<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/germany-still-in-transition-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }