By Michael Weißenborn
Mayor Joy Alemazung: SPD and Green Party proposals on migration policy are “not enough”.
Heubach’s CDU Mayor Joy Alemazung defends CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s course. In this interview, the devout Catholic explains his strategy against right-wing extremists.
HEUBACH
Joy Alemazung doesn’t understand the uproar against Friedrich Merz. Citizens are right to demand convincing solutions to serious problems, says the Heubach CDU politician. He believes that combating right-wing extremism and racism is much more effective through real solutions than through symbolic policies and populism-bashing. As a political scientist with a doctorate and an immigrant himself, he offers his perspective.
SZ: Mr. Alemazung, what have you experienced since the CDU, under Friedrich Merz, voted in the Bundestag alongside the AfD for the first time on measures to limit migration?
Alemazung: Shockingly, I’ve even heard voices from the migrant community claiming that the CDU is now just like the AfD. Therefore, they argue, migrants have no choice but to leave the CDU. You couldn’t be more misinformed and intolerant.
SZ: How do you explain the widespread outrage?
Alemazung: That is pure populism-bashing. Instead of engaging with the actual arguments, the political opponent is primarily attacked through moral outrage, derogatory rhetoric, and blanket accusations of being a populist. Often, this comes at the expense of presenting convincing political concepts of one’s own. This emotionalizes the public debate but does not move it forward constructively.
SZ: You are a devout Catholic. Critics of Friedrich Merz claim he is abandoning Christian values. How do you see it?
Alemazung: That is not true. According to Christian values, we must help those who are truly in need. But the Bible also contains the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. It teaches that God has given us abilities that we should use for the common good. It’s about the purpose of life. Someone who burdens society when they have the ability to contribute should not benefit from the community. If everyone with talents contributes, then we will have enough resources to support those who genuinely need our help. I also make this clear to my children.
SZ: Do you see the risk that Merz’s approach might alienate Christians within the CDU?
Alemazung: No, not at all. They should read the initiative carefully and understand its goals.
SZ: You are an immigrant yourself. Do you understand why some migrants feel uneasy?
I understand that very well. My eleven-year-old son asked me whether we would have to leave the country if the AfD won the elections. I explained to him: It’s not that simple. We are Germans too. He was born here. There are difficulties in our country, and right-wing extremists and racists blame everything on migrants. But that is not true.
SZ: What do you think about the criticism that Friedrich Merz has abandoned the political center by making right-wing populists his allies?
Alemazung: Everything that the political opposition dislikes is now labeled as right-wing populism, making it impossible to have a real and objective debate. If I say: “Heubach has become overcrowded, we need support, we can no longer accommodate more refugees,” then that is immediately called right-wing populism. But it is simply a fact. And instead of focusing on how to solve this issue, we are caught up in name-calling. The CDU is currently experiencing this kind of populism-bashing. Many people believe it, even though looking back at Germany’s post-war history and the CDU’s role in it should teach them otherwise.
SZ: In your opinion, what is the best way to counter populists?
Alemazung: The key to electoral success is not the blanket rejection of political opponents, but the strength of convincing concepts and solutions for serious social challenges. Those who combat populism only through populism-bashing remain ineffective because they fail to create a compelling political narrative of their own. The election victories of Donald Trump and right-wing populist parties in the Netherlands, Austria, and France demonstrate this.
SZ: How important is the issue of migration for Germany and the upcoming election campaign?
Alemazung: I don’t want to rank the problems. We are facing many interconnected challenges: The economy is in a prolonged crisis, public safety is perceived as at risk, municipalities are struggling with financial constraints and overregulation. If people feel economically secure and regain confidence in the future, then issues like migration and racism will also become less problematic.
SZ: What do you think of the SPD and Green Party’s proposals to reduce the number of refugees?
Alemazung: They are not sufficient to be effective. We should not pursue policies that fail to improve the situation. We must have the courage to do what is right, rather than rejecting an idea simply because right-wing populists also support it. And we need to bring the debate back to the center instead of leaving it to the political fringes.
Interview conducted by Michael Weißenborn for BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG STUTTGARTER ZEITUNG
