Hamid Mir (42), one of the top-notch Pakistani journalists, became world-famous and is often quoted by international media because of his three exclusive interviews of Osama bin Laden, the last one made on November 7, 2001, near Kabul, after the outbreak of the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Now the Executive Editor of the privately-owned GEO TV in Islamabad and the host of the most popular Pakistan’s talk show, “Capital Talk”, he earned his reputation of a courageous newsman and tough opponent of the military dictatorship. When “Capital Talk” was banned by President Pervez Musharraf, Mir went to the capital’s streets to run it for crowds of people gathering there to express their opinions. It was, in part, to his merit that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of the late Mrs. Benazir Bhutto had won the parliamentary elections and, after her assassination, the widower Asif Ali Zardari could successfully lead the PPP, push President Musharraf to resign and become the next President of Pakistan. Today (on Monday, September 15, 2008) the best selling Polish weekly magazine WPROST (read “vprost” which means: “direct”) published Hamid Mir’s story of Zardari, that they obtained through my own David’s Media Agency. I think, this story written by a prominent Pakistani journalist is worth publishing on the CFP in an extended and updated English version. – David Dastych

Hamid Mir – Asif Ali Zardari finally entered the President House of Islamabad in the afternoon of September 8th under the shadow of the Holy Quran. A woman MP of his party (PPP), Rukhsama Bangash, was holding the holy book of the Muslims over his head when he walked into the most powerful state office. Following an old religious tradition, Zardari sacrificed some black goats immediately on his arrival to the President’s seat. It’s true that he is leading the biggest liberal and moderate party of Pakistan but he has also strong religious feelings, like his late wife Benazir Bhutto. He thinks that he can change Pakistan according to the vision of his late wife, but only with the help of Allah (God).

Zardari is the most powerful civilian President in the history of Pakistan, but he is also facing the “mother of all challenges” in Pakistan today. The two major challenges are the growing Islamist militancy and the rapidly deteriorating economy of the country. Pakistani people expect a lot from him, maybe even too much. Some analysts are saying that this Presidency is the last chance for Pakistan. If Zardari fails to save Pakistan from the growing wave of suicide bombings (unknown there before 9/11) and the crumbling economy, then there is going to erupt a bloody civil in Pakistan within just a few years. That’s why Asif Ali Zardari is very much aware he is now riding on a lion’s back and the real scope of his choices is very narrow.

Benazir’s secret plan found by her daughter
In a rare interview, granted to me on the eve of her father becoming the next President of Pakistan, the politically active 18-year-old Miss Bakhtawar Bhutto revealed the existence of a secret political plan her mother had written a few days before her assassination. Benazir Bhutto wrote that political plan, in her own handwriting, which her daughter accidentally found in a purse after her death. “Removal of Musharraf was the first point in the plan. There are many more,” she said. Bakhtawar said her father is determined to implement all the points.

Zardari: the most powerful civilian President in the history of Pakistan

She told me her mother had lost half of her trust in Musharraf after the bomb blasts on her rally on Oct 18, 2007 in Karachi. The rest of the trust was lost after the imposition of the state of emergency in Pakistan on Nov 3, 2007. Benazir Bhutto was sure that Pervez Musharraf could not contribute to resolving the ongoing problems of Pakistan, Bakhtawar added: “My mother was in fact of the view that Musharraf was part of the problem and had to be removed.”

The daughter told me the history of Pakistan could have been different today if Benazir Bhutto had listened to Asif Ali Zardari exactly one year ago in Dubai. Her father tried his best to stop her mother from going back to Pakistan because he never wanted to lose her. In one of the conversations in September 2007 in Dubai, Zardari begged Benazir to delay her return to Pakistan just for the sake of her children, who could not afford to lose their mother. But Benazir Bhutto was determined to come back at any cost. Young Bakhtawar was a witness to one of these dramatic conversations of her parents. She confirmed to me: “Yes, my father begged my mother many times that she should not return to Pakistan. My father was sure that enemies of the PPP would definitely target my mother, but my mother never listened to him because she had already spent almost 10 years in exile and she wanted to come back before the elections. She had a debate with our father but she won it with strong arguments.”

Bakhtawar is sharp and intelligent like her mother. She was born in 1990 when her mother was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Now she is learning politics from her father, who became the new President of Pakistan. She was staying with her father these days and she was witnessing the whole political exercise for the elections of new President. She was lucky as well as unlucky, because her family has already paid a very heavy price for that kind of politics. In 1990, she was only a few months old when her father was arrested. He was released in 1992 and arrested again in 1996 to be released only in 2005. Bilawal (the only son) and two daughters, Bakhtawar and Assefa, spent their childhood without their father and they finally lost their mother on Dec 27, 2007. After the presidential election, she will go with her father to Scotland, where she will get admission to the University of Edinburgh for completing her studies begun in Dubai. During his private visit to Britain, President Zardari will also meet the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

At the time of our interview, Bakhtawar was waiting for the oath-taking ceremony of her father as the President of Pakistan. She thinks that the oath-taking of her father as the President will not mean only a “face lifting” but it will be a real beginning for the change of the whole political system of the country.

The Bakhtawar’s story of a political plan on a piece of paper written by Benazir was also confirmed by Asif Ali Zardari. “Bakhtawar had found a paper in the purse of her mother, and it was clearly written on the paper that removal of Musharraf would be the top priority of the PPP after coming into power and we have implemented the plan of Benazir by removing Musharraf,” claimed Zardari. Bakhtawar was also aware that a big test for her father will start after becoming the president of Pakistan. She said: “There are big challenges and big problems, I am sure my father will try to raise new hopes in the hearts and minds of my generation for a better and prosperous Pakistan.”

Numerology and politics
Asif Ali Zardari believes in numerology, the knowledge of relationships between numbers and human beings. He decided to take oath on 9/9 because he thought that number 9 was very important in the life of his late wife Benazir Bhutto. They married on December 18th, 1987. In numerology 18 is 1+8=9. Benazir Bhutto came back to Pakistan after 9 years of exile on October 18th 2007. It was again 1+8=9. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27th 2007.In numerology 27 is 2+7=9. The People’s Party. led by Asif Ali Zardari won the majority of the votes in the elections on February 18th 2008. It was again 1+8=9. Pervez Musharraf resigned from the office of President on August 18th 2008 (1+8=9) and he created a situation in which Zardari decided to jump into the Presidency. Now Zardari took the oath on September 9th and he is sure that he will be able to meet all the challenges faced by Pakistan after 9/11.

Zardari cannot run Pakistan just with the help of numerology. He needs political wisdom and statesmanship. The new President knows only too well that he is both a very controversial politician and man and he cannot afford to commit blunders. His blunders could destroy his party (PPP) as well as Pakistan as a country. That’s why he is trying to introduce the concept of “National Unity Government” in Pakistan. On Monday, after becoming President, he requested former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to help him in combating terrorism, resolving the Kashmir dispute and stabilizing the economy. Nawaz Sharif is leading the second biggest party in the Parliament (NML-N). Zardari cannot make any changes in the Constitution without his help. Both of them were enemies of each other many years ago but now they cannot afford enmity. In the last election campaign, Nawaz Sharif promised to release Dr. A Q Khan should he would come into power. Zardari has convinced Nawaz Sharif not to discuss anything about Dr..Khan because Pakistan has other big challenges to deal with.

A not-written book
Knowing of my first book about her late father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto eleven years ago, Benazir Bhutto asked me to write a book about the sufferings of her husband Asif Ali Zardari. Benazir Bhutto was the opposition leader at that time and Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister. Asif Ali Zardari was a member of the Senate, but he had been in prison since November 1996 when the Benazir government was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari with the support of the Pakistan Army and America.

Benazir took revenge on President Farooq Leghari within one year. She collaborated with her old political rival Nawaz Sharif and clipped the President’s powers to dismiss the Parliament through a constitutional amendment, jointly supported by the then ruling party PML-N and the opposition PPP party. President Leghari resigned within a few days of that ruthless move by Benazir Bhutto.

After taking revenge on Farooq Leghari, the first ever woman-Prime Minister of the Muslim world wanted to counter the propaganda against her husband who was described in local and international media as one of the most corrupt politicians of Pakistan. She was sure that Nawaz Sharif would not release her husband because he would like to use the imprisonment of Zardari for blackmailing the PPP. In 1997, she requested me twice to start writing a book about “a husband who is suffering because the politics of his wife.” I wanted to wait a few months because I was sure that Zardari would be released because there was no solid evidence against him. But I was proven wrong. Zardari was released from prison only in 2005 when Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan and both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were in exile.

Musharraf ‘s betrayal
In 1997, I avoided writing a book about a very controversial person. Now that controversial person has become the 13th President of Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto is no longer alive but her husband is now leading her party (PPP) and he is proving to be a very sharp politician. Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October 2007 after making a deal with political brokers in Washington and London. According to that deal, Mrs. Bhutto agreed to work as Prime Minister with President Musharraf. Her husband begged her not to trust Musharraf but she was confident that Washington and London would guard her political interest. She deputed her husband to look after their children in Dubai and she walked straight on the road to death in Pakistan.

Musharraf betrayed Benazir Bhutto by arresting her and then by using state intelligence agencies against her. Finally she was assassinated just a few days before the election. Musharraf expected that sick and intimidated Zardari would leave politics for the safety of his three children. He was wrong. Zardari came back to Pakistan. He was feeling betrayed by both Musharraf and by the Western brokers of the political deal with his late wife. He led the party in the elections and got the majority on February 18th, 2008. Within the next six months he removed Musharraf from the Presidency and occupied the most powerful office himself. Asif Ali Zardari took his revenge on the Pakistani establishment in his own political way. He betrayed Musharraf and his generals and he also betrayed Washington and London.

A revenge through democracy
Asif Ali Zardari is now waiting for the election of a new President of the USA. He doesn’t have much confidence in George W Bush. On his first state visit, later this month, he is going to China, which will be a clear message for the Bush Administration. He believes in the necessity to wage the war against terror, but he would like to reformulate Pakistan’s strategy with the help of the elected Parliament. As President he will not dictate to the Parliament, like Musharraf; he prefers to take advice. The next three months are very important for Zardari as well as for Pakistan. President Zardari has to speak through his actions, not words, because the people of Pakistan are no more ready to believe in political promises, made by many rulers, which were not materialized in the last several years. Zardari has successfully delivered his revenge on Musharraf through democracy. Now he has to change Pakistan through a democratic system. His success would become the success of the whole Muslim world and countries of Islam, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and others would also look at Pakistan as a role model to defeat terror by democracy.

In the first days of his presidency, Asif Ali Zardari has shown conciliatory attitudes to vital problems of Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy, but also resolve. On the dispute with India over Kashmir he will not depend on secret diplomacy: “All possible solutions on Kashmir will be discussed first in a parliamentary committee on Kashmir and then the final solution will be approved by parliament.” Speaking about differences between him and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, he defended his joint press conference with the Afghan President: “Yes, I know that Karzai Sahib issued some harsh statements about the Pakistani government in the past, but now his stance is very soft which is a positive sign.“ President Zardari also commented on the statement of the Army Chief and said no external force will be allowed to conduct military operations inside Pakistan: “The Army Chief repeated the government’s policy. The Prime Minister and myself have already condemned cross-border strikes into tribal areas and the two houses of Parliament have already spoken through unanimous resolutions.”

President Zardari also said he is aware of the challenges faced by Pakistan today and he frankly told some journalists pressing him: “I have not become president to enjoy power but actually a big test of my life has started. But give me some time, at least two to three months, and then you will be justified in asking hard questions.“ Zardari also revealed that he is going first to Scotland where his daughter Bakhtawar will get admission to the University of Edinburgh. After that he will meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in England. He said his plans for a China visit are still intact and the foreign office is now finalizing details with Beijing.

President Zardari is confident that he will change Pakistan. Recently he told me: “I will not disappoint Benazir Bhutto when I will meet her in heaven”.

This article was first published at Canada Free Press

Hamid Mir, the author of this article, is a top Pakistani reporter, head of the Geo TV Bureau in Islamabad. He has won a world-wide acclaim for his interviews with Osama bin Laden and Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, before and following 9/11. His new book about OBL is due to appear in Britain, later this year.

Dr. Alexander von Paleske- – Die Krise am Finanzmarkt ist noch lange nicht vorbei, Im Gegenteil! Selbst wenn Lehman Brothers aufgekauft werden sollte (mittlerweile pleite), ebenso die Kreissparkasse von Washington, Washington Mutual oder abgekürzt auch WaMu, wird die Aufkauferei und das Uebernehmen alsbald zum Stillstand kommen, mangels verfügbarer finanzieller Mittel, und dann wird es Bankrotte hageln.

Fannie Mae und Freddie Mac, die US-Hypthekenbanken sind vom Staat übernommen worden, aber was nur ganz vereinzelt in der Presse berichtet wurde, das ist nun das Fälligwerden der Zockerpapiere Swaps, und zwar hier der Credit Default Swaps, über die wir ausführlich berichtet haben.

Swaps wurden von dem US-Grossinvestor Warren Buffett bereits im Jahre 2002 als finanzielle Massenvernichtungsmittel gebrandmarkt. Die Obligationen von Fannie- Fred sind nun als „nichteinbringbar“ klassifiziert worden, damit ist der „Versicherungsfall“ eingetreten. Mit anderen Worten, es ist Zahltag für schlappe 1,5 Billionen US Dollar.

Zwar haben die Grossbanken durch einige Tricks sich wieder rückversichert, gerade auch bei denen, die sie an sich jetzt bezahlen müssten, sodass teilaufgerechnet werden kann, aber für eine ganze Reihe andere, gerade auch Hedgefonds dürften mehr als nur die Alarmsirenen schrillen. Sie dürften baden gehen. Und das wird wohl weitere erhebliche Auswirkungen auf den Finanzmarkt haben.

So scheint selbst die Lage bei dem grössten US Versicherer AIG sich zuzuspitzen. Der hatte bereits unter der Immobilienkrise erhebliche Verluste eingefahren, aber jetzt kamen die Verluste aus Swap-Zockerpapieren hinzu, macht nochmals 13 Milliarden. CEO Martin Sullivan musste seinen Hut nehmen. Und mit dem Swap-Zahltag für Fannie-Fred werden weitere wohl weitere Milliardenbeträge zu blechen sein. Am Freitag stürzte die Aktie ab, wie die Viktoriafälle.

Kommunen zocken, Bürger zahlen
Aber es trifft auch Kommunen, die diese Zockerpapiere eingekauft haben, wir berichteten darüber („Neues aus der Swap- und Meinl-Welt“).

Mittlerweile gibt es auch erstinstanzliche Gerichtsurteile. Hagen und Ravensburg verloren die Prozesse, die sie gegen den Verkäufer der Swaps, die Deutsche Bank angestrengt hatten.

Also zahlen. Letztlich werden diese Kosten, im Falle Hagens mal satte 30 Millionen, über die Steuern und Umlagen wieder beigetrieben. Es ist also der Bürger, der die Zeche zahlen muss.

Ein trauriger Skandal
Aber gerne scheinen Finanzinvestoren auch dem einfachen Bürger jetzt diese Zockerpapiere andrehen zu wollen. Und da stossen wir im Rahmen eines grenzüberschreitenden Skandals wieder auf unsere Bekannte, die Hypo-Alpe-Adria, griffiger auch Skandalpe genannt.

Und dieser traurige Skandal lief so: Da gibt es ein Institut für Finanzierungswesen und Investment (IFI) in Graz. Das preiste ein sogenantes Immobilien-Rendite Modell an.

Vereinfacht: Du hast einen Bauernhof, oder ein Haus, oder eine Eigentumswohnung und mit diesem Eigentum kannst Du jetzt gutes Geld machen – ohne vermieten zu müssen. Im eigenen Haus wohnen und dann auch noch dafür Geld bekommen, wer möchte das nicht gerne.

Die Sache hatte natürlich einen Haken und der sah so aus: Du gibst uns den Auftrag, an der Börse zu swapsen (das Wort zocken fiel natürlich nicht), todsichere Sache und als Sicherheit für den von uns gemachten Einsatz nur als Formsache verpfändest Du dein Eigentum an die Bank, die dafür dann einen Garantiebrief ausstellt, das Wort „Kredit“ wurde natürlich nicht gebraucht.

Eine dieser „Garantiebanken“ war die Hypo Alpe. Aber die zockte selbst nicht, sondern den Handel mit den Swaps machte eine „Baader Service Bank“ in Oberschleissheim bei München. Die hatte angeblich keine Ahnung, wie das ganze System lief, sondern handelte nur nach Auftrag der IFI.Und immer mehr Leute fielen darauf rein.

Und dann kam, was kommen musste, die Zockerpapiere gingen in die falsche Richtung, die Besicherungen der Kunden reichten nicht mehr aus. Also zahlten die Banken die Garantiesumme an die Baader Leute aus und stellten sie für die Häusle-Eigentümer fällig. Die verlieren jetzt ihr gesamtes Eigentum.

Und da die Deals aufgesplittert waren, trifft das Fehlverhalten des einen nicht automatisch auch den anderen.

Bei den Verhandlungen um Stundung zeigten sich die lokalen Banken kulant, nicht hingegen, nach Presseberichten, die Hypo Alpe.

Das kann man verstehen. Da die Mutterbank, die Bayerische Landesbank, durch Handel mit Schrottpapieren schon 4 Milliarden Schulden eingefahren hatte, ist für irgendwelche Kulanz bei den „kleinen Leuten“, einfach kein Raum mehr.

Die Finanzkrise, Casinos und Zockerchips
Default Swaps oder: Die nächste Weltfinanzkrise rückt näher
Neues aus der Swap-und Meinl-Welt
Neues von den Finanzskandalen, BayernLB, Hypo Alpe, Meinl
Der Fall Hypo-Alpe-Adria- Bank (Skandalpe) – Ein österreichisch-deutsches Schmierenstück.
Finanzgauner, ihre Opfer und die BaFin

Hamid Mir– In a rare interview on the eve of her father becoming the next president of Pakistan, the politically active 18-year-old Bakhtawar has revealed the existence of a political plan her mother had written a few days before her assassination.

She revealed to me in Islamabad that before her death, Benazir Bhutto had written a political plan, in her own handwriting, which she accidentally found in her purse after her death. “Removal of Musharraf was the first point in the plan. There are many more,” she said.

Bakhtawar says her father is determined to implement all the points written by Benazir in her political plan. The excited daughter of Benazir is planning to raise the slogan of ‘Jeay Bhutto’ in the presidency when her father Zardari takes oath as the strongest man in the country.

“This will be my revenge for the death of my mother,” Bakhtawar told me in Islamabad as she waited for her father’s election and take over of the country’s highest political office. Bakhtawar says the history of Pakistan could have been different today if Benazir Bhutto had listened to Asif Ali Zardari exactly one year ago in Dubai. Her father tried his level best to stop Benazir Bhutto from going back to Pakistan because he never wanted to lose her.

Zardari: begged Benazir Bhutto (behind) to delay her return just for the sake of her children

In one of the conversations in Sept 2007 in Dubai, Zardari begged Benazir Bhutto to delay her return just for the sake of her children, who could not afford to lose their mother, but Benazir Bhutto was determined to come back at any cost.

Young Bakhtawar is a witness to that historical conversation. She confirmed to me: “Yes, my father begged my mother many times that she should not return to Pakistan. My father was sure that enemies of the PPP will definitely target my mother but my mother never listened to him because she had already spent 10 years in exile and she wanted to come back before the elections. She had a debate with our father but she won the debate with strong arguments.”

Bakhtawar is sharp and intelligent like her mother. She was born in 1990 when her mother was the prime minister of Pakistan. Now she is learning politics from her father, who would soon be the new president of Pakistan. She is staying with her father these days and witnessing the whole political exercise for the elections of the new president. She is lucky as well as unlucky because her family paid a very heavy price for this kind of politics.

She was a few months old when her father was arrested in 1990. He was released in 1992 and arrested again in 1996 to be released in 2005. Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Assefa spent their childhood without their father and they finally lost their mother on Dec 27, 2007.

After the presidential election, she will go back to Dubai for completing her studies. She is waiting for the oath-taking ceremony of her father as the president of Pakistan. She thinks that oath-taking of her father as the president will not only be a change of the face but it will be the beginning for the change of the whole system.

Bakhtawar revealed that removing Musharraf was the top priority of her late mother. She said: “After a few days of the assassination of our mother, I was just checking her purse and I found a paper in it. My late mother had written some points as an agenda of the PPP after coming into power. The first point was to remove Musharraf.”

Bakhtawar said her mother had lost half of her trust in Musharraf after the bomb blasts on her rally on Oct 18, 2007 in Karachi. The rest of the trust was lost after the imposition of emergency on Nov 3, 2007.

Benazir Bhutto was sure that Pervez Musharraf could not contribute to resolving the ongoing problems of Pakistan, she said, adding, “My mother was in fact of the view that Musharraf was part of the problem and must be removed.”

The Bakhtawar story of a political plan on a piece of paper written by Benazir was also confirmed by Asif Ali Zardari. “Bakhtawar had found a paper from the purse of her mother and it was clearly written on the paper that removal of Musharraf will be the top priority of the PPP after coming into power and we have implemented the plan of Benazir by removing Musharraf,” claimed Zardari.

Bakhtawar is also aware that a big test of her father will start after becoming the president of Pakistan. She said: “There are big challenges and big problems, I am sure my father will try to raise new hopes in the hearts and minds of my generation for a better and prosperous Pakistan.”

Hamid Mir, the author of this article, is a top Pakistani reporter, head of the Geo TV Bureau in Islamabad. He has won a world-wide acclaim for his interviews with Osama bin Laden and Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, before and following 9/11.

Daniel Mullis – Im Herbst gilt es in Bern Exekutive und Legislative neu zu besetzen. Nach nunmehr 16 Jahren Rot-Grüner Regierung und gleichfalls dominiertem Gemeinderat ist das erklärte Ziel der bürgerlichen Parteien, das Zepter zurück zu gewinnen. Zusätzlich verschärft wird die Angelegenheit durch die zweifelhafte Stapi-Kandidatur des Rockers und Broncos- Chef Jimy Hofer und den Abwahlsorgen von noch Vorsteher der Direktion für Sicherheit, Energie und Umwelt Stephan Hügli, welcher nach einem innerparteiischen Disput, nun auf eigene Faust zur Wahl antritt.

„Sicherheit“ als Dauerthema
Seit den Anti- SVP Ausschreitungen vom 6. Oktober 2007 ist die Thematik Sicherheit auch in Bern zu einem Selbstläufer geworden und sämtliche Parteien versuchen sich mit immer ausgefalleneren Ideen das Thema zu Eigen zu machen.

Kein Wunder also lanciert die Junge SVP eine weitere Reitschul-Initiative mit dem Ziel das autonome Kulturzentrum zu schliessen, dies obwohl schon vier Abstimmungen mit solchem oder ähnlichem Wortlaut vor dem Berner Stimmvolk abgelehnt wurden – reine Zwängerei also. Ein weiteres Mal muss also die Reitschule für die Hetzkampagnen der Jungen SVP um Erich Hess herhalten, welche viel mehr in einer subtilen Angst vor dem Anderen wurzeln dürften, als in der wahren Sorge um Bern.

Auch Stephan Hügli mischt mit
Doch auch politisch gemässigtere Exponenten nutzen die Reitschule zu ihrem Wahlkampf. So etwa Stephan Hügli: In einem offenen Brief kritisiert er, dass die Blaulichtorganisationen auf dem Vorplatz nicht arbeiten könnten und ständigen Attacken Seitens der BesucherInnen der Reitschule ausgesetzt seien. Damit bedient er ein Bild des längst vergangenen Sommers 2003, wo die Situation tatsächlich aus dem Ruder zu laufen drohte, sich aber seither – mit einigen wenigen negativen Ausnahmen – massiv verbessert hat.

Dass die Situation gerade vor der Reitschule weiterhin als unhaltbar einzustufen ist, entspricht sicherlich der Realität, dies aber aus anderen Gründen als von Hügli und der Jungen SVP genannt. Drogendeal und –konsum sowie die Bildung einer offenen Szene unter der Eisenbahnbrücke bei der Schützenmatte ist die bittere Realität, unter welcher der Betrieb des autonomen Zentrums selbst am stärksten leidet.

Verfehlte Drogenpolitik der Stadt Bern?
Die Situation wie sie besteht, hat aber ihre Ursachen nicht in erster Linie bei den BetreiberInnen der Reitschule, wie dies von rechtsbürgerlichen Kreisen sugeriert wird.

Denn die Wegweisungspraxis von Randständigen in der Innenstadt verfolgt seit jeher die Doktrin „Aus den Augen aus dem Sinn“, aber dass sich Menschen mit einem Perimeterverbot nicht in Luft auflösen, liegt in der Natur der Sache.

Die Anlaufstelle an der Hodlerstrasse, vis-à-vis der Reitschule war in der Idee eine gute Sache, jedoch bleibt die Standortwahl bis heute unverständlich. Denn schon vor deren Eröffnung hatte sich auf Grund der Städtischen Drogenpolitik der Verkauf von weichen Drogen wie Marihuana und teils auch jener von harten Drogen vor die Reitschule verlagert. In dieses Umfeld eine Drogenanlaufstelle zu platzieren, war schlicht der viel beschworene unnötige Guss Öl ins Feuer. Zusätzlich verschärfend wirken die restriktiven Einlassbedingungen zur Drogenanlaufstelle und der damit verbundenen Verkennung der Realität, dass halt auch KonsumentInnen von Drogen aus anderen Kantonen in Bern leben. Nicht zuletzt ist aber auch die notorische Überlastung der Anlaufstelle zu nennen, weshalb auch nur so restriktiv eingelassen wird.

Für diese Fehlplanung bezahlt nun der Kulturbetrieb Reitschule die Zeche und hat erneut die Ehre, den Kopf für eine surreale Wahlkampfdebatte herzuhalten.

Dieser Artikel erschien erstmalig bei ContaInfo