The question is still in the minds of many Germans,
majority of whom live in the former GDR or East Germany. The noted informal comparison
Wessis vs Ossis still rings true even after 35 years of reunification. Here is my
PEST analysis proving the divide:
Overall picture
Look at the Poverty
Rate Indicator. All six former states of East Germany are above
the threshold figure of 15.5% fixed as the poverty rate for the year 2025.
Sachsen-Anhalt: 21.3% – 21.5%
Berlin: 18.7% – 19.3%
Thuringia: 16.8% – 17.0%
Saxony (Sachsen): 16.6% – 17.2%
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 15.9% – 19.4%
Brandenburg: 14.5% – 15.2%
Political divide
Former East German citizens have no say in the
federal administration. Only about
12% of the top level federal positions are filled from the East. Liberal
democracy which is the battle cry in the West is faintly felt in the East with
support for AfD rising almost double from 12 to 24% across the board.
Economic divide
Average wages in the East is less than 15 to 20% of the Fed standard.
Soviet era industrial structure was deliberately dismantled and sold for a song
which earlier supported the labour force at-least at subsistence level. Most if
not all industrial property was swallowed by the corporates headquartered in
the West. Due to the earlier communist system there was no property inheritance
per se but common ownership. By reunification, even these were robbed by capitalists.
Social divide
Even after 35 years of reunification, only 44% of the former citizens
of the GDR identify as “Germans” compared with more than 70% of citizens
living in the Western side. Immigration out of the East to the West is more
than the number of Asian immigrants knocking on the door of Federal Germany.
Two distinctive societal features are evident. One, the aging population is
steadily increasing thereby making most of them unemployable which bleeds the
Federal welfare budget. Two, most young people of employable age are moving out
to western part leaving denudation of sustainable level of citizenship in the
East.
Technology divide
The economic
convergence between the Wessis and Ossis is still below 75% resulting
from the techno divide. Former GDR citizens need not have the techno skills as
required in the West because the technical skills under the Soviet system was enough
for them to carry on. Reunification rammed on their throats advanced technology
for which they were not prepared and the Fed administrators never bothered to
upscale it anyway.
Synthesis
While I admit that, a unifying nation, more than
anything else must put everything on even keel when it comes to the
expectations of performance in terms of task, duty and delivery, a broader allowance must have been given
to the Ossis such that they progressively uplift their skill structure. This is
where the Fed Admin failed and failed miserably.
Strategy advice
Fed admin must quickly embark upon a revised
integration programme that ensures PEST is synchronised between Wessis and
Ossis. This not only erases the disparity but bring about the common loyalty to
Germany as an Aryan nation.
Navigating strategy amid geoeconomics therefore directs Fed Admin to implement a revised integration plan.
Cheers!
Muthu Ashraff
Strategy Adviser
Mobile: + 94 777 265677
E-mail: cosmicgems@gmail.com
Blog: Strategy Adviser
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