We, as the Independent Student Representative Lists of Austria (FL\u00d6), are horrified by the recently revealed statements of a board member of the AktionsGemeinschaft (AG), according to which there are allegedly joint plans with the Austrian federal government to abolish the \u00d6H federal representation should the AG not be included in the executive in the next legislative period.<\/p>\n
The \u00d6H federal representation is of immense importance for the nationwide representation of students and especially for advising local university representations. Both members of the federal executive board of the AktionsGemeinschaft and representatives of AktionsGemeinschaft university groups with executive participation regularly make use of it, knowing that the quality of representation work at the federal level\u2014regardless of political views\u2014is of a high standard and equipped with professional expertise.<\/p>\n
The AktionsGemeinschaft, as an opposition faction, is also part of the \u00d6H. We take Federal Chairman Dominik Ramusch at his word to sit down at a table and discuss topics, as long as the common table within the \u00d6H comes first.<\/p>\n
We call on the AktionsGemeinschaft to take a position on whether there are already plans coordinated with the government to abolish the \u00d6H federal representation in a future coalition without AG executive participation.<\/p>\n
A critical and strong \u00d6H is needed in the interest of students. And only we students should decide what the \u00d6H looks like in the future\u2014not the ideology-driven ideas of the current federal government, which has proven through its scheduling of the upcoming \u00d6H elections how indifferent it is to the \u00d6H and students. Here, the AktionsGemeinschaft, whether independent of the \u00d6VP or not, should distinguish itself and be more aware of its responsibility, especially with regard to public statements.<\/p>\n