The political principles were agreed by the
Board of Directors and approved by the Board
of Trustees on September 24, 1993
Preamble
The political principles describe what the
Friedrich Naumann Foundation understands by
the constitutional clause "the Foundation
acts on the basis of liberalism" (¡× 2,
clause 1). These political principles shall
serve to guide persons working on behalf of
the foundation, either in an honorary capacity
or as salaried staff, in the selection of
candidates for its various activities, in
the definition of objectives in political
education in political consulting, in the
support of talent and ability, and in the
editing of publications
THE POLITICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE FRIEDRICH NAUMANN
FOUNDATION FOR ITS ACTIVITIES IN GERMANY AND ABROAD
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is the foundation
for ideas on liberty and training in freedom.
It wants to contribute to the furtherance
of the principle of freedom in human dignity
in all sectors of society in the united Germany
as well as together with partners abroad.
It is the goal of liberal policies that all
citizens can freely live together in an open
society: the civic society. Without freedom
other human values cannot be realized. Each
human being needs freedom in order to develop
his or her talents and to realize him or herself.
Without freedom the human spirit languishes,
culture and science decay, and the economy
stagnates. The spirit needs freedom like the
body needs air to breathe.
Each human being is an individual with his
own ideas and desires.
But he is also a social being, dependent on
other human beinqs and under an obligation
to them. Freedom and responsibility are inseparable.
They determine the relationship between the
individual and community. Liberals base human
relationship on spontaneity not coercion -
on the exchange of ideas and goods, free trade,
reason, compassion, and responsibility. Voluntary
associations promote mutual trust. They lead
to the recognition of the values and goals
of others and they deserve respect.
Liberal policies and the individual:
Liberal policies promote respect for the rights
of the individual,
for civil rights. The individual needs these
rights, if he wants to freely shape his own
life. Therefore, freedom of opinion is not
only a compelling moral command of tolerance
and of the rule of law. It is also the path
toward progress of the human spirit, a path
which can be found only through the competition
of free ideas and knowledge. The right to
private property is a civil right, too.
Without respect for private property, many
other rights cannot be realized.
Liberal policies are in favor of equal opportunities
from the start, in favor of competition and
pluralism. They strive, therefore, for the
free access of all to all markets, education,
information, labor, goods, and capital markets.
Liberal policies seek to free the individual
from coercion by the state and by anonymous
institutions so that he can fulfill his responsibility
in freedom. Freedom requires responsibility
for the community.
Liberal policies and civic society:
Liberal policies strive to enlarge the freedom
of citizens in all spheres of life and to
restrict the role of the state to the essentials.
This includes recognizing the capacity of
citizens to organize themselves.
Citizens can undertake many tasks in municipalities,
wards, associations, lobbies, other private
institutions and initiatives and wish to do
so. .
Liberal policies and the state:
Liberals see the tasks of the state as the
protection of individual freedom and the protection
of citizens against violence from within and
abroad, as well as safeguarding of the constitution.
Liberal policies want to ensure that rules
apply to all, while leaving space for the
free decision of the individual. Liberal policies
do not want to predetermine a certain outcome;
they want just rules instead of just results,
because such results do not exist.
Liberal policies want democracy. Democracy
permits choice and change, but it does not
guarantee freedom. That is why Liberals are
for the strict division, control, and limitation
of power, public power as well as private.
Liberal policies want a state that is bound
by rules and that respects freedom. The state
has the duty to guarantee legal security to
everybody. In a liberal state, the rule of
law respects group interests. That is why
it provides them with freedom in responsibility,
but not with political power. Liberal policies
do not want the state to be active economically.
They do not want the state to compete, through
its own institutions with private enterprises.
Liberal policies want to maintain the citizens'
freedom to make decisions in all areas of
politics, both now and in the future. Therefore,
they reject solving today's problems at the
expense of tomorrow's generations, at the
expense of sound public finances, and particularly
at the expense of environment.
Liberal policies and international cooperation:
Liberal policies want an open world culture
and a free world market.
For Liberals, the common features of mankind
are more important than the division into
categories of natives and foreigners. The
liberal vision is a world society, in which
there is free exchange, cooperation, and competition
among different peoples, states, regional
groups, and cultures.
Liberal policies strive for cooperation in
development through free international trade
and through helping to establish free and
responsible civic societies in developing
countries.
Liberal policies work towards the worldwide
liberalization of all markets- information,
technology, goods and services as well as
currency and capital markets.
Liberal policies want European unity and
other regional associations, but not at the
expense of internal diversity and openness
towards others.
Liberal policies want worldwide victory of
human and civil rights.
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