About a year ago, Ye-One Rhie moved into the Bundestag for the SPD – and first had to find his way around Berlin politics. In the ntv.de interview, she reveals how the young member of parliament makes difficult decisions of conscience and why it is so difficult to eat healthily.
ntv.de: You have been a member of the Bundestag for a year now. How did you settle in?
Ye-One Rhie: Much better than I thought. I already knew a few colleagues, some of whom I had already met at party conferences. Still, I didn’t know how I fit into this whole structure. It’s not like the system is waiting for you. The election was on September 26th, a day later I went to Berlin and on the 28th the first meetings were held. At that time we were still meeting in the plenary hall with the parliamentary group. I went in there and it was like the first day of school: lots of new kids, no idea if the teachers like you. You come from your own constituency and suddenly find yourself in completely new waters. I wondered how people would find me. But it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Right in the first session, everyone said: “It’s nice that you’re here.” I didn’t think that you could get to know the whole faction, that is 205 people, so quickly and find your place so easily.
Were there any faux pas you made?
Right in the first session. We had to introduce ourselves to new people. And then it was Olaf Scholz’s turn, who was not in the Bundestag in the previous legislative period and was therefore also new, so to speak. He introduced himself with: “I’m Olaf Scholz, I’m from Potsdam and I’m a lawyer” – like us. I thought that was cool and tweeted: “Right now there’s a round of introductions, the new colleague from Potsdam is there too. Did you know that he’s a lawyer?” This was then picked up by the press. As a result, the group took me aside and said: It was quite funny, but we don’t tweet from group meetings.
You were born and grew up in Aachen and also studied there. How did you build your new life in Berlin?
After the election, I teamed up with two other MPs, Lena Werner and Brian Nickholz, whom I hardly knew at the time, and we set up a shared flat. I had never lived in a shared flat before and actually didn’t intend to. But when the idea came up, I thought to myself: why not? Moving in there was the best non-political decision I made in Berlin. Most of the time one of my roommates is there and we chat. It’s a retreat where I can get upset, for example when I come home frustrated from a meeting. We understand each other and have each other’s backs. Other Members of Parliament often come to visit and we drink a beer together in the evening.
And how was the start of your career? From the Groko to the traffic light it was certainly a big change.
The first hurdle is that as a new MEP you always have the feeling that you are behind. First there was the question of the office. I felt like I was always in competition with other MEPs. Is it better to be as close as possible to the Reichstag building or do you opt for the larger offices? Then it was a question of who goes on which committee. You are in competition with each other again. In the first few weeks, I had the feeling that the decisions I am making now are groundbreaking and irreversible for the next four years. In hindsight, I thought about everything way too much. And now I’m really happy – with my office and also with my committees.
You were only a few months in the Bundestag when Russia invaded Ukraine. How did you experience this moment?
I started with a lot of momentum, found the coalition agreement incredibly inspiring and thought we were going to change a lot in socio-political terms. And then came the war. Suddenly it was about sums like 100 billion euros in special funds here, 65 billion euros in relief there. Suddenly more and more priorities had to be set when it came to money. That was a bit demotivating. It’s not that the work wasn’t fun anymore, it’s just that all plans have been turned inside out. Since then, the discussion has revolved around existential matters. People worry about how to heat and eat. Questions I thought were far behind us come up: Do we want to go back to nuclear power? Do we want to keep the coal running? Do we want to deliver more weapons?
How free are you when you exercise your mandate when it comes to such questions?
We are currently faced with many decisions of conscience, and many MEPs are taking them seriously. It is a difficult situation, on the one hand, to respect the freedom to exercise one’s mandate and, at the same time, to convey the following: If we have too many dissenting opinions too often, then we cannot keep this group association together. Rolf Mützenich is the best parliamentary group leader we can have in this situation. He understands when people have concerns and offers to talk to all 205 MPs. We know that this is not a matter of course. This has helped many to live better with their decision, for example for the special fund.
How did you vote?
I voted for it.
How is the mood in the faction in the current debate about arms deliveries?
We have a very large majority opinion on that. I see only a few voices that see it differently. Of course, they have their justification. But we don’t have much unrest in the group on this subject. At every group meeting, Christine Lambrecht gives us a report and keeps us up to date on what we can and cannot deliver. I would also like the Union to move closer together in the face of an international conflict. Not without criticism, but at least not trying to break up this coalition again and again with some sham proposals. We are already delivering much more than in other conflict situations. You can’t blame the federal government for not trying everything. Christine Lambrecht and the federal government have to assess what is still to be delivered. On the contrary, I find it reassuring when Olaf Scholz insists that he does not want to go it alone when it comes to arms deliveries, instead of deviating from it. That was his credo from the start.
In the Bundestag you witnessed a historic Bundestag speech when Olaf Scholz announced a turning point and surprisingly the special fund for the Bundeswehr. How did you experience that day?
When Olaf Scholz announced the special fund, it was drastic. Then I understood again how politics is done on this scale. I sat there and thought, “Wow, that changes everything now.”
But I was incredibly traumatized and disturbed by the way some Union MPs hooted and clapped as if it were really great that we are spending 100 billion euros on the Bundeswehr. I can understand why we’re doing this, but it’s no reason for me to celebrate. I grew up believing that change is possible through rapprochement. Disarmament and communication is the way to world peace – as naive as it sounds. For me, the special fund was a necessity. Nevertheless, it was frightening how quickly we broke all paradigms. We used to pride ourselves on delivering strong humanitarian aid. Now we should be proud that we can deliver heavy weapons. That was never the image I had of Germany.
In a joint interview about a year ago, Ulla Schmidt warned you about the tough political business. how hard is it
Its hard. I was just talking to colleagues about the fact that we need to pay more attention to each other. That we address it when we think someone is taking on too much. As an MEP, I feel like I have to do everything. I have to offer people who want to meet up one as quickly as possible. I have to have worked on every topic, write a position paper here, take over the speech there. Even if we are incredibly privileged and bear an incredible amount of responsibility: Somewhere there has to be room for the question of whether I can do it all at all. What is also hard: In the flood of appointments we hardly have time to eat healthy and balanced. After breakfast, I often don’t eat anything until the afternoon because there’s no break planned. In the cafeteria there is only cake. Many of us have gained double-digit weight gain because we can’t eat healthy and exercise.
Have you been perceived differently by other people since you became a member of the Bundestag?
The other day I ordered a pizza home and opened the door in a baggy look. The pizza boy asked: “You’re in the Bundestag. When will cannabis be legalized?” People now recognize me and speak to me often. I had to get used to that. I don’t feel any different to myself than I did a year or two ago. In my private life, however, I go to birthdays or other meetings much less often, where I don’t know many people. When I mention that I am an MEP, people have questions, which of course I would also like to answer. But actually I went out to have a bit of fun and switch off. Some days I don’t want to be a member of the Bundestag from morning to night, but it’s difficult to get out of this role.
Marc Dimpfel spoke to Ye-One Rhie
