No to the “Service-citoyen”: A Scam in Favour of Rearmament, the EU and NATO!: Swiss Communists

No to the “Service-citoyen”: A Scam in Favour of Rearmament, the EU and NATO! : Communist Party (Switzerland)

The popular initiative “for a Service-citoyen” (national civic service) claims to address the crisis of Switzerland’s militia system by generalising compulsory service. This proposal is presented with appealing arguments — gender equality, national cohesion, and the promotion of civic engagement — but in reality, it hides numerous pitfalls.

The initiative aims to introduce into the Federal Constitution the principle of a “Service-citoyen”, according to which all persons holding Swiss citizenship shall perform a service for the benefit of the community and the environment. The following paragraph specifies that this service is to be carried out either in the form of military service or another legally recognised militia service, such as civil service (intended for conscientious objectors) or civil protection, while giving priority to the needs of the army. In summary, the initiative therefore seeks to extend compulsory service to the entire Swiss population, including women and even foreigners (!), thereby securing the manpower of an already oversized army.

Former Swiss army chief, Philippe Rebord, an avowed Atlanticist, has admitted that if the initiative were accepted, “the number of potential conscripts would rise from 35,000 to 70,000. The army would therefore have more choice.” In practice, this initiative uses lofty and altruistic rhetoric, but in reality, it aims to promote a reckless arms build-up and further militarise Swiss society – exactly as demanded by the EU and NATO (though, of course, the promoters carefully avoid saying so).

Moreover, this initiative would fuel wage dumping: those compelled to perform “Service-citoyen” but not recruited by the army would be employed in areas of public utility, thereby creating additional pressure on the labour market. The shortage of personnel in social, health, and educational sectors would be compensated by thousands of young, poorly trained, and underpaid people. This would justify lower public investment in these fields and further exacerbate wage dumping to the detriment of workers.

That is precisely why the neoliberal think tank "AvenirSuisse" supports this initiative — and precisely why the Communist Party firmly rejects it!