As a relatively new German citizen, I have been a supporter of yours - not your party - since you emerged from the corruption headlines your party caused at the turn of the century. I have admired your candour and strength, fighting a system perpetuated by men who were products of that outdated system. I share completely your indignation at the current corruption revelations.

But to put the blame just on the people who performed these transgressions is just not right!

If the elite of a country, politicians - yes there is a very similarity to the CDU scandal and Siemens scandal and God only knows how many others - captains of industry, famous people, start committing crimes in such an everyday fashion, surely the problem is endemic to the system? How ever hard it is to admit, there is something wrong about the system that allows a Koch to stay in power and a Zumwinkel and von Pierer to leave their power. (I don't support any of them).

There is something wrong about a system that reinforces and glorifies theft, using the Nation's spy agency to rip the living heart out of a country because the people representing that heart transgress the tax laws. At the same time refusing to use that same agency to fully uncover the transgressions of a 'so called' friendly nation of German laws AND the laws of humanity. Renditions are and will forever be fundamentally more wrong than tax transgressions!

It seems that Germany time and again loves to devour their icons but unwilling to reform the system that produced those corrupt icons. I find that sad. I have no doubts about the size of the problem, however, do you recognize that? Or do you see it as simply prosecuting a few black sheep?

How many people do you want to fine or put in jail until you start tackling the real reform of the system? What are you going to do to reform the system so that it will build Germany for the next century and not devour it? When wil that happen?

Yes I do speak German. Unfortunately I cannot write German well enough to do justice to it and not offend your love and appreciation of the language. There are not that many people who made an conscious choice to become German. It is very different from just inheriting a nationality. I may be called a 'zuwanderer' but that does not make me a lesser citizen.

yours sincerely,

Philip Botha