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Proslov velvyslance Tomáše Pštrosse

Řeč pronesená na recepci pořádané u příležitosti oslav státního svátku Dne vzniku samostatného státu 28. října 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s national holiday of the Czech Republic immediately precedes the 20th anniversary of a significant event that initiated the return to democratic rule in our country after more than 40 years of oppression. This significant moment in our modern history tends to be -   rather inaccurately - called the “Velvet Revolution”. The brutally suppressed student´s demonstration of 17 November, 1989, became some sort of a catalyst for mass, yet peaceable, manifestations of long-accumulated general discontent. It paved the way both for old and new, spontaneously created opposition groups coming up with a request for a radical change of the system. A similar process was in progress in most countries of the Soviet Bloc. I will leave aside whether the Czechoslovak model of “transfer of power” was well thought out, whether it was capable of predicting the long-term impact of the fact that the condemnation of the crimes of Communism was basically only of moral nature, etc. The nationwide euphoria, induced by the new situation overshadowed everything else. The main point was – and everybody felt it – that immense opportunities of free development and unprecedented prosperity were opening before our country. These expectations were even higher because we used to be a state with strong democratic traditions, that served as an example to other European countries before the Second World War.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It will not surprise you that this year’s twentieth anniversary is an opportunity to look back and assess whether the expectations connected with the return of freedom have been fulfilled. The same assessment is now also done by countries liberated shortly one after the other in the same period, including yours.

It is an undeniable fact that, together with room for the exercise of human and citizen rights, our country recovered its rightful place in the economic and political structures of Europe and the Western world and gained security guarantees for its sovereignty. Its belonging to the original civilization area was confirmed – it was a historical part of this area and had claimed to belong to it at the time of its creation. As a result, dozens of alliances were formed with countries of the same orientation. Among them was Latvia, close to us for the traditional friendly relationship. Great progress has also been made in the relationships with our geographical neighbours, burdened with the circumstances and consequences of World War II.

Fundamental civil liberties have become the obvious keystone of both the individual and collective existence in our country. All this together created an immense potential for further development. However, the question is whether we have been able to use this potential to its full extent. The answer to this question is not so obvious. I dare say that there are fewer reasons to be satisfied than we could expect. We entered the new promising era of our existence with many naive and overly optimistic expectations. In many respects, we underestimated the challenges and unexpected demands brought about by this new reality. More than anything else, we were caught off guard by the demand for every individual to take considerably greater responsibility for one´s own own existence. During the Communist era, state institutions were, for most of us, a personification of inefficiency and invasion of our privacy. However, the omnipresent role of the state as the self-evident caretaker that bought the loyalty of the people also by not leaving them behind in the critical moments of their lives was convenient to us. We tend to explain our unpreparedness by the deep rooted stereotypes of behaviour inherited from totalitarian era. True, the Communist regime disrupted the historically formed value systems to a substantial extent and relativised the very category of basic human decency. But the amount of ferociousness and ruthlessness, with which a certain part of the population took advantage of the opportunity of a quick and not always legal enrichment under the new conditions, took even the most thick-skinned by surprise.

Despite the official lauding of the principles of the social market economy, the return of capitalism to our country often took on a form that would be more pertinent to the first half of the 19th century. After years of chronic scarcity of consumer goods, our population could not be criticised for some sort of infatuation with the values of consumerism. The problem was rather that of a low level of identification with the alternatives that are to balance it out. This state of affairs became also manifested by wide-spread corruption, seen as a common and necessary evil.

It cannot be denied that the country has been successful in establishing a basis for a civil society, but its effective connection to the real politics of the country is still missing. The issue that deserves the most criticism is undoubtedly the state of our political structures. We have relatively and technically well-operating institutions at all levels, but the problem is very often the moral qualities and, in consequence, the low social authority of those who ensure their operation. We have a democratic constitution, but it has a number of formal flaws. It generates  situations when both houses of Parliament regularly find themselves in a paralysing stalemate, numbing the political and economic life of the entire country. The consequences are often unfortunate and their impact may be far-reaching: an example may be the fall of the Government at the most inconvenient moment during our presidency of the EU. At present, the biggest problem is the approach of a part of our political elites and a part of the public to the idea of European integration, which is not always clear-cut, and the tendency to perceive this process within the categories of the historically bygone periods. Let me assure you in this respect of my conviction that the state of affairs caused by the problems with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the Czech Republic will find a quick and positive solution.

It would certainly be possible to continue in the enumeration of successes and failures, and a special category would definitely be the economic growth, which can be regarded as successful, but with many reservations. The approximation to the economic level of advanced countries does not, by far, correspond to the expectations we had 20 years ago. However, the overall effect of our involvement in the European integration structures and of the markedly better access of our export-oriented economy to the global market is absolutely evident. This probably applies most notably to our free access to the “market for ideas,” being the result of open borders and the opportunity for the young generation to acquire education anywhere in the world.

It is often discussed that a bad economy, on the part of those who are affected the most, strengthens the nostalgia of the previous system with its emphasis on collectivism and the protective role of the State. It is a conventional truth that people tend to forget the bad things and to idealise their past. And they view the good things as a matter of course. This particularly applies to the current difficult period of economic depression. A depression that struck your country in an even more intense form. All the more so, people should be reminded  from what situation we emerged 20 years ago and what we have achieved despite all the problems and difficulties we now face. What was a dreamed-of ideal for my generation in Communist Czechoslovakia is for current generations something that needs not to be discussed at all.

I have presented this review on purpose because I know that a great deal of what has been said may also be applicable to your country. That only confirms the closeness of our problems and goals. This similarity is certainly one of the prerequisites for our mutual understanding, which is noticeable in many areas of our mutual communication and cooperation. I am convinced that this cooperation has good prospects for the future as well.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me propose a toast to the further development of the relationships between the Czech Republic and Latvia. I want to express a hope that the next celebration of our national holiday will be held in the atmosphere of a distinct turn for the better and an unwavering optimism.

 

foto recepce1