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Speech of the President of the Republic on the Occasion of October 28, 2003

English Pages, 28. 10. 2003

Dear and distinguished guests, dear radio listeners and television viewers, ladies and gentlemen,

It is the fourteenth time we are celebrating the birth of our modern State in a free and democratic country; it is the eleventh time we are remembering this date in the Czech Republic - a country whose size is not identical with that of the original Czechoslovak project, yet is still a country with a legitimate claim to the legacy of traditions and values associated with October 28, 1918. I consider it important to celebrate and remember this day. We return thus to the roots of our modern State, we return to the principles on which it was founded, we try to learn as much as we can from the past, to draw as much inspiration as possible for both the present and for the future.

The foundation of our independent State was – and in this the historians have not lied to us – the result of a long-term endeavour to achieve national emancipation, shared, especially in the 19th century, by almost all the components of Czech society of that time. We also know how crucial the enormous activity of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and his colleagues was in this endeavour, how important the heroism of thousands of Czech legionnaires. It was thanks to them that our nation and our country won international recognition and acclaim, and that it was able to stand on the side of the victors after the First World War.

In the years of the First Republic, our country very soon joined the ranks of the most developed European states. Anybody could see it was flourishing, opening up to the world to which it had much to offer both spiritually and materially. Masaryk’s democratic and humanistic ideals had such a marked influence on Czech political thought that they became a part of the deepest conscience of our nation. For many decades they were like a mirror reflecting the distorted reality of the totalitarian environment of the later years.

But even those days were not in our country an idyllic time of general wellbeing and civic accord. The republic was born at a time which was affected by deep post-war disillusion and instability. The burden of the world economic depression fell heavily on the shoulders of its people. They had to struggle with national tensions, political instability, and with considerable social deprivation. Moreover, a crushing majority of our German co-citizens decided at that time to turn away from the democratic State and adopt instead Hitler’s national socialist programme - which led to the occupation and the establishment of the protectorate. The disenchantment caused by the war and the resulting weakness then facilitated the submission of a significant part of our citizens to communist propaganda. What followed was half a century of oppression and devastation, causing immeasurable damage in both the material and spiritual fields. During all this time the legacy of October 28 was denied and distorted.

In November 1989, in a rare sense of accord, the majority of our population set out on the road of restoration of democracy and market economy. The challenge lying ahead was gigantic and I believe that - in spite of all the existing problems - we have managed to respond to it adequately.

We have rapidly developed a democratic political system which has since taken root and achieved stability. We have opened up and liberalised our economy and have carried out the massive privatisation of a totally “etatised” country. Our economy survived the disintegration of the communist block and within a short time found new markets. The Czech crown is stable and freely exchangeable. Our towns and villages are being restored to their former beauty. The environment, so devastated in the past, has visibly improved. The life expectancy and health status of our population has improved significantly. Essential changes have occurred in our way of life, into which earlier non-existent and often even unsuspected opportunities have been projected. The relations with our neighbours are excellent. Probably for the first time in its history our country need not face any immediate external threat. It is a member of NATO and will soon become a member of the European Union.

And it is namely the latter occasion – our accession to the European Union - that will bring a rather considerable change in our lives and, simultaneously, change in the global standing of our country. The rate of integration in Europe has become so high that our accession to the Union is turning, increasingly, into a domestic policy issue rather than a foreign policy one. It concerns our immediate every day existence, it concerns each and every one of us anywhere in the Czech Republic. Let us try to avail ourselves of the occasion to make ourselves stronger, not weaker. Let us try to be active, to deal with our own problems and not rely on somebody else to deal with them on our behalf. Accession to the European Union must not be the cause of the demise of the work done eighty-five years ago, work which was the culmination of the hundred-year struggle of the Czech nation for the establishment of an independent state.

I trust in the citizens of our country. All the good things surrounding us are the result of their initiative, ability and realism. I would like to thank all who have contributed to this. I shall have the privilege this evening to present some of them with State Orders and decorations, and I do not conceal that the selection of the personalities to be awarded, resulting from the many proposals I have received from the Cabinet, Parliament, public institutions and individuals, has not been easy. I hope I have chosen well.

A significant role in today’s democratic environment is due, also, to politicians. After five years of a central-right coalition, we have now had – for almost the same length of time - a coalition dominated by the social democratic left. The citizens thus have an opportunity to compare. Internal political competition is taking place within the framework of standard democratic rules and is exposed to merciless public scrutiny. This is an enormous privilege which we often do not appreciate enough. The current political arrangement is one that is sometimes referred to as “cohabitation” – in our case the coexistence of a left-wing Government and of a President hailing from the right part of the political spectrum. For all the other protagonists and for me, too, this is a new and not very easy situation. I have never denied that I stand on a different side than the political left. But I fully respect the outcome of the parliamentary elections, and the government coalition respects the result of the presidential election. Our occasionally differing views of the way in which certain specific issues ought to be resolved must not overshadow our common objective - our interest in the prosperity of our country, in its firm international standing, in the creation of conditions for the good life of both today’s and tomorrow’s generations. That, too, is a source of my optimism; that, too, is why I believe that we shall be able to successfully resolve the difficulties which we are encountering today.

Let us not submit to the certain wave of pessimism, negativism, envy, suspiciousness, and lack of self-confidence that has been spreading in our country in the recent years. Let us not believe that current problems in our country will be resolved neither by the deeds of politicians, nor by help from the outside, but, especially, by the skills, talents and industriousness of us all. Let us create for it the broadest possible space. That and nothing else will bring sustained prosperity to our country. October 28 is a good day for reflection along these lines.

Thank you for your attention.

Václav Klaus, Vladislav Hall, Prague Castle, 28.10.2003