Press release, 11 March 2016
Photo of the Office of the Seimas (aut. Olga Posaškova)
Dear people of Lithuania,
Your Excellencies, President of the Republic of Lithuania,
Prime Minister, President Valdas Adamkus,
Signatories to the Act of Independence,
Colleagues, Members of the Seimas and of the Government,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the evening of 11th of March 1990, the democratically elected representatives of the nation signed a document that launched a new stage of development of our nation and our state. Our statehood was restored after the long-lasting decades of occupation. It gave our nation the ability to take its own decisions on matters of vital importance.
I invite us all to observe a minute of silence in tribute to the heroes who died for Lithuania’s Independence, the late Signatories to the Act of Independence, all those who were determined to fight for the restoration of our country’s independence as well as those whose genuine daily efforts showed, until the end of their days, their faith and who built a free and independent Lithuania.
Thank you.
Over the 26 years of development of the statehood, we have definitely achieved a lot and have something to be proud of. Lithuania returned to the global community of countries as a full-fledged member and takes the rightful place it deserves. This kind of success of our country seemed as a distant and beautiful dream half a century ago.
We restored our state to provide the best conditions possible for the freedom of expression of the entire nation and of every individual. In order for the state to serve this purpose, a strong civil society is needed.
The Seimas has declared the year 2016 as the Year of Local Communities. I am truly happy and positive about the initiative. I feel it has a great sense of purpose and necessity. People congregating into communities based on their area of residence constitutes a crucial condition for the strengthening of civil society, which is understood as, first and foremost, the ability of citizens to join into associations independent from the state and be actively engaged in public affairs.
By acting in communities, people create a certain network of social relations, which builds up from a sense of membership, common rules of behaviour, neighbourly relations, voluntary activity, and, most importantly, mutual trust. This network of relations creates the so called social capital, i.e. certain social resources which help people to tackle both personal and community problems. If people acted alone, rather than in communities, they would not have such possibilities.
At the moment, there are about 1,800 active local communities in Lithuania. As we witness the wonderful community activities by our citizens, we have to ask ourselves whether we, state politicians and career civil servants, do everything that is in our power to make local communities the real civil force to be reckoned with and able to represent people’s interests and help local authorities to deal with daily problems of the citizens.
The strength of local communities gains a new meaning in the context of the changed geopolitical situation when Russia, our Eastern neighbour, started breaking international policy rules and when Europe is being flooded with hundreds of thousands of war refugees. A strong community, together with local authorities, makes up an organisational structure able to contribute to overcoming new challenges and enhancing the sense of security of community members at the same time. In return, active engagement within a community nurtures patriotism among citizens.
I would like to believe that the Year of Local Communities will serve as a powerful stimulus for civil activeness for the whole country.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The period beginning since the 11th of March 1990 marks the new history of our nation and our state, which has been made by all of us together and individually. May I wish us all to continue on the path of creativity as we keep building the future of our society and our state!
Congratulations on the wonderful celebration that is the 11th of March!
