Speech delivered by Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis
Highly honourable Lithuania,
Distinguished representatives of the people,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Everybody who has gathered here!
At 11 o'clock of 16 February 1918 twenty men of the Lithuanian Council stood up and listened to the Resolution stating that 'The Lithuanian Council, as the only representatives of the Lithuanian people, declares of the restoration of the statehood of Lithuania, an independent state established on democratic grounds with its capital city Vilnius.' The Resolution was brief, and it was signed by the twenty. I am convinced that today we must remember the names and to some extent destinies of all of them: Saliamonas Banaitis, Jonas Basanavičius, Mykolas Biržiška who in the twilight of independence found himself in emigration, member of the Seimas, Kazimieras Bizauskas, killed, shot by the Bolsheviks somewhere in Byelorussia on his way to the place of exile, Pranas Dovydaitis, shot by the Bolsheviks, Steponas Kairys, member of the Seimas who died in emigration, Petras Klimas, a great public figure who went through all Gulags, Donatas Malinauskas who died on his way to the point of deportation, somewhere in Altai, Valdas Mironas who died in a prison of Vladimir, Stanislovas Narutavičius, Alfonsas Petrulis, Antanas Smetona, member of the Seimas, died in emigration, Jonas Smilgevičius, Justinas Staugaitis, member of the Seimas, Aleksandras Stulginskis, the president. President, member of the Seimas, deportee Jurgis Šaulys, died in emigration, Kazimieras Šaulys, died in emigration, Jokūbas Šernas, Jonas Vailokaitis - in emigration, Jonas Vileišis, a great member of the Seimas. It is not accidental that we can discern ourselves in the destiny of those people. So, the Resolution was adopted, however it had raised lot of arguments, discussions. Opinions differed. Opinions varied, because the statement of 11 December 1917 read that it favoured 'a continuous (permanent) solid union ties with the state of Germany…' Four out of twenty - Steponas Kairys, Mykolas Biržiška, Stanislovas Narutavičius and Jonas Vileišis - disagreed, protested and left. Two others supported them obviously - Aleksandras Stulginskis and Petras Klimas.
Afterwards there was a great deal of argument, tremendous tension between those who were for the union with Germans and those who were against it. How simple it would be to classify them into two groups now: patriots and non-patriots, toadying Germans and not. Moreover, quite recently we have endowed ourselves with a more or less similar experience. However, it is likely, that the twenty men teach us a good lesson. Let us turn their memoirs.
One of them, Professor Steponas Kairys writes in his memoir book 'To You Lithuania': 'The accusation that the majority of the members of the Council had sold their souls to Germans is nonsensical. 'No matter the political… or social views of the then Council members, they all were patriots undoubtedly. And hardly, if at all, any of them could have thought of and had courage to sell their souls to Germans. They all were the intelligentsia." And this is written by a person who was categorically against any kind of Union with Germans, but respected those having a different opinion, without daring himself and not allowing others to doubt in their integrity and soundness of their arguments. Today, in the perspective of years, we can only say that Steponas Kairys, Mykolas Biržiška, Jonas Vileišis and Stanislovas Narutavičius were only a little bit more perspicacious or maybe had a better political experience and intuition. And especially Steponas Kairys who already in 1891 distributed political proclamations all over Lithuania which demanded 'A free democratic system for Lithuania'.
Let us remember, let us remember year 1997, when 45 representatives of the Baltic states signed memorandum for the United Nations, let us remember, look back on March 1990, when here, in this hall, two tactics met: "step by step' or 'declare immediately'. Let us remember in greater detail the events of 1991 and the plebiscite of 9 February 1991, and again get back to the words of Steponas Kairys: All those who told to act 'step by step' and those who told to 'declare immediately', everybody - the whole Lithuania, each of us were unquestionable patriots. In all good conscience we can maintain that in out ceremonial commemoration of the 80th anniversary as well. If, as Vincas Kudirka said, we will draw our strength, rather than leaders or heroes, from the past. And we chose models for that strength. It is probably therefore, and not accidentally, that I want, though making my speech shorter, to choose Steponas Kairys, the author the text of the [Act of the] 16th of February, because the characteristics of his life are very impressive: the Seimas of the fifth year, all the Lithuanian parliaments, the first Lithuanian government, besides, his activities in all the three Seimas were noticeable, the fact that he had to spend 16th February 1926 in our own prison, the fact that later he happened to work for the sake of Lithuania in various fields, both in Kaunas municipality and Vytautas Magnum University. These facts characterise him rather clearly, and especially precise are the words by Mr Bugailiškis. Let us quote: 'Though due to the circumstances of today St. Kairys remains pushed aside and isolated outside the public life, we still have to think that in case the nation is undertaken by critical moments and, consequently, in the face of danger abandoned by most of today's public figures, he and his fellows-in-arms may still need to lead the ranks of defenders and fighters: history likes repeating itself." That was year 1938. Occupations, Bolsheviks, Nazis - and Kairys at the head again. Letters, memoranda are written, underground movement is organised, Jews are saved. In 1943 he places his effort to the setting up of the Senior Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania. Then - emigration, intensive work with other patriots. And here it is worthwhile recalling Mr Grinius, Mr Kropavičius and a number of other luminaries who in that context behaved precisely the way Mr Bugailiškis had told. Afterwards, serious problems in emigration.
In 1957 after the events in Hungary and Poland Steponas Kairys wrote: 'Let us not be afraid to say that our unionists may appear among 'the traitors' as well. Especially we, the social democrats. However, in the tactics of our activities we can and, I think, must be more liberal, not afraid to establish contacts even with the people of the regime, if those contacts would enable us to affect them and finally to achieve our targets. Therefore, our press must present a real and fair evaluation of the events in Lithuania: the bad must be called bad and the positive - positive." This was year 1957, when his wife Ona Leonaitė - Kairienė was exiled to the Siberia. Later, in 1963 Steponas Kairys wrote that 'communism, coinciding with barbarism, has trampled into dirt the brightest human ideals, thus it contains nothing attractive to people. The victory will be determined by the people. I want each person of sound reason and sensitive soul to be infected with my belief…' And he pronounces: 'Face to Lithuania'. He coins this slogan, and this slogan elicited a response of the younger generation.
Here, we can read in our hands the book published earlier by our newly elected president (Valdas Adamkus) 'The Name of Destiny - Lithuania'. Its page 72 reads: 'most probably the most important merit of 'Santara-Šviesa' [organisation] is its effort to build bridges of co-operation with the intelligentsia of the occupied Homeland. We voiced the slogan "Face to Lithuania', because of which émigré political organisations almost wanted to crucify us. These words were first pronounced by the signatory of Lithuania's independence, chairman of the Senior Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania Mr Kaminskas Kairys. Members of the Santara organisation just attached a specific meaning to the phrase, and used it as their banner. Beautiful is the slogan, beautiful is the banner.
And today, here, while commemorating the 80th anniversary, we all face Lithuania. Maybe on this grand occasion our Seimas could pledge to make a decision to give the names of the distinguished members of the Seimas, signatories of the 16th of February to the beautiful halls and offices of the Seimas. This is a very ordinary and understandable parliamentary tradition. Thank you for your attention. (Applause).