Mr Zatlers, guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Freedom Monument carries our historical DNA. It is a reminder of where Latvia began, how it re-emerged and resurged as our national sense of freedom evolved.
Freedom starts in us. It starts with our personal autonomy.
It is the knowledge that we have and will always have the right to grow, develop as we wish, as equals, united and strong as early 20th-century civic society in Latvia.
Latvians proudly announced their freedom aspirations when Latvian State was founded and later defended them during the War of Independence.
Neither Nazi Germany nor Soviet occupation powers were strong enough to crush our dreams of freedom. Our resistance movement carried on fighting after the war until late 1980s when Awakening flared up like a flame of freedom.
Freedom starts with us but it does not end in us. It grows within free society and state. The place where our personal freedoms intersect with freedoms of other people, institutions and social norms, which can also counterweigh and restrict personal freedoms to benefit the broader interests of the public.
Public domain – the society and government – defines responsibilities and identity in freedom.
The idea of personal and collective freedom may be born in the 20th century but it is still relevant and holds universal appeal in spite of being criticised.
We often hear talks of the decline of democracy but the reality is different if we look a little closer – concept of freedom continues to live on and is going as strong as before, or maybe even stronger. The problem is that authoritarian and populist regimes have a tendency to restrict freedom and democracies are not strong enough to defend themselves.
20th century shows us that human freedoms are most broadly and efficiently applied in democracies that are, as we know, based on freedom of speech, association, expression and other political liberties.
Those who live in freedom accept these universal principles as something natural, like the air that we breathe. But it is unfortunately not something that is always a given. You do not have to look far for examples, just look east of Zilupe.
Russia and Belarus have been dismantling personal autonomy and freedoms consistently for many years. People are jailed and prosecuted for wanting to be free.
It also reminds us that we may have to pay a high price for our freedom. Like Ukrainians do right now. Latvia is also doing its part by offering Ukraine military, political and humanitarian aid.
We will have to continue to demonstrate our resolve for some time. We will have to sacrifice some of our well-being to contain and separate the aggressive Russian regime. And we will never forget those Ukrainians that gave their lives for free Ukraine.
20th century teaches us that democracy needs to be able to protect itself or it will be overwhelmed by autocracy, ideas and actions that undermine democracy.
The weakness of many democracies in 1930s exposed these countries to totalitarian ideas. Irrational and extreme concepts that abused freedoms given by democracy to bankrupt many democracies.
Defensive or self-defending democracy is a school of thought and system of actions that I have specifically emphasised in my presidency. It is an approach that is also getting ever wider attention in the West.
West has realised that democracy does not apply or work universally. It needs to defend its borders against non-democratic, expansive dictatorships and also strengthen itself from inside to avoid the trap of populistic and other anti-democratic promises.
Advancement of information and communication technologies makes this even worse as internal security is harder to achieve, and that is one of the weaknesses of traditional liberal democracies. This is a vulnerability that needs to be addressed.
Admittedly, in past 5-10 years weaknesses amplified by information technologies have become more apparent. We need a shift of paradigms. Old concepts that governed liberal democracies are no longer viable. Liberal democracies need to defend themselves or they will perish.
Democracy is like a vacant building. It is us who make sure it is protected and its windows are illuminated by the light of values that shape personal freedoms and help free society grow.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Freedom Monument Lights Charity project has achieved one extremely important goal.
You have literally illuminated our freedom and our commitment to fight and then defend our freedom – for everyone to see. Our freedom aspirations can no longer go unnoticed by anyone passing the illuminated Freedom Monument. Freedom aspirations have been going strong for the past 100 years and even helped us create the Latvian State.
Thank you President Zatlers for this initiative! Thank you to everyone who made this project possible! Job well done!
For fatherland and freedom!
