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The President of the Republic at the Festive Concert for the 84th Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on February 24, 2002, at the Estonia Theatre
24.02.2002


Dear people of Estonia!
Dear fellow countrymen!
Excellencies!
Ladies and gentlemen!

Let me greet you all on the eighty-fourth anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The anniversary of a state is also a day for gratitude and memories. Today, we turn to our history, evaluate its entire legacy in the context of the development of our society, and delineate the future goals of our nation and our state.

Looking back to the very limits of our collective memory, we can see generations and generations of Estonians aspiring towards independence. The historians studying the development of Estonian thought have stated that for the people of Estonia, the main task in life has been to seek greatness in work and creation. We all remember Jakob Hurt's famous appeal to Estonians to attain greatness in spirit, even if greatness in power or numbers must remain beyond our reach.

Today, we may ask - have we acquired greatness of spirit?

Our greatness of spirit has been nourished by the idea of a sovereign Estonian state, born in the era of national awakening - expressed as an ardent hope also in a poem by Juhan Liiv saying that "one day, Estonia will be a state". In nineteen eighteen, this hope became a reality that was perpetuated in the War of Liberty. August Pruuel, who is now 101 years old, and also fought in that war, is here with us today. Our highest esteem to him.

And yet only the idea of our own state would not have been sufficient. The basis of independence had been forged long before in counties and parishes where farmers who had bought themselves free of serfdom formed agricultural, educational, singing and play-acting societies.

Our independent statehood was also strongly supported by a communal democratic lifestyle. Professor Jüri Uluots, who studied the development of Estonia and Switzerland in a research paper published in 1935, stated that ancient Estonia followed early the path of political liberation of peoples, and that it must have been a politically talented nation which did that.

Today, we express our gratitude to all the generations whose creative work has helped to build up of the Republic of Estonia, brick by brick like a wall.

The growing of independent statehood and its development under constantly changing circumstances was and is a steady, continuing process. Much depends on the maturity of the society, on the readiness of the society for sovereign existence, and - on readiness to make decisions.

In the 20th century, in the period between the two World Wars, the vitality of the Estonian state was drawn from the broad basis of our society, from internal coherence and from consistency across the generations. The resources of such society were strong enough to withstand the tribulations of World War II and the occupations, which cost Estonia more than one fifth of her population.

For those who fought for the freedom of Estonia, for the innocent victims forced to leave their homes, it was unimaginable that Estonia could be a mere brand-name. For them, Estonia was and is today the only possible home and also a shrine, calling for devotion and self-sacrifice. It is a place where a human being expects and hopes to feel social security, where he or she hopes, when necessary, to be protected and supported by the state.

The same feelings and hopes were shared by the generations who were destined to live under the Soviet totalitarian system, but kept alive the idea of independent statehood maintained in the historical memory of the people.

At the end of the eighties of the last century, history gave a new, incredible opportunity to our nation. Still bound by the fetters of the Empire, the Estonian Supreme Council established the supremacy of Estonian laws in 1988. One year later, the same Supreme Council voiced its historical and legal opinion of the events of nineteen forty and the violence, unauthorised and unlawful actions of the Soviet era. With the strong support of aspirations towards the restoration of independence, the power resources of our society were mobilised soon. Together, the citizens' initiative and different unions created a basis for restoring our independent statehood.

And yet, we have often been unidimensional in our evaluation of the recent past, and undeservedly neglected those who, at the crucial moments of the restoration of independence, had the courage to make decisions and to act. Their actions in the narrow space of the centralised power nourished the people's hope to prevail as a nation, to be able to decide the fate of the country and the nation.

A recent research into the life of the post-war generation convinces us that the totalitarian ideology of oppression and the Soviet lifestyle did not succeed in rooting themselves in Estonia. The Estonian system of values maintained a pragmatic outlook focused on the individual. Also, widespread were a deep educational and cultural orientation, a deliberate, rural way of thinking, and readiness for concerted action. Throughout history, all those have been used as tools for widening our space of self-realisation. In 1991, the independent statehood of Estonia was peacefully restored. The idea of independent statehood, borne in the consciousness of the people of Estonia, had once again proved its viability.

Dear friends!

Looking back today, on the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, to the ten years of Estonia's restored independence, even the most hardened sceptics must admit our undisputed success. We have overcome the legacy of the half-century of a foreign occupying regime, and also faced the challenges presented by the democratic and globalising world. The self-sacrifice and tolerance of the older generation, the enterprise and audacity of Estonian youth, and the adaptability of the middle-aged have made this possible. I would like to emphasise that besides historical and legal continuity, also the continuity of generations and readiness for a new social contract are the guarantees of independent Estonia.

Economy has been the basis for Estonia's success. Ever since the restoration of Estonia's independence, we have proceeded from such economic policy principles as an open economy, a fixed exchange rate for the kroon, and conservative budget policy. Those are the supporting props that have enabled us to ensure the fast progress of Estonia. The radical reforms of the beginning of the 1990s created a favourable environment for the development of private entrepreneurship and a market economy. The passing years have strengthened the competitive ability of Estonian enterprises in foreign markets, increased investments, widened consumers' liberty of choice, and reduced the rise of prices.

Estonia's participation in the world culture, in political and security co-operation, has been supported by strong ties between the Baltic States. We have taken advantage of the support and opportunities arising from co-operation with the Nordic countries and their representatives in Estonia. We have learned the working culture of a free market economy from the Finns, our next-of-kin nation. Soon after restoring her independence, Estonia headed towards accession to the European Union, and now the accession negotiations are soon coming to a close. Participation in the work of the Convent of the Future of Europe enables the people of Estonia, through their representatives, to have a voice in the future of Europe.

Ever since the restoration of Estonia's independence, accession to NATO has been the priority of our national security. In this process, Estonia does not only seek security for herself, but also wishes to contribute to guaranteeing international security and the defence of democracy. Our developing armed forces with their improving equipment, and our Defence League, make this possible.

Estonia has revived our traditional relations with Europe and the world. Contacts with Russia have now and then been overcast by the legacy of the past, but we are still moving towards good-neighbourly relations and mutually beneficial co-operation. Between two neighbours in a democratic world, it could not be otherwise. The restoration of Estonia's independence was closely connected to the restoration of democracy in Russia. Mutual respect and equal partnership are the preconditions for facing the challenges of the world. Unfortunately, international terrorism - a disastrous outbreak of which we witnessed on September 11 last year - has also become one such challenge. For us, the struggle against terrorism is of vital importance, because history has proved that small countries and nations are the first victims of great conflicts.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Estonia's success in genetic research and information technology has been outstanding. One third of Estonians are regular Internet users. Never before have so many different books been published in Estonia. We have never before had as many art galleries and theatres as we have at the beginning of this new millennium. Soon, the cornerstone will be laid to the new Art Museum. Estonia's traditional, classical and popular music have offered us both spiritual elevation and enjoyment. Estonian composers and conductors have brought Estonia's name to a world audience, and this spring, we will enjoy the rare opportunity of organising a feast of popular music for hundreds of millions - the Eurovision song contest.

And of course, our Olympic heroes are also emotional highlights of our success - I would like to thank Andrus Veerpalu and Jaak Mae, the most recent Olympic winners. I also wish to thank all the others who have brought fame to Estonia with their athletic accomplishments. Your success will inspire the coming generations and support the cause of a healthy Estonia. Good examples are the best way to shape the minds of our children.

We have reason to be proud of our accomplishments, but as the proverb runs - pride comes before a fall. We must have a critical eye to see also what we have left undone, either out of neglect or lack of skills. It is indeed very Estonian to live in the present, but also to worry about tomorrow. Complacency would bring stagnation and self-deception. Concern about the state and about society can be followed as a red thread in the writings of the spiritual elite of Estonia throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Even at the times in Estonian history that we now look upon as golden, people used to complain about the weakness of democracy, factiousness, social injustice, and the new rich.

The new rich could be looked upon as a necessary evil of a quickly stratifying society, a group that will eventually make themselves ridiculous. Yet the Republic of Estonia is facing other, much more serious problems today. Scientists have stated and the public has agreed that the price we have paid for our success has been unfairly high. Here we must include the split in our society, the low trustworthiness of our state institutions and the alienation of politicians from the people, which in turn has resulted in the people's alienation from politics.

It is the reality of Estonia that in some of our counties, one fifth of the population capable of work is unemployed, that approximately one tenth of our children are not attending schools, and that our gross national product has only now reached the level of the year 1991.The population of Estonia is decreasing, so that according to forecasts, in fifteen years there will be one dependent per each taxpayer in Estonia. Also the prospect that within a quarter of a century, the ethnic population of Estonia will have declined from the current one million to approximately 750,000, gives cause for concern. This is how few Estonians there were at the beginning of the eighteen sixties. Those regrettable facts should also be kept in mind on this festive day.

The researchers of the standards of living of families with children came to the conclusion that poverty does not affect only elderly people, as it is often generally thought, but that a considerable part of families with children also live on the verge of poverty. Why, then, has poverty not decreased in the last ten years, if average living standards have improved, as also proved by the continuing rise of the Human Development Index of Estonia? The experts reply: poverty could be reduced by alleviating inequality with purposeful and powerful social policy.

In addition, Estonian social scientists have made several valuable proposals for reducing the risk of poverty of families with children. They have stressed the need for a balanced regional policy, the creation of job opportunities in rural areas, an education policy favouring the retraining of rural population, and state support for infrastructure. Housing policy should also be shaped to meet the needs of young families and families with children.

Those were only a few proposals. If the political parties of Estonia could have spared at least part of the energy they have spent on political power games to consider the expert opinions and evaluations and proposals of our own Estonian social scientists, we would perhaps not be facing such grave existential problems today. The new government has an obligation to seek solutions and mechanisms to restore the social balance of Estonia. We wish them strength and resolve in this work.

The unbalanced state of Estonia's development leads us to the conclusion that we need a new social contract that would be clearly aimed at improving the social sustainability of Estonia and that would guarantee a better quality of life. The Congress of Rural Life that took place last year considered it most important to reach an agreement concerning the long-term development of rural life, which would declare to the entire society that rural life in Estonia has a future. In this agreement, there should also be a fixed allocation from the gross national product to support the demographic reproduction programme of Estonia. The social contract should ensure social security and national security, and provide guarantees for the future of the Estonian language and Estonian culture, as well as education and science.

The new social contract should give a structured vision of overall developments in Estonia within the next ten or twenty years. So far, we still lack that vision. The situation reminds me of a ship leaving port, a busy crew on board - but the passengers have not been asked where they would like to sail. It is true that there have been attempts to draw up development plans for different areas of life, but those are of uneven quality and they are not interconnected.

In many respects, the future of Estonia depends on whether we can build a civic society and whether we can develop the rule of law. The development of a civic society has been hindered by the neglect of the people's point of view, the distance of the reforms from the citizen, and by bureaucracy.

All those who feel that Estonia is today standing at an important cross-roads are partners in the social contract that will determine the future of Estonia. The choices we make today will affect our fate for decades and even centuries to come.

When preparing a social contract, intellectuals, as well as politicians and economists have an important role, because the contract must stand on a well-structured foundation; it must guarantee social sustainability and a significant increase in the quality of life of the people. This, in its turn, necessitates certain rearrangements in and also confirmation of our system of values. This social contract will be evaluated by the people, and implemented with the balanced co-operation of the state and the people.

To attain this social contract, we must rise above narrow factious interests and daily political gambits and our characteristic individualism. We must think of the coming generations. Such social contract would give us proof that we have maintained our greatness of spirit.

Dear friends!

This year, it will be ten years from the adoption of our Constitution by referendum. Expressing the supreme will of the people, the Constitution imposes on us the duty to strengthen and develop the state established 84 years ago with unwavering faith and steadfast will. This state protects our internal and external peace, it is a pledge of the social success and overall prosperity of present and future generations. This state must ensure the continuity of the Estonian nation and culture throughout the ages.

Let us see our state as a creation of many generations, deserving of life and love!

Thank you for your attention!


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