Ukraine
On May 20, Volodymyr Zelensky was sworn in as president of Ukraine and delivered an inaugural address before the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. (For more on Ukraine’s election, see the article by Joanna Rohozinska and Vitaliy Shpak on pp. 33–47 above.) Excerpts from Zelensky’s speech appear below. (For a full version of this text, see https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/inavguracijna-promova-prezidenta-ukrayini-volodimira-zelensk-55489. )
After my election victory, my six-year-old son said: “Dad, they say on TV that Zelensky is the President … So, it means that … I am … the President too?!” At the time, it sounded funny, but later I realized that it was true. Because each of us is the President. Not just the 73 percent who voted for me, but all 100 percent of Ukrainians. This is not just my victory, this is our common victory. And this is our common chance that we are responsible for together.
It hasn’t been only me who has just taken the oath. Each of us has just put his hand on the Constitution and sworn allegiance to Ukraine.
Now, imagine the headlines: “The President Does Not Pay Taxes,” “The Intoxicated President Ran the Red Light” or “The President Is Quietly Stealing Because Everyone Does.” Would you agree that it’s shameful? This is what I mean when I say that each of us is the President. From now on, each of us is responsible for the country that we leave to our children. Each of us, in his place, can do everything for the prosperity of Ukraine.
Our European country begins with each one of us. We have chosen a path to Europe, but Europe is not somewhere out there. Europe is here. And after it appears here, it will be everywhere, all over Ukraine. …
However, our first task is a ceasefire in the Donbas. I have been often asked: What price are you ready to pay for the ceasefire? It’s a strange question. What price are you ready to pay for the lives of your loved ones? I can assure you that I’m ready to pay any price to stop the deaths of our heroes. I’m definitely not afraid to make difficult decisions, and I’m ready to lose my fame, my ratings, and if need be—without any hesitation—my position to bring peace, as long as we do not give up our territories. … [End Page 184]
My election proves that our citizens are tired of the experienced, pompous system politicians who over 28 years, have created a country of opportunities—the opportunities for kickbacks, stealing, and plundering. …
I can go on, but Ukrainians want actions, not words. So, dear deputies! You have scheduled the inauguration on Monday, a work day, which has one benefit—it means you are ready to work. Therefore, I ask that you approve: 1) The law on removing parliamentary immunity; 2) The law establishing criminal liability for illegal enrichment; 3) The long-awaited Electoral Code and open-lists. Also, please dismiss: 1) the head of the Security Service of Ukraine; 2) the prosecutor general of Ukraine; 3) the minister of defense of Ukraine.
This is certainly not all that you could do, but for now, it will suffice. You will have two months to do that. Do it. And take all the medals for it—not a bad move before the snap parliamentary election. I am dissolving the Verkhovna Rada.
India
On May 23, Narendra Modi was reelected prime minister of India. That night, Modi addressed his followers at the headquarters of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in Delhi. His remarks are excerpted below. (For a full version of this text, see https://www.businessinsider.in/full-text-of-modi-speech-lok-sabha-election-2019/articleshow/69467611.cms.)
Today, even the rain God has decided to join us in this celebration of victory. … I bow my head before India’s 1.3 billion citizens. This is the biggest election in the entire world. There have been so many elections since the country’s independence, but since then, after so many elections, the highest voter turnout was in this election, and that too, amid temperatures of 40–45 degrees Celsius. This in itself shows Indian citizens’ awareness, India’s commitment to democracy. The entire world has to register and recognize India’s democratic prowess. …
Friends, when the battle of Mahabharata ended, Lord Krishna was asked, “Whose side were you on?” Today in the twenty-first century … the people of India … have given the same answer as Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna said that he was not fighting for any side. “I was only on the side of Hastinapur,” he said. The citizens of the country have stood on the side of India, voted for India. Therefore, this feeling of the Indian people is the guarantee of India’s bright future. …
This is the twenty-first century and this is a new India. Our victory in today’s election is followed by chants of “Modi, Modi, Modi.” This is not a victory for Modi. This is a victory for the aspirations of every citizen of this country craving for honesty. …
It had become fashionable to … wear a tag, which has become equal to taking a holy dip in the Ganges. The name of that fake tag was “secularism,” and there used to be chants of “seculars, come together.” You have seen that from 2014–2019 that entire section stopped talking. In this [End Page 185] election, not even one political party has had the guts to wear the mask of secularism to fool the country. They have been unmasked. …
Now there are only two castes living in this country. … There are those who want to come out of poverty and those who want to bring people out of poverty. …
We have to look forward and move along with everyone—even the opposition—for the benefit of the country. And that’s why even after this massive mandate we have to move forward with humility within the limits of the democracy. The constitution is supreme for us and we will follow every word of it to move forward. …
My beloved citizens of India, you have filled the bowl of this beggar—with expectations, hopes, and dreams.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On January 24, Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), succeeding Joseph Kabila, who had served as president since his father, President Laurent Désiré Kabila, was assassinated in 2001. (For more about the election in the DRC, see the article by Pierre Englebert on pp. 124–38 above.) Tshisekedi’s inaugural address is excerpted below. (For a full version of this text, see https://www.presidentrdc.cd/iconsult.php?article741.)
We intend to engage the government and all the customary authorities of our country in an opening for peace and tolerance, looking toward peaceful coexistence among all our various communities.
By virtue of these efforts, the dolorous episodes of tribal and local conflict that have plunged our country into mourning will become nothing but a sad and distant memory. Aside from our civilian citizens, the first guarantors of our national cohesion are our security and defense forces, who play a basic role in protecting our territorial integrity as well as persons and property. …
We call on those who hold authority at every level in our country to strictly and unfailingly respect the rights of persons and their property according to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, while asking them to carry out their mission within the bounds set forth by the law.
In this context, the government will initiate an awareness campaign for all agents of the state regarding their responsibilities toward our populations. Therefore, the minister of justice will be charged with making a list of all political prisoners, including those who have been jailed for their opinions, and the like throughout our entire national territory, with a view to their pending liberation.
As part of our mandate, we shall see to it that all citizens are guaranteed respect for the exercise of their fundamental rights. We commit ourselves to banning all forms of discrimination.
We shall benefit along each step of the way from the inspiration of those who direct our vision. In this regard, we wish to render heroic homage to him [End Page 186] who directed and shaped our political struggle for four decades before leaving us in the thick of battle on 1 February 2017—the late President Etienne Tshisekedi Wa Mulumba. …
With the greatest respect for republican tradition, we render homage to the man who has been one of those who have made the peaceful and democratic alternation of power a reality—President Joseph Kabila Kabange. … We forget nothing about our political battles, about difficult moments endured. Decade after decade, we have lived through times of uncertainty and extreme tensions in an uneasy political climate. In your exercise of power, you have been able to engage the country in a transition that has achieved the reunification of what had been a divided national territory. Yet none of these moments has been able to alter your determination to let the Congolese people freely choose their own rulers. …
We commit ourselves to building a state that is modern, peaceful, democratic, and concerned with the welfare of each of its citizens; a state in which every institution will play its role within the larger framework of the separation of powers; a state that shall guarantee the happiness of all.
Hong Kong
On April 23, Benny Tai, Chan Kin-Man, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, and six other leaders of Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement were sentenced to up to sixteen months in prison for their role in organizing the 79-day demonstrations. Ahead of his sentencing, Reverend Chu read a statement to the court. Excerpts appear below. (For a full version of this text, see https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/04/09/full-i-no-regrets-not-give-umbrella-movement-convenor-reverend-chus-speech-ahead-sentencing/.)
Hong Kong must enjoy a high degree of autonomy, God-given human rights and liberty, including freedom of the press and of publication, of association, of assembly. Citizens must be given the right to travel and to enter or leave the city. The freedom of religious belief and freedom to preach must be safeguarded. …
We strive for democracy, because democracy strives for freedom, equality and universal love. Political freedom is more than loyalty to the state. It professes human dignity. Every single person living in a community possesses unique potentials and powers, capable of making a contribution to society. Human rights are a God-given gift, never to be arbitrarily taken away by any political regime. …
Hong Kong boasts a population of seven million plus, everyone born equal. Yet, for the election of the chief executive, the right to make nominations and the right to be nominated have been taken away. The first chief executive of the post-1997 era was elected by a body of 400 people. No links exist between the people and the government. As of this day, the chief executive is elected by a small circle of 1200 electors. For the government, the people are not necessary. Neither does the people trust the government. …
We are not here to knock down anyone, nor to oppose any political regime. [End Page 187] On the contrary, we uphold the law, and with our body, would deliberately break the law, in order to highlight the injustice of the present political structure. By so doing, if we hereby suffer the loss of personal freedom, and yet manage to secure greater freedom for the next generation, then, we would count our loss insignificant and our suffering worthy. …
In June 2014, the central government published a white paper on “The Practice of One Country Two Systems in the HKSAR,” with an emphasis on Beijing’s “comprehensive rule” over Hong Kong. … We venture to ask, “what about references in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to ‘one country two systems,’ ‘Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong’ and ‘a high degree of autonomy’?” The reply from a central government official: “With the resumption of sovereignty, the Joint Declaration is no longer effective.” …
The road of dialogue came to a dead end. … Thus the beginning of the epic, iconic, exhilarating Umbrella Movement. … Seventy-nine days of occupation with 1.2 million people participating demonstrate the high quality of Hong Kong people’s capacity for peaceful and nonviolent change. During the period, no buildings were damaged, and no property set on fire. … The seeds of peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience action have been planted deep in the heart of Hong Kong people. This movement is an awakening of the civil spirit. Citizens offer what they can, with conviction, expecting to call the conscience of politicians and bureaucrats to account. …
In the Umbrella Movement, I am just a bell toller. I ring the bell. And the bell tolls. It gives out a warning sound that something bad and disastrous is happening. So doing, I hope that consciences may wake up, and together we work together to save the day. …
I … from the defendant’s dock, now wish to declare: We have no regrets; We hold no grudges; No anger; No grievances; We do not give up. In the words of Jesus, “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; The Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” (Matthew 5:10) Oh Lord, who is merciful and just—to you I entrust my life, may your will be done!
NATO
On April 3, Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), addressed a joint session of the United States Congress to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the founding of NATO. His remarks are excerpted below. (For a full version of this text, see https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_165210.htm?selectedLocale=en.)
Our Alliance was created by people who had lived through two devastating world wars. They knew only too well the horror, the suffering, and the human and material cost of war. They were determined that this should never happen again.
And they were also determined to stand up to the expansion of the Soviet [End Page 188] Union, which was taking control of its neighbors, crushing democracies, and oppressing their people.
So, they founded NATO with a clear purpose: To preserve peace and to safeguard freedom. …
So NATO has been good for Europe. And NATO has been good for the United States. The strength of a nation is not only measured by the size of its economy. Or the number of its soldiers. But also by the number of its friends.
And through NATO, the United States has more friends and allies than any other power. This has made the United States stronger, safer, and more secure. …
We deterred the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Stopped wars and atrocities in the Balkans. Fought terrorism from Afghanistan to the Middle East. Welcomed the newly free nations of Central and Eastern Europe into our Alliance—helping to spread democracy, peace and prosperity.
But as you know, success in the past is not a guarantee of success in the future.
We have to be frank. … Questions are being asked on both sides of the Atlantic about the strength of our partnership. And yes, there are differences. Open discussion and different views are not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength.
So, we should not be surprised when we see differences between our countries. Today there are disagreements on issues such as trade, energy, climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal. These are serious issues and serious disagreements.
We have overcome our disagreements in the past. And we must overcome our differences now. Because we will need our Alliance even more in the future.
We face unprecedented challenges, challenges no one nation can face alone. The global balance of power is shifting. The fight against terrorism is a generational fight. We have only just seen the beginning of the threats in cyber space. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and big data could change the nature of conflict more fundamentally than the Industrial Revolution. And we will need to continue to deal with a more assertive Russia. …
Two World Wars and the Cold War made it clear how important America is to the security of Europe. And equally, that peace and stability in Europe is important to the United States.
Our Alliance has not lasted for seventy years out of a sense of nostalgia. Or of sentiment. NATO lasts because it is in the national interest of each and every one of our nations.
Together, we represent almost one billion people. We are half of the world’s economic might. And half of the world’s military might. When we stand together, we are stronger than any potential challenger—economically, politically and militarily. [End Page 189]