Closing Remarks by Carl Gershman
Title
Closing Remarks by Carl Gershman
Creator
Carl Gershman
Source
The 2008 Democracy Award, http://www.ned.org/events/democracy-award/2008
Publisher
National Endowment for Democracy
Date
2008-06-17
Format
(3 p.) : PDF file
Language
eng
Type
Text
Text
Closing Remarks by Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
I have a special message that I want to read about Tom, that I think is relevant to this entire event. It’s from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who considered Tom “a truly great friend of the Tibetan people.” And, of course, Tom was also a great friend of the NED and of everything we’re working to achieve.
In his message, His Holiness speaks of Tom as ‘a determined speaker of truth, untiring and unwavering in his support for the important human rights issues of our time,” a person who contributed greatly to “highlighting the plight of the Tibetan people.” He especially recalls Tom’s words last October, during the presentation to the Dalai Lama of the Congressional Gold Medal, when he urged the Chinese government to respond positively to the Dalai Lama’s “efforts to resolve peacefully the problem in Tibet.”
What has happened since then only confirms the wisdom of these words – the uprising in March, its violent suppression by government forces, the harsh denunciations of the Dalai Lama, and the rejection by the Chinese government of repeated calls for an independent international investigation into the protests and their aftermath. A statement issued on March 22 by leading Chinese intellectuals, among them Teng Biao whom we have honored this evening, echoed the words of Congressman Lantos, calling for dialogue with the Dalai Lama to “eliminate animosity and bring about national reconciliation,” and warning that “one-sided propaganda” and “a posture of aggressive nationalism” would only aggravate ethnic tensions and “harm China’s international image” as well as its “long-term goal of safeguarding national unity.”
Regrettably, these words have also not been heeded, as shown by the Chinese government’s intention to have the Olympic torch pass provocatively through Lhasa this Saturday.
But there is another kind of torch, representing an entirely different and more peaceful set of values. It is the torch held aloft by the Goddess of Democracy, a replica of which we have just presented to Chen Guangcheng, Teng Biao, Li Heping, Li Baiguang, Zhang Jianhong, Yao Fuxing, and Hu Shigen on behalf of all those who are fighting for human rights and democracy in China.
The Goddess is a Chinese creation, adapted from our own Statue of Liberty, but it is now a universal symbol of democracy. Eight years ago, on the 10 th anniversary of the stolen elections in Burma, the NED presented a wood carving of the Goddess to the National League for Democracy, whose leader, the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained or imprisoned for most of the last 18 years and whose birthday will be observed in the Congress this Thursday by Tom’s Human Rights Caucus. Significantly, this replica of the Goddess, which I hold here, was carved by a craftsman in Nigeria soon after democracy was restored there following a similar stolen election in 1993.
The NED has also presented this universal symbol of democracy to activists and leaders from the Czech Republic, Nicaragua, Serbia, Kosovo, Russia, Rwanda, Mexico, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Algeria, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Thailand, and Egypt. And of course, even before this evening, we have also presented the Goddess to Chinese activists – to Han Dongfang who is here with us now, as well as to Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan.
In addition, a 10-foot tall bronze replica of the Goddess stands just a few blocks from here as a memorial to the millions of victims of communism in countries around the world over the last century.
One day, I believe, the Goddess will stand again in Tiananmen Square. The crushing of the protests there 19 years ago did not destroy the spirit of democracy in China or the movement that it continues to inspire. On the contrary, that movement stands on the foundation laid in Tiananmen Square and proceeds from a higher level because of that uprising and the sacrifice of those who perished. The activists we have honored this evening are proof of that. May we be worthy of their courage and determination and provide the international solidarity that they need. Let us rise to that challenge.
I have a special message that I want to read about Tom, that I think is relevant to this entire event. It’s from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who considered Tom “a truly great friend of the Tibetan people.” And, of course, Tom was also a great friend of the NED and of everything we’re working to achieve.
In his message, His Holiness speaks of Tom as ‘a determined speaker of truth, untiring and unwavering in his support for the important human rights issues of our time,” a person who contributed greatly to “highlighting the plight of the Tibetan people.” He especially recalls Tom’s words last October, during the presentation to the Dalai Lama of the Congressional Gold Medal, when he urged the Chinese government to respond positively to the Dalai Lama’s “efforts to resolve peacefully the problem in Tibet.”
What has happened since then only confirms the wisdom of these words – the uprising in March, its violent suppression by government forces, the harsh denunciations of the Dalai Lama, and the rejection by the Chinese government of repeated calls for an independent international investigation into the protests and their aftermath. A statement issued on March 22 by leading Chinese intellectuals, among them Teng Biao whom we have honored this evening, echoed the words of Congressman Lantos, calling for dialogue with the Dalai Lama to “eliminate animosity and bring about national reconciliation,” and warning that “one-sided propaganda” and “a posture of aggressive nationalism” would only aggravate ethnic tensions and “harm China’s international image” as well as its “long-term goal of safeguarding national unity.”
Regrettably, these words have also not been heeded, as shown by the Chinese government’s intention to have the Olympic torch pass provocatively through Lhasa this Saturday.
But there is another kind of torch, representing an entirely different and more peaceful set of values. It is the torch held aloft by the Goddess of Democracy, a replica of which we have just presented to Chen Guangcheng, Teng Biao, Li Heping, Li Baiguang, Zhang Jianhong, Yao Fuxing, and Hu Shigen on behalf of all those who are fighting for human rights and democracy in China.
The Goddess is a Chinese creation, adapted from our own Statue of Liberty, but it is now a universal symbol of democracy. Eight years ago, on the 10 th anniversary of the stolen elections in Burma, the NED presented a wood carving of the Goddess to the National League for Democracy, whose leader, the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained or imprisoned for most of the last 18 years and whose birthday will be observed in the Congress this Thursday by Tom’s Human Rights Caucus. Significantly, this replica of the Goddess, which I hold here, was carved by a craftsman in Nigeria soon after democracy was restored there following a similar stolen election in 1993.
The NED has also presented this universal symbol of democracy to activists and leaders from the Czech Republic, Nicaragua, Serbia, Kosovo, Russia, Rwanda, Mexico, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Algeria, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Thailand, and Egypt. And of course, even before this evening, we have also presented the Goddess to Chinese activists – to Han Dongfang who is here with us now, as well as to Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan.
In addition, a 10-foot tall bronze replica of the Goddess stands just a few blocks from here as a memorial to the millions of victims of communism in countries around the world over the last century.
One day, I believe, the Goddess will stand again in Tiananmen Square. The crushing of the protests there 19 years ago did not destroy the spirit of democracy in China or the movement that it continues to inspire. On the contrary, that movement stands on the foundation laid in Tiananmen Square and proceeds from a higher level because of that uprising and the sacrifice of those who perished. The activists we have honored this evening are proof of that. May we be worthy of their courage and determination and provide the international solidarity that they need. Let us rise to that challenge.
Files
Collection
Citation
Carl Gershman, “Closing Remarks by Carl Gershman,” NED Multimedia, accessed May 6, 2024, https://ned.omeka.net/items/show/18.