(00:00:11) And good afternoon. Welcome back to mid-day here on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us. Well, as you probably heard earlier, we were expecting to head off to the National Press Club today for a speech by NATO Secretary General Javier, Solana wrapping up the big NATO Summit meeting that was held in Washington over the weekend, but alas, apparently that Press Club luncheon has been canceled and secretary-general. Solana is not speaking at the national press club today at noon and though so we won't be broadcasting his speech at the national Press Club instead. What we're going to do is move our schedule ahead. You'll recall we had also been talking about coverage of the speech this morning by Czech president václav Havel. Mr. Havala president Havel. His in the Twin Cities for a number of events including a speech this morning at Macalester College in st. Paul where he kicked off the vaclav Havel Civil Society Symposium. That's La Ville. Of course. Well known Czech playwright poet philosopher. He first came to prominence back in the late 60s 70s as part of the Czech resistance movement against the Soviet occupying force. And once the Berlin Wall came down watch La Ville ended up as the president of the new Czech Republic. He is in the Twin Cities as we say for the Civil Society Symposium to kick off that event earlier this morning. He also spoke to a Business Leaders in st. Paul to discuss try to convince them to do business with the Czech Republic during this hour of. Midday. We're going to The speech at Macalester by Lots La Ville and then we'll have some more as well later in this hour, but right now Czech president václav Havel speaking this morning at Macalester College in st. Paul (00:02:15) ladies and gentlemen, while a totalitarian system of the Communist type could now and then exist with private ownership and sometimes even with private Enterprise it could as a matter of principle never coexist with a developed Civil Society. Genuine Civil Society is the truest fundamental of democracy and totalitarian rule can never by definition be reconciled with that. It was therefore no coincidence that one of the most intense and possibly the most fateful attack that accompanied the installation of communist power was an attack on civil society the freedom of speech that had been suppressed by communism overnight good 41 years later be restored overnight as well. It was also possible to rapidly abolish the Constitutional Provisions concerning the leading role of the Communist Party to established other parties and to hold free elections. We even succeeded rather quickly in transferring the greater part of our nationalized cannot economy into the hands of concrete owners. In the realm of Civil Society things are much more complicated its restoration is a task that will take years. The reason is self-evident civil society is an intricately structured very fragile. Sometimes even slightly mysterious organism that the grow That Grew for decades if not centuries out of a natural development reflecting The Continuous evolution of the human mind and morality the degree of societal knowledge and self knowledge and a certain type of Civic awareness and self confidence. After so many years of virtual non-existence Civil Society therefore cannot be restored by any single act from above such as a law a directive or a decision of the political leadership. The only possibility is to patiently build an environment favorable to its advancement and to strengthen those characteristics of societal spirit that promote such advancement with your permission. I should like to take this opportunity to review my thoughts on how I view against the background of our post-communist experience. the principal elements of civil society and its significance the beginning to begin with what in fact is a civil society. In the most general terms, we could perhaps a describe it as a society in which citizens participate in many parallel mutually complementary ways in public life in the administration of public goods and in public decisions the extent the manner and the institutional form of this participation depend predominantly on the participants on their initiative and Imagination, even though these are naturally exercised within a certain legal framework. Thus it is a society that not only gives wide latitude for both individual and group great guy great creativity. That's an important component of public activity but is directly founded on such creativity. The functions of the state and of its structures in such a society are limited only to that which cannot be performed by anyone else such as legislation National Defense and security the enforcement of Justice Etc. In a somewhat simplified way, we could say that Civil Society has three basic pillars. The first below is one of one of Association in the broadest sense of the world of the word free association of people in different types of organizations ranging from clubs Community groups Civic initiatives Foundation Spud publicly benefit beneficial organizations up to churches and political parties people associate in these organizations in order to accomplish things that a group can do better than an individual. The two crucial points are that this kind of Association? Which leads to an authentic self structuring of the society immigrants from interests other other thought other than those linked directly with business or material profit and that the state as a representative of the entire Society supports such and Association and offers Advanced advantages configurations the conditions for its operation. The state does so far at least two reasons first because the stability Harmony and success of society as a whole depend considerably on whether the various legitimate 8 nonprofit interests of citizens and very groupings have sufficient opportunities for their implementation second because because most of this non not-for-profit activities do not serve only those who take part in them, but bring a wider benefit that can be in one way or another enjoyed by everyone. The second pillar of civil society is constituted by a strong self government within the system of public admitted Administration. This means that citizens elect not only the members of the central representative bodies, but also their representatives in the server governing body weeks of municipalities and regions and that these law lower representative bodies have substantial duras jurisdictions and founds of Their Own. Old web which does not have to be decided ever Central level or within the hierarchy of State Administration is decided by the elected representatives of the people at lower levels. In other words, one of the basic dimension of civil society and at the same time one of the forms of its development or preconditions for it is a decentralized state. Of course, the state has certain social responsibilities in the domain of solidarity laid down by the law. We could even say that this functions constitute one of the reasons for its existence. This includes responsibilities in the fields of social welfare public health education or protection of the environment yet. The state's role as the guarantor of such functions does not mean that the state must be the only one to directly perform. Then the state is usually neither a good doctor nor a good teacher. The third pillar of Civil Society should therefore be constituted by an ingenious system of Delegation of certain functions guaranteed by the state to other entities. This should be accompanied by an equally ingenious system of controls and of support for such bodies schools hospitals theaters and similar institutions unless they operate as trading companies should not be part of the state in the same way as is the military or the police. Instead they should have the status of nonprofit organizations to work to which the state merely possesses certain rights and also has certain responsibilities. These three pillars of Civil Society Association decentralisation of the state and delegation of the exercise of some of its functions to relatively independent entities are the three basic goals. That should be pursued in the process of restoring Civil Society in my country. beautiful hands all of this may seem to you to be banali self-evident perhaps you are wondering why I am speaking about such commonplace Affairs. Yes. I know that in America a country with probably the most advanced Civil Society in the world. It may be surprising that someone feels the need to again articulate things that are so appear end. My speaking about them here and now has one single purpose. I am convinced that America can perform its unique role in the world. Well only if it is understands the problems of other nations. For the Czech Republic like for all post-communist countries, the restoration of civil society is a matter of great importance that is still far from being taken for granted. Needless to say it is a very demanding process not only because of the general circumstances that I have already mentioned, but also because a part of our new political Elites either takes an apathetic stand towards the concept of rebuilding Civil Society or is even opposed to it. As soon as this leads gang gained control of the state, they quickly embraced the general unwillingness of the state to give up anything that has one's got into its power. Thus even many Democratic or outright anti-communist politicians are now paradoxically defending the overblown powers of the state that are a relic of the Communist year. This is why me why many schools hospitals cultural institutions and other establishments in my country are still governed by outdated of entirely nonsensical and uneconomical rules of centralized Administration. Although they could have long ago become a modern nonprofit organizations that the state would merely watch from a distance or support through some transparent procedures. This is why debate on the centralization of the state has been dragging on for nine years without any government Department displaying the willingness to transfer any of its powers to Regions or Community polities without a fight. This is why at least from the Viewpoint of the needs of an economy in transitions transition taxation in our country is still excessively High the state has to pay for a thousand things, which it would not have to pay for in an advanced Civil Society because citizens would then pay for them directly. This extensive state conservativism has nothing to do with ideology. If some politicians do try to find ideological excuses for their unwillingness unwillingness to allow reductions of the state's power. They mostly come up with the following. People have chosen Us in an election. It is therefore they will that we rule the country on their behalf. Anything outside. This pattern is an attack on a representative democracy on standard political parties and on the standard political system in general. The social redistribution of resources is a task for the state and its responsibilities in this field must not be diffused attempts to build or to support any parallel structures. That would not be politically controlled from the center amounts to Casting doubt on parliamentary democracy. Faith in Civil Society is still interpreted by many in the Czech lands as leftism anarchism or syndicalism. Someone has even even called it a lot of fascism. Of course, this is nonsense civil society as I have just described it is in reality. The only truly solid foundation of a democratic political system political parties and the basic institutions of the democratic State work. Well only when they continually draw strength and inspiration from a developed and pluralistic Civic environment and are at the same time exposed to well-founded criticism from such an environment. The intention is not to exclude the parliament the government of the political parties from public life or to circumvent, then it is just the opposite the aim is to unable to enable them to work. to the best of their ability as institutions that constitute the culmination of the democratic system without a life-giving background in the form of a diverse really structured Civil Society political parties as well as the Supreme political institutions of the state whether luck luck new blood and lose momentum and invention and are eventually reduced to an attack uninteresting closed groups of political professionals that largely do without any external input The root of the argument that the advancement of civil society is an attack on the standard political system with us again find the well-known unwillingness to share power with anyone else it is as if the parties were telling us governing the counter is our business so choose between us, but I don't do anything beyond that. Why is it worthwhile despite of the adverse circumstances to strive to restore Civil Society? What are its advantages? And what is it that constitutes its twist meaning? Let me mention at least a few basic facts. First Civil Society generates genuine pluralism and pluralism leading to competition produces quality in this respect. There is a similarity between the economy and public life in general. The more different initiatives grown freely from Grassroots and independent of one another operate in any particular sphere of public life. The greater is the chance that the best and most inventive one emerges from their free competition. To rely on the capability of the Central State authorities or of central political bodies to always decide beforehand that is best and what needs to be done and how means to identify power with truth and to Grant power a paint on reason we know or should know whether the result is of such and I divided I ended the vacation of Power with the reason of History. It is a general decline who once said a must also say be. If we want freedom, we must Grant of the right of existence also do that which constitutes its natural product its expression and its actual fulfillment. That is to Civil Society. The second evident fact related to the first is that the more stratified Civil Society is and the more in drives to more stable is the domestic political situation. This is understandable Civil Society protects the citizen from being excessively affected by changes as the center at the center of political power. It absorbs at lower levels. Some of the effects of such changes at the attenuates them or even disposes of them in this way. It actually facilitates political changes or at least insurers insurers. That they are not seen as faithful occurrences in a functional Civil Society a change of government does not have to mean a windstorm that leaves nothing in its place. However where Civil Society is not sufficiently developed every problem that occurs at the political Center filters down into the everyday lives of the citizens while many a problem of the citizens filters up to the center of power that therefore deals with matters, which it would not have to deal with otherwise at the expense of metres which are its responsibilities. Consequently Civil Society is the best Safeguard not only against political chaos, but also against the Rays of authority authority enforces that always emerge whenever a society feels shaken or insecure about its future. The more power is left ever Center. The more favorable are the conditions for such forces to gain control over the country Communists knew very well why they needed to dominate and manipulate every Beekeepers Association. Third I do not think that one needs to be a great Economist or arithmetician to discover that Civil Society pays off when things are paid for by the state budget more money must be collected in taxes and substantial sums are lost on the way up and again on the way down. The billion consuming consumed by the mechanism for such transfers in a system that allows tax deductions publicly beneficial initiatives get more money than they would get if the same amounts were collected as taxes for the more a shorter more straightforward link between the contributor and the purpose for which he contributes allows for closer scrutiny of how the money is spent thus reducing the danger of mismanagement. Not to mention the incalculable economic value of pluralism strengthened by a decentralized button of redistribution. In addition a concrete donor is much better equipped to design the structure of public needs in an idea of his or her specific interest than this can ever be done by even the best civil servant at some Ministry for the most important aspect of civil society is yet. Another thing it is the fact that it enables people to realize themselves truly and entirely as the beings that they potentially are that is as this species. cold Zone political or social animals human beings are not only manufacturers profit makers of consumers. They are also and this may be their innermost quality creatures who want to be with others who year and Euro area for various form forms of coexistence and cooperation who want to participate in the life of a group or of a community and who wants to influence that which happens around them? a human being is increasing College disposed not to be indifferent indifferent towards fellow humans and towards Society people desire to be appreciated for that which they give to the environment around them Humanity constitutes a subject of conscious of mobile order of love for our fellow humans Civil Society is one of the ways in which our human nature can be exercised in it's entirely including its more sub two elements which are more difficult to grasp but are perhaps the most important of all Civil Society at least as I see it is simply one of the great opportunities for human responsibility for the world. I certainly do not need to stress how important it is in today's world which is endangered by so many different threads and we cultivate opportunities of this kind. This finally brings me to the point that perhaps most clearly concerns in the same measure both my fellow citizens and yourselves in the world of today enveloped by a global essentially materialistic and widely self job Paradise in Civilization, one of the ways of combating all the escalating dangerous consists in the systematic creation of a Universal civil society in my opinion the state in the next Century in the intrinsic interest of a rapidly growing humankind should visibly transform itself from a Mystic embodiment of national Ambitions and a cult-like. Eject into a civil Administration unit and it should get used to the necessity of delegating many of its powers able to the level below it that is two organisms of Civil Society or two dogs above it that is to the international or Global and the sexually Civic communities and organizations. I am certainly not against patriotism. We should love our country at least as much as we love our family our village of the town our profession as well as the planet on which we are testing it to reef and on which we have among other things the country that is our home. I'm only against nationalism a blind elevation of national affiliation above everything else nor Nor am I against any religion any culture or any specific tradition of the human civilization? I am only against all kinds of fanaticism or fundamentalism which again blindly elevates one level of human identity above all its other levels. It seems to me that the most open Arrangement one dance that best enables all types of human self Aid in identification to develop alongside one. Another is an arrangement based on the Civic principle and Arrangement founded on faith in the citizen and on respect for him for the for him. One of the most important expressions of such a Civic Arrangement. Is that which we call Civil Society. I wish you success in you deliberations on this subject in the faith that all those who are elected and who reflect on it without buys Advance us all towards a better future. To thank you. (00:35:02) That was much loved Havel the president of the Czech Republic speaking this morning at Macalester College field house in st. Paul toward a civil society the title of President Havel speech the Symposium. He spoke is a part of a larger Symposium inaugurated the vaclav Havel Civil Society Symposium. The Symposium was established by a partnership among the House of Hope Presbyterian Church. St. Thomas and Macalester College has its dedicated to encouraging discourse among church members students faculty and Twin Cities community on the rights and responsibilities of citizens other sponsors for this first inaugural event the Czech and Slovak Sokol, Minnesota Czechoslovakia genealogical Society International and the czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences according to the mission statement. The annual Symposium is inspired by a desire to cultivate a sense of joint deaths Destiny and Its ability to find unity and diversity to find spiritual common denominators and to establish commonly-held human rights. Now to conclude or continue I should say our coverage of president hovels visit to the Twin Cities. We thought in addition to hearing his speech today delivered at the Symposium. We would also like to put president Havel in some perspective for you today. He received two honorary doctor of Humane letters degrees from the University of st. Thomas and Macalester College and to give you a good overview of just whereabouts labo fits in the big scheme of things the Reverend Dennis dese president of the University of st. Thomas delivered a few remarks today officially awarding bus hovel with the degrees of doctor of Humane letters. Here's a doctor dese (00:37:02) touched upon the universal needs of every citizen in every land. Your tenacity in defense of Freedom human rights and democracy has made you a Peerless committed citizen who has shown us how to live a principled life or as one Observer described it how to live in truth. You are known worldwide as a playwright essayist and the leading figure in the Velvet Revolution of 1989 historically peaceful transition from communism to democratic rule. You served as the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the new Czech Republic. Your life has been characterized as the convergence of imagination and history born in Prague into a family that valued both the intellectual and the entrepreneurial spirit for political reasons. You were denied by the regime the opportunity to continue your formal education after completing compulsory schooling in 1951. You entered an apprenticeship as a laboratory technician and took evening classes to complete your secondary education. Again for political reasons you were denied entrance to any school with an emphasis in the humanities. You chose rather to study economics at the Czech Technical Institute for two years. After military service you found work as a stage technician you subsequently studied Drama by correspondence at the theater of the Academy of musical arts and completed your studies with the critique that became the basis of the play The increased difficulty of concentration. You're play the garden party came to be seen as a component part of the new political and social awareness which culminated in 1968 in the Prague spring. Opposing the suppression that followed you wrote an open letter to the president of the Communist Regime this and other critical work culminated in the publication of Charter 77, which characterized the objections of the czechoslovak people to the regime in the course of your own public protest over the years. You were imprisoned three times and spent nearly five years in jail. Your work was banned in your native land. Remarkably your spirit was Unbroken. Growing tension led to the founding in 1989 of the Civic Forum a movement within which individuals and organizations described their desire for change. You were its leading figure and as it translated itself into a political movement became its successful candidate for the presidency of Czechoslovakia that year subsequently events led to Peaceful National separation resulting in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. You were elected first president of the Czech Republic in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. In March 1999 the Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In a literary career that has spanned nearly five decades. You have created numerous Works. They include the plays the memorandum 1965 protest 1979 and Largo desolate 0 1984 among your recent books are disturbing the peace 1999 summer meditations 1992 and the Art of the impossible Politics as Morality In practice 1997. You have helped us understand that Independence and democracy carry a burden of responsibility to one another to act with moral courage for the greater. Good for our common Destiny. You have called for nothing less than a change of Consciousness in how individuals and Nations relate to one another to prevent environmental disaster and effect a global Sensibility. At the end of this most puzzling of centuries where great compassion and great destruction have been displayed simultaneously and at the start of a new millennium, we honor you for raising our sites and for persuading humankind that we are yet capable of so much more that is good and worthy of hope you have received at least 28 honorary degrees from institutions around the world the Fulbright associations International understanding award and National decorations from more than a dozen countries. We of Macalester College and the University of st. Thomas are honored and humbled by your presence as we inaugurate the Bots. Love hovel Civil Society Symposium. Each institution is proud to confer upon you the degree doctor of Humane letters honoris causa (00:44:00) and that was Dennis tease. The Reverend Dennis dese who is president of the University of st. Thomas speaking during ceremonies today held at the Macalester College Fieldhouse, St. Thomas and McAllister awarding honorary doctor of Humane letters degrees to Czech president václav Havel the inauguration today of the Bots laugh hovel Civil Society Symposium again, if you're just tuning in, you know, we were talking earlier about Out presenting the hovel speech at one o'clock this afternoon and I'm afraid that you've missed the speech. We had to broadcast it over the noon hour instead our Press Club originally scheduled was canceled at the last minute and as a consequence the vaclav Havel speech broadcast this hour, we will be rebroadcasting the speech though at nine o'clock tonight. So if you did miss the speech rebroadcast at 9:00 this evening before we wrap up this hour we've been joined by Hamline University history Professor, Nick Hayes talked a little bit about about the Czech Republic about Bots laugh hovel and other things related to the big transition that's occurred at the at the end of the 20th century. Hi Nick. Hello Gary vaclav Havel and the Czech Republic in general a great success story the transition from communism to Democracy or is it still still a little shaky at this point? Well, certainly if we look at one political figure vaslav hobble from 1977 to the end of the 90s. There's no more singular story of a man of impeccable Integrity somehow coming from a completely hopeless situation Monsignor dates referred to his famous essay was called the power of the powerless written in 1977 to bring that country out of one of the worst regimes of communist history to probably the most successful example of democracy even facing the Czechoslovakia in 1989. Gary did face the same kind of nationalist tensions dividing the slow box from the checks and even in that context managed in a constitutional and peaceful manner to separate the paths of the two countries. What is more economically it has been a remarkable success story. I think when we look at it Have kind of two phases of post-communist Europe Kabul is everything we hoped would happen and then we have the opposite phase and Slobodan milosevic the worst that could have come out of the politics of post communism. Well, I would assume it's it's fair to say that it's more than just vaclav Havel that allowed the the checks to pull this off. But what role in your mind has he played in in helping the checks get from point A to point B here without all the Strife that we've seen in the former Yugoslavia. Well, first of all, you're quite right, I mean Czechoslovakia came into communism with a history of the 1920s and 30s of a remarkably successful economy of very successful multi-party electoral system, but Havel has somehow managed unlike every other major political leader in the opposition of the 80s, for example, like valenza kind of slide it into polish nationalism and a moron attractive side. New Politics hobble somehow has been absolutely true to the ideals. He articulated in the 70s of pluralism respect for human rights and above all else a sense of common European values and it does resonate well with the country, but we must keep in mind he's not without opposition. He originally divided with his important prime minister boss love clothes who is now out of the government and has formed a fairly significant opposition to him but it's only proof that democracy and check in the Czech Republic appears to work. He's often portrayed and correctly. So as an artist a playwright poet philosopher, don't forget a rock and roll singer to Gary's this make this about has he's a perfect example of the new check generation that came of age in the 50s and 60s, you know, he would have been a rock and roller. He's a playwright. He's an essayist. He's the most unlikely man when would think to enter into politics? And certainly if anybody deserves the crown of philosopher king of post-communist Europe, he certainly does are there other leaders like him who again are basically artists not the traditional politician. Like, of course, there are officials on the intellectual side of things the former prime minister of Poland now out ideas mother etske was also remarkable noun of deep philosophy political ideas. Brilliant essayist in Bulgaria, the first vice prime minister or vice president. She is now out of office laga dmitrieva was a remarkable poet beautiful human rights activists in eloquent cultural Savior and there are other more minor characters like this across the East European political landscape. Hmm, we hear a lot about the Czech Republic in large part because of mr. Havel president Havel what happened to the other half of Czechoslovakia Slovakia have they? Been similarly successful. I'm afraid not the Slovak story is is not as fortunate. First of all you had in the case of the Slovak speak in opposition leader dementia who exploited the Slovak nationalism issue purely at one would think for political gains in point of fact going into the separation of the two countries. The majority of Slovakian public opinion actually was not even in favor of it, but somehow the situation was exploited and that would that's been combined in the Slovak Republic nationalism has combined with a opposition to economic reform. The specific issue. Here is the Slovak cyst Oracle ER rural relatively underdeveloped economy by comparison with the checks and their main are excuse you for the pun, but their main economic base was in the old socialist weapons and defense industry and it was hovel and his then prime minister of a slob. Close we indicated that then the czechoslovak state would no longer be an exporter of arms that became the main economic issue that drove the slovaks away because this was their main business it would mean unemployment and so forth mayor chair is now out of politics, but he's threatening to come back now and for the most part, I'm afraid the Slovak SAR are one of the least reformed of the post-communist countries Nick, we're just about out of time here. But before we go, I can't let you go without at least some general comments about the about the NATO Summit that wrapped up over the weekend. Do you think there was there was as you might expect the usual statements of unity and and the rest of do you sense there is true Unity among the NATO leadership, especially as regards the Kosovo situation or flowery language to paper over some substantial differences in approach. No, I'm afraid the only Unity One can find in a serious sense of the NATO Gathering is to stand behind. Current military campaign that does frankly seem to be on the road to failure. The real issue is even an oil embargo divide them land troops divide them the routes by which they might bring in troops continue to divide them but on the other hand on another track of diplomacy. I think we should take great optimism from the fact that President Yeltsin called Clinton and there seems to be some diplomatic movement coming on the periphery between Moscow and Washington and hopefully from these kind of context maybe we can see a new diplomatic initiative and should we worry a lot about NATO ships intercepting Russian ships in that case. I think we should worry a yes. We should take this very seriously Gary this first of all is taken in most International courts, as an act of War this would force us into a direct confrontation with the Russians. We definitely don't want to be in that course of action possibly. Other agreement can stop it, for example indirect routing of Russian oil via Bulgaria could be stopped on land or the Russians could decide that discretion is the better part of valor here and not to push the issue of shipping oil into the port at Montenegro. But if we continue on this road The Diplomatic scene will get worse not better. Thanks a lot for joining us Nick. Appreciate it always a pleasure Gary Hamline University history Professor. Nick Hayes joining us to wrap up this hour of our midday program again. If you're just tuning in for the speech by Bots lots of hovel, we ran it over the noon hour today. It will be rebroadcast at nine o'clock tonight though. So you do get a chance to hear from Czech president václav Havel. That's it. 9:00 tonight Gary I can hear thanks for tuning in today. The McAllister Scottish Country Fair Returns on Saturday May 1st at Macalester College rain or shine for tickets call Ticketmaster 86129895151. If you're an MPR member have your membership card on hand to receive a special discount? You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. And you're tuned to cater wfm 91.1 Minneapolis. And st. Paul The Weather Service says it's going to be cloudy all afternoon with a high approaching 70 degrees cloudy tonight with an overnight low in the upper 40s. So quite mild, really then tomorrow essentially more of the same fairly Cloudy with a high temperature in the 60s.