You have the power to change things. But, in order to do so, you have to believe in yourselves, and you have to believe in the power that you possess to improve the lives of all Albanians, says U.S. Ambassador Alexander A. Arvizu at the ACT Now Initiative Launch on June 21, 2012 in Tirana. After a brief introduction and giving thanks to those who helped, he gave the following heart-felt speech.
By Ambassador Alexander A. Arvizu
TIRANA, June 21 – During my time in your beautiful country, I have gone on record several times to state that, in my view, no country has made more progress over the past 21 years than Albania. This is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of Albanians everywhere. This progress is real, and each and everyone of you should be very proud of it.
But it is right and it is proper to ask: is the country headed in the right direction? Are you as Albanians realizing the full potential of your country?
Several of you in the audience will recall, a few months ago meeting a visitor from Washington whose primary responsibility is to serve as Secretary Clinton’s special envoy for promoting democracy and civil society. In that conversation with you, he and I were struck by a comment. It was made by one person but agreed to by everyone. That comment was that the space for civil society to operate had shrunk; it had decreased in recent years.
This concerned me greatly and the answer frankly is not to create a government office to oversee and direct civil society. The answer is to give more space, not just to civil society, but to individuals; to be more responsive to citizens’ concerns; to actually listen to what people have to say.
Not long ago, many Albanians were motivated to action by reported plans to import tons of waste from outside the country. With parts of Albania seemingly drowning in garbage, the concerns expressed by some citizens seemed to be a valid one. I want to make clear that it is not my place or that of the United States to pass a judgment on this issue. But I do have this question: why do the legal mechanisms of the state, why is it that so far they have prevented the referendum from coming to fruition? Why is it that the Central Election Commission, which is obligated to act within a specified time period on a referendum request that is supported by 50,000 signatures, why, once again, is the Central Election Commission undermining the public confidence in its ability to act impartially and in the interests of all citizens, not just a few?
While acknowledging the tremendous progress that has been made, let’s pause for just a moment and contemplate the hard times, sometimes the grim reality that confronts many tens of thousands, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Let’s talk a little about this initiative that we call ACT Now!
First of all: Who is it for? Every citizen of this Republic!
What is it about? It is about the change that everyone wants, the change that everyone talks about!
Where is it about? It is in every corner of this blessed land. It’s in the heartbreak felt by the students, faculty and administrators of Alexander Xhuvani University in Elbasan when a bus filled with their fellow students plunged down the ravine in a treacherous pass near Himar뮠 It is in the heartbreak in Dukagjin, where a family has lost their 17-year old girl to senseless violence of a sort that has no place in 21st century Albania. It is in the heartbreak of the residents of Saranda, who have watched their picturesque town lose much of its charm while being transformed into a concrete canyon. It is in the heartbreak of citizens of Gjirokaster, who stand by helplessly as neglect leads historic homes in that great city to collapse. It is in the heartbreak of citizens in the capital, Tirana, where driving is a haphazard and hazardous act to pedestrians and vehicle operators alike.
ACT Now! When is it time? It is time to Act right now; at this very minute.
And why? Because I know you care about the future and welfare of your children, your loved ones, yourselves, and for every person in Albania.
Let me tell you a brief story about America. There was a woman named Candy Lightner whose 13-year old daughter, Cari, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in California in 1980. When the driver was given a lenient sentence, the mother, Candy Lightner was motivated to act. She organized a small group to change public attitudes about drunkenness and driving in the United States. She called her group Mothers Against Drunk Driving – also known as MADD. The name caught on. Driven to change the mentality of her fellow Americans, Candy Lightner advocated for legislative change. She launched educational programs designed to teach teenage drinkers and drivers the perils of combining the two. She wrote to her elected officials, taught courses to the public, and worked tirelessly to create the change she wished to see in the United States.
Thirty-two years later, Mothers Against Drunk Driving is one of the most powerful NGOs in the United States. It is responsible for changing the laws in nearly every state in the country. It receives millions of dollars every year in donations to continue the change that Ms. Lightner started when she first felt inspired to act.
Now, I know exactly what many of you are thinking right now. You’re saying: that poor Mr. Arvizu; maybe he means well, but this is Albania. Things are different here.
Well, I don’t think it has to be that way.
Because to me, the beauty of the Albanian people, the beauty of your country, is that in your core, your essence, you’re like people everywhere around the world. The same hopes. The same fears. The same dreams. There is no difference.
It’s time to take those important first steps to make those dreams a reality. Every journey begins with a first step, and that begins from within. It begins with the spirit that burns brightly in the heart of every Albanian citizen.
President Obama inspired millions of Americans, millions of people around the world with these simple words: “Yes, we can!”
So, yes, you can!
You have the power to change things. But, in order to do so, you have to believe in yourselves, and you have to believe in the power that you possess to improve the lives of all Albanians.
I am not na. Genuine and lasting change will not happen overnight. You know better than I the obstacles that lie in your path, the obstructions to change that are present here in Albania.
But I want to just focus a little bit on this phrase that we have used, ACT Now! Of course it’s been translated into Albanian. All of you know English better than I know Albanian so think: ACT – it means Albanians Coming Together – NOW. That is what it means, Albanians coming together as one, now. That individually and collectively you not just challenge but also discard the ingrained mentalities and ways of doing things. Think about a problem or issue that is important to you personally, to your family, to your friends, to your country. It can be big; it can be small, it really doesn’t matter.
I believe that it is important symbolically for each of you to pledge to take action on a problem or an issue that is important to you. And, in a few minutes, you’ll hear some suggestions on how you can go about making that very pledge. The pledge is actually a pledge that you make to yourselves. We can and we will help you, but you need to be your own agents for change.
We at the U.S. Embassy want to hear about the kind of action that you are planning to take. We have created a new spot on the Embassy’s Facebook page where you can share directly with us your plan for action. So, use Facebook, call us, do whatever you can, but tell us about your ideas. Let us know what you are doing to improve life in your community, throughout Albania. Tell us your stories, tell us your successes, so it can better inform us and so it can help us to spread the word to inspire others to do the same.
Let me end with a quote many of you are no doubt quite familiar with:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are the rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
This quote of course comes from the American Declaration of Independence.
In two short weeks, Americans everywhere will celebrate the 236th anniversary of our independence. How fitting it would be if in 2012 – the 100th year of Albanian independence – there could be a similar declaration of independence, a renewed commitment by every concerned Albanian citizen to break from the legacy of the past.
21 years ago, multitudes of courageous Albanians, some of you in this room, toppled the statue of Enver Hoxha and the darkness symbolized by his regime. In so doing they and you planted the seeds for Albania’s modern democracy. To build on that legacy, I think it is critically important, to ACT Now!
