Remarks at the Legislative Yuan
Markéta Pekarová Adamová
Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies
March 28, 2023
President You Si-kun, honorable legislators, honorable members of the Czech parliament; ladies and gentlemen; esteemed guests: Good morning!
Although Taiwan and the Czech Republic lie thousands of kilometers apart, and although our people speak different languages, yet there are no two countries with such similarities as ours, and no two peoples with such deep mutual understanding.
I am truly honored to be here to speak at the Legislative Yuan during our visit to Taiwan. This marks the first time a Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker has ever visited Taiwan. The hospitality accorded to us far exceeds my expectations.
President You, dear colleagues, I would like to start by introducing the Czech parliamentary delegation. First we have Chairman of the Czech Republic-Taiwan Parliamentary Platform Marek Benda, who is Taiwan’s good friend and longstanding supporter. He is also the leader of the Civic Democratic Party.
We also have Member of the Chamber of Deputies Marek Výborný, who is leader of one of the most histories parties in the Czech Republic, the KDU-ČSL. Also with us is Chairperson of the Committee on Security Pavel Žáček, who is a historian of totalitarian regimes and a member of the Civic Democratic Party. Next is Chamber of Deputies Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Marek Ženíšek, who is an outstanding political expert and a member of TOP 09. Member of the Chamber of Deputies Ondřej Lochman, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Transportation and member of the Mayors and Independents political party, is also here. Last, we have Member of the Chamber of Deputies Ivan Jáč, who is affiliated with ANO 2011 and is a professor at the Technical University of Liberec.
As you can see, the delegation comprises the entire political spectrum, including our opposition parties, demonstrating the consensus we have in the Chamber of Deputies and the entire Czech Republic as concerns relations with Taiwan.
In addition to members of the Chamber of Deputies, the delegation also includes representatives of government agencies, colleges, provincial and local governments, businesses, and labor unions. This is by far the largest delegation from the Czech Republic ever to visit Taiwan and numbers 160 people.
President You, dear friends, I was truly impressed by our visit to the National Center for Traditional Arts in Yilan. You are quite right to be proud of this place, which was birthed while you were Premier. We will relate what we have seen here to our friends in the Czech Republic, encouraging them to visit this beautiful place, knowing as we do that there will soon be direct flights. This will make it more convenient for my people to visit Taiwan.
In the history of most countries, there are glorious moments as well as challenges. I believe that those who have experienced ups and downs in pursuit of freedom and democracy are those who will truly cherish these values. We not only need to cherish freedom, democracy, and human rights, we need to promote them. We need to realize them. People talk about democracy, but many remain satisfied with regimes that are not free at all. Many authoritarian rulers or dictators in the past or even today sugar-coat their true repressive nature, the threats and the violence, with the language of freedom.
I was born in Czechoslovakia in the 1990s and raised in the Czech Republic. Every breath we breathe is free. Taiwan was democratizing and striving for freedom of speech, free and fair elections, freedom to choose, freedom of expression, freedom to read what one likes, freedom to choose one’s career, and freedom to travel, both at home and abroad.
In our generation, we take these things for granted. We believe that everyone is entitled to these rights. And we think we will have these rights forever. But we are wrong. If we do not cherish them, if we do not protect them, we will lose them quickly. What is worse is that we might not notice that we are losing all our rights.
Unfortunately, many people have lost the right to a safe and peaceful life. We have naively believed that war was not possible in our lifetime. But just last year, we stood by as a brutal conflict was launched—in violation of international law—in Ukraine, which is not very far away from the Czech Republic, Just how far away is it? It is less than 400 kilometers from the eastern border of the Czech Republic to the border of Ukraine, the same distance as from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
However, life is full of unceasing challenges, some great, some small. History is written with such stories. Some stand out, some go relatively unnoticed.
I want to take this opportunity to share with you a story from Czech history that illustrates the close and harmonious relationship between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Residents of Czechoslovakia woke up on the black night of August 21, 1968, to find a new reality. The Kremlin had dispatched troops to occupy our country’s cities and towns, an occupation that lasted for more than 20 years. Even after the Velvet Revolution, that is the collapse of the communist regime, it was not easy to drive them out of our territory.
The reason why I share this story is because there is today an individual who is writing an important story. He is the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In June last year, when we welcomed him at the Czech parliament, he recalled a popular statement in the summer of 1968. “We will be with you, so please be with us.” He cited this slogan of Czech society against the occupiers. We assured him, and the brave people of Ukraine, that we would be with them.
No one can live alone. Our stories are intertwined. We are aware that the people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and security. We will stand with democracy, freedom, and human rights. Our stories are intertwined.
As lawmakers, we shoulder a heavy responsibility. People entrust us with power through elections. It is a form of national governance. We are empowered for a certain period to govern. We are committed to ensuring the right to good governance based on the spirit of the constitution, based on our best conscience and knowledge. Therefore, we are writing our part of the story every day in this generation. The stories of the Czech Republic and Taiwan are intertwined. It is our shared responsibility to develop freedom and democracy.
Dear colleagues of the Legislative Yuan, respectable people of Taiwan, I assure you that we are with you now and we will continue to be with you. Regardless of circumstances, we will be with you in good times and bad. So, please also be with us. Thank you!
