|
IN
THE STATE HOUSE OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, JUNE, 3RD 2003 Mr.
Speaker Words can hardly describe my strong feelings, my deep emotion as I come to the rostrum of this Hall to take the floor in the State House of Boston, Massachusetts, on this very special occasion. The first time I have entered this historic building was more than thirty years ago. I was then a Junior Member of Parliament in Portugal, visiting the United States to learn more about democracy in America. Following the footsteps of Alexis de Tocqueville, my intention and my purpose was to take lessons from the american bicentennial experience of democratic government to implement them in my country. And I must admit, with great pleasure, that these lessons were most useful and helped me and my young colleagues and friends in the Portuguese National Assembly to keep promoting the values of democracy and making the necessary pedagogy of democratic government as the true guarantee of civic liberties and human rights. Our political activity on those days prepared the ground for the democratic revolution of the 25th April 1974, which has indeed been marked in its genetic code, by the indoctrination and the political involvement of the so called Liberal Group of Parliamentarians, later the founders of the Social Democratic Power, now again in power. The American dream of liberty and democracy has thus been strongly influential in the evolution of Portugal towards modern governance. The same has happened in many other parts of the world; and that is a sound reason for Americans to be proud of. My second official visit to the headquarters of Massachusetts democratic self-government happened in 1985, being then the President of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Azores, established under the new democratic constitution of Portugal. My host was, as it is still today, the Majority Whip State Rep. Robert Correia. The Heritage Day of Portugal was making its première. Since then it has become an unquestionable case of success. And Bob Correia, its founder and continued sponsor, is to be commended and praised for it! The initial idea was to stress the contribution of the Portuguese Community to the American society in this part of the United States. And how much there is to emphasize on this particular subject! Portuguese citizens, the vast majority of them originary from the beautiful Islands of the Azores - the European territory which is nearer and closer to America, let us not forget this very important geographic asset! - began coming to this part of the New World even before the war of independence, in the whaling ships which sailed from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and stopped for fresh water and other supplies in the Atlantic Islands. From that remote period until now, thousands and thousands of Portuguese citizens have settled all across this great country. They came here to work honestly, with a fierce desire of being winners in this land of opportunity. They have become part of this great nation; they grew their families here, they built their own homes; they took the risk to initiate many successful businesses; they were enrolled in the armed forces, went to war, shed their blood for America; they sent, more recently, their children to school, up until university, they took well deserved positions in the clergy, in the entrepreneurial and academic community, in music and other performing arts; they ran for office and were elected at different levels of American Government; they brought in their culture, their traditions, their creativity, which became the Portuguese contribution to the almost unbelievably rich melting pot of America. It is adequate, because it is true, to say: the Portuguese have also put their fingerprints in America! In America and in many other places of the world, form the immense Brazil, in the Southern Continent, to Angola and Mozambique, in Africa and East Timor in the vicinity of Australia. Portuguese is indeed the second language in the State of Massachusetts; but in the western hemisphere of our planet, it runs number three, immediately after english and spanish, well in front of french and german. Our ecumenical endeavour of discovering lanes of communication, commerce and cultural and human dialogue across the oceans made the Portuguese, by anticipation, the first agents of globalisation. That historic reason explains how close we have always been to the United States of America, the strongest sea power ever of History. Geography has put us together from the very beginning. Sailors form the Azores ventured to the West, in the Atlantic, and arrived to the Land of Labrador in the middle of the fifteenth century, well before Columbus touched the shores of the American Continent, considering he was arriving to India… In modern times, and due to the strategic importance of the Azores archipelago, Portugal and the United States established strong ties of alliance and friendship. The first American diplomatic representative to be appointed to Portugal, by George Washington himself, was Thomas Hickling, born in Massachusetts, still in the colonial days, who stayed for a long time consul in my home town of Ponta Delgada. In the two World Wars of the twentieth century, military facilities were granted by the Portuguese government in the Azores - and they were considered vital to victory in both those conflicts. A permanent base has been established since then at Lajes, in the Azores - and there a very important summit meeting took place, immediately before the recent Iraq War. That event will certainly be quoted in the future as the place where important statements were made concerning the organisation of international society, underlining the key role of the Atlantic alliance, the responsibilities of the United Nations and the need to find a fair solution to the problems of the Middle East, including the recognition of a free and independent state for the Palestinian People, in order to put the base for peace and eliminate one of the major sources of global terrorism. Portuguese-American friendship has historic, geostrategical, cultural and political purposes. But its main reason is that we are connected by blood and many, many families have ties in each one of our two countries. As true friends we have suffered sincerely with the horrific and coward attacks of September 11th. The Twin Towers of downtown Manhattan, which were a symbol of modernity and also of the beauty and the might of America, became, on that unforgettable morning, also the symbol of the fragility of our open and free societies in face of hatred, destructive, suicidal fanatism. But the unique shock and commotion summoned us all, free citizens of free and democratic societies, for the war against global terrorism and its fundamental causes. And even though we do not understand, have doubts or even disagree with some of the attitudes and behaviours adopted by American authorities in the name of that war against global terrorism - which seem to be too much unilateralistic, unnecessary and even dangerous, as we keep trying to demonstrate in our permanent dialogue in the framework of our long standing and mature alliance - we reciprocate the decisive help given to Europe in past wars, we stick to our old friendship and support America in the hard times we are all facing, as faithful and reliable allies, working together to defeat the threat of terrorism and open a new era of world peace. In our celebration of today, we evoke our great deeds of the past and our common goals for the present and the future. The long way in front of us challenges our resources of will and courage… Yet it is made, step by step, with the day to day performances of the hard working, law abiding, well respected citizens, such as the ones elected authorities of Massachusetts are now recognizing and honouring. In my present capacity as Speaker of the Parliament of Portugal I join the honours presented by the Massachusetts Legislature to these Portuguese American citizens, in the name of the Portuguese Parliament and all the Portuguese people. And I am sure I can express the same friendship, particularly in the name of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, the Honourable Fernando Menezes, whom I had the pleasure to invite to come with me to this solemn occasion, once a vast majority of the Portuguese American trace their roots to the Azores, where I was born and have lived all my life. I thank the Speaker of the House of the Representatives of Massachusetts for his gentle invitation. I congratulate State Representative Robert Correia - my old friend Bob - for his leadership in the community, once more strongly demonstrated. I thank all of you for the kindness of your attention. And
may I close my remarks according to the American tradition: |