Today is the famous date, when 20 years ago the Velvet Revolution started in Czechoslovakia. Twenty years is a long time, although I remember it very vividly - as if it was just yesterday. But, as we all know, everything is relative, also these 20 years can be perceived differently.
In any case, the period has proven that living in freedom - or rather learning finally to live in the long yearned for freedom is a lengthy process. In November 1989 Czechoslovakia was a proud country, bursting with confidence, doing away with its communist government, where a dissident became suddenly their president. Two nations regained together their freedom and somehow remembered their 1918-spirit, where both nations linked together under Masaryk to emerge from the ruins (and century old domination) of the Habsburg Empire. Yet this freedom soon brought forth cracks that would eventually lead into a split of these two nations. While I have always regarded - having lived abroad - my background being Czechoslovak, this split was for me in a way a big disappointment. Obviously, each nation has a right to live its own life - govern its own state, that is. Fortunately the split was also smooth: after a Velvet Revolution we had a Velvet divorce.
Living in Slovakia, has given me some remarkable insights, which definitively make me convinced, that the split of the two states was a good thing to have happened. Not only because of the aforementioned statement, but it has made me clear, that Czechs and Slovaks, despite their linguistic similarities, are in fact indeed different people. Despite even the formative years of being one state (1918-1939 and 1945-1992). The 20 years, especially 16 years independent developments, have shown results which appear almost as if Czechs and Slovaks are (were) the complete opposites.
What pains me a bit is that whilst Czech media, Czech government and other groups commemorate the enthralling events of 1989, Slovakia's politicians systematically trivialise the events, and more and more behave like the cronies of the pre-1989 period. Prime Minister Fico declared earlier that he "didn't notice" any November 1989. Being a student it is hard to imagine that he couldn't notice. Not only stated Fico the fact that there are more important events in Slovak history (meaning that November 1989 was therefore indeed insignificant?), even planned an official trip to Moscow - of all places! - during these commemorative days.
An academic conference (I would like to add, it was purely pseudo-science happening) about the revolution organised by the governing party was held. Instead of some substantive discussions, Mr Paška - Chairman of Parliament and co-member of Fico's political party, addressed a crowd - exclusively consisting of allied parties only - and emotionally propagated an analysis, which could easily be carbon-copied from the former communist demagogues, more appropriate during party rallies rather than an academic conference.
Such signals by such politicians, plus the fact that news in the Slovak public media is visibly censored - or at least distorted - are a slap in the face of those, who have once stood in the streets and squares back in 1989. When following both Slovak and Czech programs on television, I am deeply saddened, that this society has allowed such government to go so far. In all fairness, there are of course exceptions, those individuals, who indeed do care, who do whatever they can, yet they face a strong wall, which is erected by ignorance, indifference, and criminal mafia-practices among political key players. Yet through this, both countries have demonstrated to be of a different substance.
The legacy of 1989 is difficult to describe in one sentence. But freedom is a brittle state, which needs time to mature and to ripen before society will have a profound understanding of their responsibility towards freedom. As long as freedom means nepotism, manipulation, preaching hatred towards minorities, then there's still a long way to go. 1989 Teaches us that ordinary people en masse can perhaps overturn a seemingly all-powerful regime, to maintain the good spirit of those days has proven to be more difficult. A nice thought was discussed in a recent documentary; Living in a "bad regime but with good people around" was more bearable than living in a "good regime with bad people around you". The latter seems more prominent nowadays.
My foreign background gives me indeed a peculiar magnifying glass when looking on society and politics as a whole. While I am partly proud of originating from this region, I equally do realise, that those many years abroad have made me feel more and more that perhaps my compatibility with this region unfortunately is somehow fading. In my view, the legacy is to keep on working and questioning every step of society: to find the best way towards an ethical and moral society. Present day excuse-attitudes are inexcusable, it is manipulative, blinding, and will only lead to painful erring. The deplorable and lamentable state of a corrupted judicial system and restriction of freedom of speech is not what 1989 should have brought us, it is exactly the opposite. True is that one can freely travel and has more freedom than before 1989, yet Slovakia cannot afford to remain complacent. There's still much to be done as potential danger lurks.
As for now; will attend today the Central European Forum in Bratislava, to show my support for the real spirit.
MS
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