Ambassador Moriarty Remarks for Independence Day 2006

June 29, 2006

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. On the occasion of the United States of America’s 230th birthday celebration, I warmly welcome you this evening.

On July 4, 1776, America took its first definitive step to becoming a free and independent nation. So, as we Americans celebrate our democracy, please let us congratulate you on yours.

It was not until thirteen years after that 1776 Declaration of Independence that our own Constitutional Convention promulgated a new Constitution.  Since then, we have amended that constitution a mere 27 times.  The people and the government of the United States have continued to learn and develop our own understanding of democracy every day. Our founding fathers recognized that any form of democracy needs both a system of checks and balances, as well as the capacity to evolve over time.

Our constitution outlines our rights, but it is the responsibility of the people to make them real. We have been fortunate that, throughout our history, the actions of men and women of vision have proven the worth of our democracy. Thomas Jefferson, the primary drafter of that Declaration of Independence, was elected our Third President in 1801.  The bitterly-contested election had ended in a tie, which was subsequently resolved in Jefferson’s favor by the House of Representatives.  Jefferson used his inaugural speech not to push partisan advantage but to unify the country after the hard-fought campaign, saying:

--“All will, of course, arrange themselves under the will of the law, and unite in common efforts for the common good.  All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle that, though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.  Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. “

Since Jefferson’s time, our democracy has had to withstand many challenges, including a civil war touched off by the evil that was slavery and its legacy.  Abraham Lincoln, the son of a farmer, as the 16^th President of the United States, challenged the practice of slavery and then in 1863 abolished it. In 1955, seamstress Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to comply with a law that required her to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. She was arrested, igniting the American civil rights movement and instigating a boycott that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation.

Given our own history, this is an incredibly exciting time for an American to be in Nepal.  In April, the people of Nepal started their journey toward a new democracy, one that will  demand the active participation in public life of all its citizens. The steps you took during the Jana Andolan resemble what we Americans did when we proclaimed our Declaration of Independence some 230 years ago. As we have learned during our own history, frequently as a result of our own mistakes, citizens must sustain that type of broad-based public enthusiasm and involvement if democracy is to succeed.

The people of Nepal are known throughout the world for their compassion and generosity of spirit. We believe in the new Nepal Government’s genuine intention to represent the interests of all its people. Nepalis already have taken the first step, but the next, crucial step is to build a consensus, among all parties, and most importantly, with the people. Along with all the democracies in the world, we wish you success in your attempts to reach that consensus.  We are proud to be able to help to the extent we can as you undertake this bold democratic experiment.  Ultimately, though, it will be the wisdom of the Nepali people that will ensure that peace, prosperity, and democracy come to this magical land. 

So, in closing and in the spirit of America’s birthday celebration, I encourage all of you to continue to muster the strength of will to attain and then sustain democracy.  The United States will be with you.

Thank you.