Remarks Delivered by Ambassador Mark H. Gitenstein on the Ocassion of the Celebration of Independence Day

July 4, 2011

Ambassador Gitenstein delivers his remarks at the July 4 reception hosted at his residence (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office)

Representatives of the Romanian government, your highnesses, your Excellencies, Ms. Georgiana Tarlungeanu, the Bucharest high school student who designed our July 4th invitation, members of the Romanian and American armed forces, ladies and gentlemen:

Welcome to our Independence Day celebration. Aloha! I want to particularly welcome Prime Minister Boc. The Prime Minister is a stalwart advocate of reform here in Romania. On behalf of my president I want to personally thank him and the Romanian people for all they have done to protect the values we hold so dear.

Welcome also to Senate President, Mircea Geoana. He is a good friend of mine, and America has no better friend in Romania.

Last year at this podium I spoke of these common values and my concern about a certain pessimism, sometimes even a cynicism, about the prospects for change and reform in Romania. I said this mentality is captured by the expression, Asta e Viata.

Reform of the state and of a free market and a sustainable democracy are high priorities for the United States because they ensure we have a reliable and stable strategic ally and trading partner. That is why these reforms are so important for President Basescu and President Obama.

From this podium, I contrasted Asta e Viata with the spirit of “yes we can,” the spirit of Barack Obama. I am most gratified that in the past year I learned of scores of Romanians who embody this hopeful spirit.

Today I want to single out seven Romanians who believe in “yes we can” and who have dedicated their lives to making Romania a better place, with considerable success. As I mention each one, we will flash their photo on the jumbotron to my right.

Anamaria Hancu and Liana Buzea were part of the social campaign “Let’s Do It, Romania!” to literally clean up Romania. Through the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter, these two young women mobilized 200,000 volunteers last September to spend a day picking up trash in Romania. They proved the skeptics wrong.

Laura Stefan is the anticorruption coordinator for the Romanian Academic Society, pushing judicial reform and good governance practices. She has drafted and advocated for anticorruption legislation and coordinated with international and EU bodies as an anticorruption expert. Despite many opportunities to work abroad, she has remained to work against corruption for a brighter future for Romanians.

Raed Arafat is an Under Secretary at the Ministry of Health. Raed set up an emergency number for medical issues. He also advocated allowing first responders to give medical care to victims. His efforts modernized emergency response and saved countless lives in Romania, thanks to a positive attitude and desire for change.

Sergeant First Class Laurentiu Serban overcame the loss of a leg when fighting in Afghanistan and declared “that which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” After returning from fighting alongside his fellow soldiers and NATO allies, Serban began counseling others who lost loved ones or live with an injury. His story was documented by the Discovery Channel and inspires those whom he has never met.

Marcellus Suciu returned to Romania after years in the United States and has brought home a number of innovations in business, government programs, and charitable foundations.

Not only does he run an extremely successful restaurant chain, he is involved in an environmentally friendly bike sharing program in Cluj and actively promotes private charities to solve social issues for seriously ill children and the blind.

Anca Harasim is the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bucharest. Her advocacy with government officials on behalf of businesses and investors helps American businesses employ thousands of Romanians. She also promotes transparency and predictability in the business environment. Her “can do” attitude and energy to push for results make her a role model for business people.

The Americans who risked “their lives and their sacred honor” by signing the Declaration of Independence 235 years ago today, like your revolutionaries over twenty years ago, did so because they believed they could build a strong and vibrant independent democracy. The men and women from those 13 American colonies created the first 13 united states.

Today we celebrate Independence Day with a special focus on our fiftieth state, the exotic islands of Hawaii.

We did not choose this state simply because it is incredibly beautiful and the birthplace of President Obama. Hawaii’s history also illustrates my point: strong, powerful, resilient democracies are built on the backs of men and women of uncommon courage and commitment.

Hawaii became a state in 1959 but as late as 1954 it was still trying to liberate itself from the iron grip of plantation owners and other oligarchs who ran the Islands.

In 1954, thousands of young soldiers returning from World War II and other workers peacefully seized control of the government through strikes, civil disobedience and elections then undertook democratic and market reforms which set the stage for what we know as the Hawaii of 2011.

One of those revolutionaries was a young Japanese American war hero, Daniel Inouye. He was a man of extraordinary physical courage who risked his life for his fellow soldiers in Italy in 1945. The citation on the Medal of Honor presented to him by President Clinton in 2000 describes him as a hero of epic proportions. Inouye was elected to the legislature in 1954 and helped to lead the effort to enact meaningful reforms. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and now is third in the line of succession to the presidency of the United States, the highest position an Asian American has ever achieved.

My mentor, Vice President Joe Biden, described Inouye as combining “courage, integrity and effectiveness”. I have high hopes that these six exemplary Romanians will in their individual ways eventually attain the stature of Senator Inouye as they certainly embody his qualities.

I am so optimistic about this country because there are thousands more like these six and they will not be stymied by the cynicism and inertia of those who resist change. Our revolutionaries gave their lives so that we can enjoy the blessings of liberty. We can only honor their sacrifice by embracing that optimism and determination.

God bless America. God bless Romania.