The Vice-president of the Constitutional Court: We are so high atop the mountain as never before
Today, on 19 October, the Vice-president of the Constitutional Court Sanita Osipova gave the opening keynote speech at the conference of public leaders “Celtspēja” [Lifting Power]. In her presentation, she spoke about the idea of the Latvian State and the reasons for us to be proud.
At the beginning of her speech, Sanita Osipova underscored that we were as high atop the mountain as never before. However, we do not see this because people around us live on mountains that are much higher and we demand from life significantly more.
Foto: Celtspēja
To demonstrate that Latvia was a success story Sanita Osipova drew the audience’s attention to three aspects: the history of the Latvian people, the democratic legal order of the Latvian State and Latvia’s breakthrough in the matters of gender equality.
Sanita Osipova, turning over the pages of the history of the Latvian people, reminded the audience: “Latvians are not an orphan nation. We have stately maidens and young men like linden trees and oak trees. The history of Latvia is a success story that one should know how to tell. We must do this ourselves since no one else is interested in raising our self-confidence.” She also recognised that we were the chose people because empires had collapsed twice, and Latvia had had the opportunity twice – first of all, to create its own state and then – to restore it.
Sanita Osipova said: “We have reasons to be proud because, although we did not have major political experience or other clear reference-points, the people made their choice, the fate and the God supported the establishment of a liberally democratic parliamentary Latvia. We should be proud both of those people who built Latvia and of those who continue building it.”
“As regards the area of gender equality, we can regard ourselves as being in the European vanguard. The foundations for political gender equality were laid already upon establishing the Republic of Latvia,” Sanita Osipova emphasised in her presentation. “Gender equality did not fall into our laps; it was won by women and men for whom a human being was a value but equality and equity – an organic requirement,” Sanita Osipova continued.
In the conclusion of her speech, Sanita Osipova noted that Latvians were “great in their smallness,” to substantiate it said, she underscored: “Fantastic great deeds have been done. Our standard of living has increased. We have brilliant personalities in culture, science, and arts. We are honest people.”
At the same time, Sanita Osipova also said that Latvians were also “small in their greatness”. She said: “We do not appreciate everything that we have. We worry about minor things and often do not see things and fundamental values behind them. Likewise, we are waiting for external forces that would come and bring everything into order.
Sanita Osipova concludes her speech with words of encouragement saying: “We ourselves are the miracle. We are a successful project, a successful, democratic state governed by the rule of law.”
The full text of Sanita Osipova’s presentation in Latvian is available here. https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/articles/satversmes-tiesas-priekssedetajas-vietnieces-sanitas-osipovas-priekslasijums-konference-celtspeja/
The video record of speech in Latvian is available here (1:39-21:09):
16 other opinion leaders participated in the conference of public leaders “Celtspēja”; they shared their experience and provided practical advice to the leaders of the State and local governments regarding human resources and public management. The agenda in Latvian is available here.