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One of the first items on the agenda of the Vilnius City Council meeting to be held on Wednesday is precisely the awarding of the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Vilnius to prof. V. Landsbergis.
As the mayor says, “without the efforts and courage of this man three decades ago, Vilnius and Lithuania would be different today, if at all”.
Offers to give 14 dead
R. Šimašius announced on January 27 that such an offer will be made on Facebook. However, in the run-up to the scheduled council meeting, it became clear that one of the ruling parties in the capital was offering its alternative.
“The Labor Party proposes declaring the defenders of freedom January 13 honorary citizens of Vilnius. Lithuania has fought many times for freedom and independence, all stages have been and are very important. Generally, we make sense of those important milestones commemorating anniversaries. The pandemic, quarantine led Lithuania and Vilnius to celebrate January 13 this year in silence. So, quietly disappointing the 30th anniversary of the Defenders of Freedom, one wants to stop and wonder, have we honored appropriately to today’s top heroes and their truly heroic dedication?
We do not want to emphasize the forms, but this year it has been especially gratifying to see how little we honor those people who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of Lithuania. It is very sad that the same highest state officials, unfortunately, did not find the time and opportunities to light candles or help with flower arrangements at monuments or cemeteries, ”the Vilnius branch of the Labor Party said in a press release.
The Vilnius city section of the Labor Party proposes to R. Šimašis that the title of Honorary Citizen of Vilnius be awarded in 2021 to not one but fourteen defenders of Lithuanian freedom: Loreta Asanavičiūtė, Virginijus Druskis, Darius Gerbutavičius, Rolandas Jankauskas, Rimantas Juknevičius, Alvydas Kanapinskas, Algimantas, Titus Masiulis, Alvydas Matulka, Apolinaras Juozas Povilaitis, Ignas Šimulionis, Vytautas Vaitkas, Vytautas Koncevičius.
As stated in the report, “the submission proposal is fully in line with the 1996 decision of the Vilnius City Council. February. 7 d. No. 83 “On the granting of the name of an honorary citizen of Vilnius” and the practice of giving a name only once a year to a deceased or more than one person “.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15 min photo / Tribute to the defenders of freedom at the Antakalnis cemetery
Recalled A. Brazauskas
Head of the Vilnius Party Branch, MP Ieva Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė 15 minutes He said it wasn’t the case that the idea came up only now, that a month ago, so quietly after the 30th anniversary of January 13, the idea came up that the day and the anniversary should have some meaning.
“It seems regrettable that state leaders, even those of the cities, have already very calmly mentioned that anniversary, and this is one of the important anniversaries of our fight for freedom,” said the politician.
It seems regrettable that state leaders, even city leaders, have already very quietly mentioned that anniversary, and this is one of the important anniversaries of our fight for freedom.
She said she had also been consulted with the January 13 Society, whose members supported the idea, and spoke with various historians and colleagues from the party.
“As the idea retained support, we decided to offer it to the mayor as well. And Vilnius residents have that right. We did not do it in some way politically, on behalf of the group, because it is not a political decision, it is a matter for the citizens. That group of our citizens, Vilnius branch, brings together more than 500 members, we agreed, we considered and decided that it is necessary to offer the mayor, maybe the mayor still agrees and thinks it is valuable, “said I. Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė .
According to her, we also have precedents: this name is not always given only to a living person, because after his death, President Algirdas Brazauskas became an honorary citizen of Vilnius, although this provoked many discussions. The name is not necessarily given to a single person in a year, because last year the founders of the Museum MO Viktoras and Danguolė Butkai became honorary citizens.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Ieva Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė
When asked if this presentation is an alternative to the candidacy of V. Landsbergis, I. Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė stated that in a sense it is.
“We believe that the decision on an honorary citizen should not have a great political connotation. It seems to us that this should be unifying, we believe that our initiative deserves to be considered. If the mayor decides otherwise, it will be his decision. It has never been the case that an active politician receives such a name. All circumstances must be evaluated, “said the” employee. “
I.Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė assured that the “workers” are not against the candidacy of V. Landsbergis, but rather see a greater sense in honoring the people who died on January 13 in Vilnius.
The mayor, as the politician said, has received a letter in which he agrees to consider all alternatives and waits for a constructive solution without emotion.
Embody the era
R.Šimašius says that V. Landsbergis nominates for the title of Honorary Citizen of Vilnius because, being the then head of the country and even earlier, the leader of the Sąjūdis, he embodied the wave that led Lithuania to independence.
“We thank Vytautas Landsbergis for the historical merits that highlighted Vilnius as the capital and brought it back to the royal capital. This is respect for all the people who in one way or another contributed to the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, both for the appearance of the Sąjūdis and for the victims of January 13, “said the mayor.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Vytautas Landsbergis
He said he understood why a person who had been in active politics until recently spoke up, maybe he didn’t like some people.
“It is understandable and logical, I am not turning it into a tragedy. And it is clear that those alternative submissions have to do with the fact that the very idea of who to present to and why is acceptable, but the search is like a better candidacy. I think it is not necessary to look for better customization “, R. Šimašius is convinced.
The mayor also emphasized that it is a deeply rooted tradition in the Western world, often followed in Vilnius, that the title of honorary citizen is basically awarded to one person and is generally a living person.
We thank Vytautas Landsbergis for the historical merits that highlighted Vilnius as a capital and brought it back to the royal capital.
Provide for living people
Vilnius, the only time, according to the mayor, made an exception for A. Brazauskas, which caused a stir.
“It just came to our notice then. And it’s time to do it – V. Landsbergis is an honorable age, give it to God, he’s in great health, but he’s with us and he really personalizes that fight,” said R. Šimašius.
According to him, the argument is understandable and due to V. Landsbergs’ still active participation in politics, the mayor recalled how much discussion the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama caused by hope.
“It just came to our attention then. Politicians are under the greatest objective of society or the greatest magnifying mirror. An artist who has become painting and is interesting to the townspeople does not cause much discussion, it is accepted with greater ease. If a politician is not in the direction he likes, then there is a lot of debate. That is the part of the politicians, you have to understand it. On the other hand, political activity is also very important in the city, because of what happens that politicians also become honorary citizens of cities, ”said R. Šimašius.
Among the honorary citizens of Vilnius are politicians such as A. Brazauskas, US Presidents George Walker Bush and Ronald Reagan, Israeli President Simon Peres, Zbignew Brzezinski, a former adviser to the US president on national security, and several others.
As an argument for why he does not give Vilnius Jonas Mekas the honor of receiving the title of Vilnius citizen, although Artūras Zuokas has already nominated this candidacy several times, R. Šimašius also named the honor of living people.
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