Signatory Valionytė: In 30 years, something has gone wrong for us

Magnificent and very simple

The meeting held at the Seimas Visitor Center was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence Restoration Day. At the meeting, B. Valionytė said that his victory in the Supreme Council elections held in the early 1990s in Biržai was such that he would never forget.

“I stayed home that night to take care of my friend Nijole’s 6-month-old daughter, Nijole was like a chief of staff, an observer. And he calls me around five-thirty in the afternoon. And he says: in Biruta, the stacks behind you are the largest in all the counties. She goes on to say that she and 7 other men without lunch, prepare lunch for us, “said B. Valionytė on the news of the victory.

The contents of the refrigerator and cabinets were not very nice, B. Valionytė decided to cook cabbage soup.

“Before midnight, a knock on the door, behind them is the forester, my immediate boss with a bouquet of red carnations. He congratulated me on the victory and asked me: where is your champagne on that table? I replied that we don’t even have bread. The boss on the heel, returned with a loaf of bread, a napkin and champagne. And here was the victory dance, on the night of March 8, “said the signer of the Act of Independence to the participants of the meeting.

On March 10, B. Valionytė was already on the Supreme Council, but the first impression was not positive.

“As I remember now, the sun was too bright and the clouds were purple and lead. When we arrived, the work is already boiling in the Supreme Council, the faces I know are running, something is working, life goes on. For me, that palace turned out to be extremely cold and strange. But life and activity began immediately. Because a meeting is taking place, there has been a meeting before, then another. On the night of March 10, we only approved the Commission of Mandates. And then, before midnight in the current Constitution Hall, the question was what to do tomorrow “, recalled the signatory.

He said at the meeting that Vytautas Landsbergis had the last word.

“We exchanged opinions that we said the arguments to publish tomorrow, maybe wait. I remember Kazimieras Motieka asking Vytautas Landsbergis, he didn’t know what to do either. Then V. Landsbergis went to call Stasys Lozoraitis. After the call, V. Landsbergis comes back and says that today we announce ”, said B. Valionytė about the historic moment.

He recalled that all the documents had been thoroughly reviewed and it was agreed that there would be no important discussions in the Chamber.

“All documents were reviewed in their entirety, it was agreed that there would be no discussion in the room, except for the basic law. To have unity, an agreement and a 100% vote ”, recalled B. Valionytė.

The signer also shared how she felt on March 11.

“That emotion, that March 11, when from that electoral campaign, from that mush, you are not even normally asleep here, where a great action is taking place, the mind understands one thing: I am participating in a historical event. And the emotion is such that you realize that here it is especially magnificent, but at the same time extremely simple: you filled out the card, you put it together, you counted it and announced it, everything is a point ”, he told the participants of the meeting.

After this decision, the signatories often argued and what will happen tomorrow.

“When we see how far we have come in 30 years today, after the week of March 11, we continue to listen to each other, how much do you think we will survive. A colleague said that if we last three days, we are already in history. If three weeks, that’s fine. But if it’s three months, then, you know, we can survive. There was no dream of NATO, EU then. At that time, dreams were very earthly and simple, all you have to do it is to survive ”, said B. Valionytė about the dreams of the signers at that time.

“As history has shown, that moment of survival was very difficult. But I am very grateful to the roots of our nation, its understanding, focus and awareness of the need to survive and endure it, ”she said.

The signatory recalled that survival and the blockade that will soon be announced can only be survived if a broader national objective is achieved.

“This return of the state to a young man, for me as a Lithuanian, is a gift of destiny that was destined to fall so much that I was able to participate in this process. It is hard to believe and admit that he is becoming a historical personality, but it has already happened, ”said B. Valionytė.

“Apparently we live too well”

The President of the Independence Act Signatories Club B. Valionytė said the current policy is surprising. And sometimes I don’t understand why some plan to go to the Seimas.

“As I listen in elections and debates now, I will say frankly, I really do not understand where they are going, what is their vision. And in general, how they imagine the work of the Seimas. Well, but there is a way. There is only one thing to be happy about. : The Supreme Council’s mandate rating was probably the highest in the entire Seimas. I don’t know what this Seimas is like, but I suspect it won’t outperform us for sure. Because the State Restoration Ring met in the Supreme Council, who knew something in each area, they shared, they worked together. Today we have a result that should rejoice us, “he told the meeting participants.

The club president was also surprised by the desire to renounce unique Lithuanian roots.

“When I hear today how liberals answered the question about educating patriots in schools during an election debate. They replied that they did not support it, that they would educate the people of the world. This nationalization is very fast, in a generation and a half. And if you start feeling happy to be popular and you don’t know your language anymore, that process is even faster, ”said B. Valionytė about current politics.

He considered that if a person does not know his roots, his native land, he cannot be happy.

“You see, some roots remain, and some of us try to chop very fast ourselves, even with great pleasure. I have no idea if you are a Lithuanian patriot, can’t you be a man of the world with your roots? Why do we have to train people who don’t know who they are? “Where our ‘liberal democracy’ is taking us is very unfortunate, but sadly true,” he said.

B. Valionytė requested that this process be stopped.

“Something has gone wrong for us in 30 years. Because the 1990 national text was the foundation, the essence, we followed it, not after cosmopolitanism, but according to our roots, our nationality, our language, the way we were conducted. Let’s try to dominate that process, stop it, “said the signer.

“We just realized that we were living too well. Because we no longer need to defend ourselves, protect ourselves, unite.
Because all doors are open to us, the whole world is wide. I believe that our field of operations is primarily in Lithuania, ”emphasized B. Valionytė.

He urged the meeting participants not to just become a workforce.

“We live as long as we have brains and how can we implement this understanding of ours. As long as we create, we will have such a life, there are no other solutions. No one will give us anything. If we are cosmopolitan, we will do one simple thing: just work or, as liberalism now says, human resources. And I would also like to have my own nationality, my name, ”the signatory spoke at the meeting.

At the same time, he urged to protect its roots and nurture them.

I had to go to the street

After the restoration of the Seimas in 1992, signatories who did not participate in elections or performed poorly were simply out of work, B. Valionytė told the meeting.

“All those who were not elected took to the streets, literally. And I was unemployed for a year and a half. Even though the law seemed to guarantee a return to work, for example, there were 7 jobs in Biržai where I could according to my diploma, but they were all busy within a week. In this way, I tried to expel not only myself, but also other deputies. Because nobody needs a person with a slightly different vision, ”he said.

The signer also recalled the conversation with V. Landsbergis, approximately a year and a half after the resignation of the Supreme Council, without having so much time to work. When he complained about the situation and the lack of work, V. Landsbergis simply replied: “here is your problem”.

The club was inspired not only by the desire to preserve and nurture in 1918. February 16, 1990 and the meaning and memory of the Lithuanian Acts of Independence of March 11. But also simple social issues.

“It just came to our knowledge then. (…) That the club is very necessary in addition to promoting the ideas of our statehood and other important social issues. And it showed that in 1997 Gintaras Ramonas himself retired, had two small children , he couldn’t support his family, he didn’t have a job “, – B. Valionytė spoke about the reasons for creating a club of signers.

We do not call all the deputies of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania signatories of the Lithuanian Independence Act, but only those who in 1990. March 11 During the roll call vote on the Restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania, voted in favor of the restoration of the Independence of the State of Lithuania. 124 deputies voted in favor (they are also called signatories of the Lithuanian Independence Act), 6 abstained, no one voted against. The results of the vote were announced in the late 1990s. on the night of March 11 at 10:44 pm