NDI Mourns the Passing of Václav Havel

NDI mourns the passing of former Czech President Václav Havel. The Institute recognized Havel in 1991 with its W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, honoring him for his years as a dissident, political essayist and leading figure in the Velvet Revolution of 1989 — the bloodless end to communism in Czechoslovakia.

“Václav Havel leaves our world better for having been a part of it,” said NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright, a Czech-born friend of the playwright and political leader. “Amid the turbulence of modern Europe, his voice was the most consistent and compelling — endlessly searching for the best in himself and in each of us.”

When asked in an interview if he wanted to be remembered as a politician or playwright, Havel replied that he “would like to say that he was a playwright who acted as a citizen, and thanks to that he later spent a part of his life in a political position.”

It is fitting that he tied his legacy to the concept of citizenship, a core component of democracy, and to the importance of creating a strong civil society. In his 1978 essay, The Power of the Powerless, Havel called it the “independent life of society,” and believed it formed the basis of political action.

His words resonated decades ago behind the Iron Curtain, and today find expression and relevance among new forces of civil and political activism. Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi often quotes that most famous essay.

Following his time in office, Havel could have rested on his accomplishments and celebrity status, and retired gracefully from the world stage. Instead, he chose to serve actively as a voice of conscience and a force of solidarity for those who today suffer and sacrifice for their democratic ideals as he once did. He was a passionate believer in the notion that the individual can make a difference. “The cry of freedom, the free action of a person is the most important,” he once said. “It is the first nail in the coffin of a system based on a lie.”

This explained, in part, his tireless efforts on behalf of courageous individuals, such as Aung San Suu Kyi and Oswaldo Payá of Cuba, who struggle against tremendous odds to advance peaceful democratic change. “I remember vividly what the support of the democratic world meant for me when I was persecuted and imprisoned,” President Havel told the Prague Post. “I feel obligated to repay this debt to those who are in a similar situation now.”

“We at NDI will always honor his legacy,” said Kenneth Wollack, president of the Institute.

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Published December 19, 2011