FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
|
The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
|
President Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Presents Eight President's Volunteer Service Awards |
|
Multimedia |
|
|
|
The East Room
4:00 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you for coming. Good afternoon, and welcome to the
White House. I am glad you're here. I'm proud to be with you to celebrate Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month. And we are joined by a very special guest, a
close friend of America, a man with whom I just had a very good visit, President
Yudhoyono from Indonesia. Welcome, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Before we award our Volunteer of the Year awards, the President has
graciously offered to give some remarks. And, unfortunately, I'm going to give
some, too. (Laughter.) Before I begin I do want to introduce Agus and Edhie, the
President's sons. Welcome. We're glad you're here. Agus will be getting married
on July the 8th. (Applause.)
This is a time to celebrate the achievement of millions of Americans of Asian
Pacific ancestry. Today, Asian Pacific Americans are making their mark in all
walks of life, including business and politics, and education and community
service, and the arts and science.
I'm fortunate to have many Asian American in my Cabinet and in my
administration, two of who are here with us today. I want to thank the Secretary
of Labor, Elaine Chao, for joining us. (Applause.) And the Secretary of
Transportation, Norm Mineta. (Applause.)
Andrew Natsios, of USAID, is here. Andrew, it's good, it's good you're here,
because we're going to be talking about tsunami relief in a minute. I want to
thank Betty Wu, who is the Chairman of the President's Advisory Commission on
Asian American and Pacific Islanders. I want to thank all the commission members
who are here today.
I want to thank my friend, Ambassador Sichan Siv, from the United Nations.
Where is he? Where is Sichan? There he is. Welcome, Sichan. You did a fine job.
(Applause.) I'm glad Martha is here. Delegate Eni from Samoa, thank you for
coming, sir. Proud you're here. Is Lisa here? Senator Murkowski just came in
from the state of Alaska. Proud you're here. (Applause.) I see we got a lot of
members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here. Welcome, Ambassadors. Thank you
for coming. Proud you're here. And again, Mr. President, thank you for joining
us as we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
Indonesia and America may be on the opposite sides of the ocean, but we have
a lot in common. We are both among the world's largest democracies. We both
share a belief that our great diversity is a source of strength. And when the
tsunami hit, citizens from both our countries took it upon themselves to come to
the aid of those in distress.
The tsunami that began in the Indian Ocean struck Indonesia just two months
after the President came into office. I understand that when the tsunami hit,
His Excellency was in a remote province of his country. And the moment he heard
what happened, he rushed to the scene. He didn't hesitate. He rushed to not only
help, but to make a personal assessment of what needed to be done. After
declaring a national emergency, he moved quickly to clear away the bureaucratic
obstacles and visa requirements so that the path would be clear for
international relief workers.
By acting with skill and courage, Mr. President, you helped bring your
country together in a time of great crisis. And thank you for that kind of
leadership. (Applause.)
And the people of Indonesia responded in kind. Religious organizations and
business people and the Indonesian Red Cross and thousands of ordinary citizens
traveled at their own expense to the hard-hit province of Aceh to pitch in, to
do their duty as a citizen of a free democracy.
And the need was great. More than 125,000 Indonesians have been confirmed
dead. Think about that. Another 37,000 are missing. More than half-a-million
have been forced from their homes. Your fellow citizens provided first aid and
you helped evacuate victims and distributed relief supplies. And it was a good
example of how government and individuals work together.
But it was also important for the world to respond. And I'm proud of the
response of the United States government and her people. Our United States
military was on the scene with an aircraft carrier. And we had sailors and
Marines working around the clock to show the people of your part of the world
that our hearts are big, that we care about people from all walks of life, that
the compassion of America runs deep and strong.
Shortly after the disaster struck, the United States pledged $350 million in
aid for the region. Providing relief, our country has really, I hope, showed
that we're a friend when you've got a problem. But a friend doesn't quit when a
problem persists. And so, earlier this month, Congress approved my request for
additional tsunami relief and reconstruction help, bringing total U.S. aid to
more than $850 million.
The people of your country need to know, and the people of the countries
affected by the tsunami relief need to know, that when America gives a pledge to
help, we'll keep our word, and that when America says that we stand with you, we
mean it. So, Mr. President, please take this message back to the people of
Indonesia. (Applause.)
Finally, I'm proud that volunteers from our Asian Pacific American community
were among those who stepped forward to help the victims of the tsunami relief
-- of the tsunami. Their efforts ranged from serving on humanitarian missions to
raising money, to rebuilding an orphanage. Americans from all over our country,
from all walks of life, used their time and talents and compassion to make a
difference. Heck, I even called on two former Presidents -- (laughter) -- 41 and
42 -- (laughter) -- Bush and Clinton -- (laughter) -- to join together to send a
message that we're not talking politics, we're talking about helping people get
their feet back on the ground -- get their feet back on the ground. We're
talking about helping to save lives. That's the American spirit, Mr. President.
That's how we like to do things in this country. (Applause.)
And today, we've gathered to honor some of our fellow citizens with volunteer
service awards. People from the Asian Pacific community have heard the call to
serve something greater than themselves. And before we present those awards,
however, Mr. President, I'm honored to welcome you to the White House and
welcome you to the podium so that you can deliver a few remarks.
Please welcome the President. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO: President Bush, distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen. Thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to join you here today. I
stand before you here to deliver a message of thanks from a grateful nation
halfway around the world.
My country, Indonesia, suffered most from the horrible tsunami last December.
Some 200,000 people were killed in a matter of minutes, and over 500,000
survivors lost their homes.
When I arrived in Aceh the day after the tsunami, almost everything close to
the sea had been destroyed, flattened to the ground, swept by the waves. Nothing
had ever prepared us for something like this -- nothing. It was under these
circumstances that we experienced an incredible display of global solidarity
immediately after the tsunami. And it was during this desperate time that
American servicemen came and helped.
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived with its much needed helicopters to help
deliver food and supplies to survivors that could not be reached by land. And
USS hospital ship Mercy provided medical care to the injured and the sick, at a
time when we were all worried that more people would die from diseases than from
the tsunami.
I remember my heart almost sank one day when I heard that a U.S. Seahawk
helicopter had crashed. But I was glad to hear directly from Ambassador Lynn
Pascoe that the crews were all right, even though their Seahawk had to make an
emergency landing on a paddy field. And not surprisingly, the crews were itching
to get back into action to save lives.
America has every reason to be proud for what your government, your heroism,
and your volunteers have done for the tsunami victims. This was a time for valor
and selfless sacrifice. The tsunami produced a lot of heroes: heroes who saved
lives, heroes who gave hope to those who are suffering, and Americans were among
these heroes. You all should be proud of that.
The funds that have been collected from millions of Americans will be very
helpful to help the Acehnese rebuild their lives. But I want you to know what
really mattered was that they all came from the heart. What really mattered was
that each of you reached not so much into your pocket as into the new depth of
your conscience, compassion and solidarity. What really mattered was that you
saw the pain of others and tried to help. And with all our tears, words and
deeds, what we all did together was to prove that the greatest wrath of nature
was no match for the greater force that is the human spirit.
I said something earlier about reaching out. Let me read you a letter from
Maggie, a third grader from K-4 Elementary in Charlevoix, Michigan, which,
through some good fortune, I managed to obtain from AmeriCorps. Maggie was
writing to a tsunami kid she did not know. This is what Maggie wrote: "Dear
friends: Hi. My name is Maggie. I am sorry what happened in your country. I have
heard some things about it. I hope your family and friends are okay. In church,
I pray for you and your country. In school, we are raising money for your
country. We have a loose-change bucket, and kids bring money in. Also, we are
making tsunami bracelet to raise money, too. I have made you one. I hope you
like it. I will continue praying for you and your country in church. Your
friend, Maggie."
I faxed Maggie's letter to Aceh, to be passed on to an Acehnese youngster,
and a few days later I received a response letter from Nada Lutfiah, a young
girl from Banda Aceh. That is what Nada looks like.
PRESIDENT BUSH: There's your picture. Is this her?
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO: Yes, sorry. This is her. (Laughter.) Nada looks like --
(applause.) Nada Lutfiah. (Applause.) Nada wrote to Maggie, and I translate into
English. "My good friend: Hello, friend. My name is Nada Lutfiah. I was so happy
and my heart was touched to receive the letter you sent us. My family, my dad,
mom, older brother and younger brother have disappeared, and now I live with my
cousins. I hope you are healthy and well where you are. I am so glad you are
paying attention to us here. I hope to receive your bracelet in the coming days,
because I want to wear it on my arm to remind me that I have new friend. Your
friend, Nada."
I have asked my Ambassador Soemadi to personally deliver Nada's letter and
photo to Maggie in Michigan.
These two letters are extraordinary, both in the words they conveyed, and in
the fact that two youngsters from entirely different background made a
connection: An American girl who prays at church, collects lose change and make
bracelet for tsunami kids two oceans away; an Indonesian Muslim girl who lost
all her family, and wants to kill the pain and is eager just to be a kid again,
just like Maggie. I think the world will be a better place if all of us start to
have connections and conversation the way Maggie and Nada did.
I thank you very much. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, thank you very much for such a powerful
speech. And it's in that spirit of compassion that we -- it's my honor to now
award the volunteer awards.
Commander, please read the citations.
(The awards are presented.) (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, I hope you can tell by the short presentation
of -- to some of our great citizens that the true strength of America, our true
strength lies in the hearts and souls of our citizens.
I'm proud that you've joined us today. Thank you all for coming. May God
bless our respective countries, and may God continue to bless the American
people. (Applause.)
END 4:24 P.M. EDT
###
|