    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [March 23, 2000]
    [Page 524]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 524]]

    Remarks in a Discussion With Members of the Governing Council in
    Naila Village
    March 23, 2000

        Q. I have a question to ask. There is a stereotypical image of
    Indians all over the world as backward people. You have been in India
    for a few days. How would you respond to this? Do you think we are
    backward? [Laughter]
        The President. No. But what I hope my trip will do is to help people
    all over the world see India in a more complete way. There are many
    people here who are poor, but you are proving that democracy can be used
    to lift the poor, can be used to end discrimination against women and
    keep children, girls and boys, in school, and can be used to bring
    people of different tribes and castes together. That is very important
    to me and to my family, my wife, who
    has been in Indian villages, and to our whole administration.
        What I think you should know is that the problems you have here are
    problems that people have faced all over the world. My own country
    became independent from the British Empire in the 1780's, and it was
    almost 150 years before women could even vote. It was almost 100 years
    before the slaves were freed, and more than another 100 years before
    they acquired equal rights, African-Americans, under our laws.
        And today, all over the world, there are wars where people are being
    killed--in Africa because they're of different tribes, in Bosnia and
    Kosovo because they were of different tribes and religions. So if in
    India you can prove that people can lift themselves from poverty and, at
    the same time, end discrimination against women and their girl children
    and learn to work together across tribal and caste lines because of
    democracy, you will give the world the greatest gift it could have now.
        The only other thing I would like to say is, I believe that the
    computer will make it happen more quickly if it is used wisely and put
    in every village in this country. And I think that those of us who would
    like to be good partners and to help you must also listen to what you
    have said today.
        The biggest public health problems, I think, in India and many other
    countries throughout the world are based on the fact that there's not
    enough clean water and too much of the soil is washing away or blowing
    away in the wind.
        And the last thing I would like to say is, I hope you will not lose
    your enthusiasm and your spirit when things don't change as fast as you
    would like. I know it is easy to get discouraged. I know there is still
    injustice and unfairness. But what you are doing is astonishing. And you
    have a chance to overcome problems that are still crippling other places
    in the world more quickly because you have these institutions of
    democracy. You must believe in them and use them and not give up when
    you're frustrated and cannot succeed in a short time.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:45 p.m. in a meeting room in Naila
    Village, near Jaipur. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of these remarks.