Dros y misoedd diwethaf, rydym wedi bod yn dyst i ddigwyddiadau a fydd yn newid cwrs ein hanes. Ar y trydydd o Fawrth, cafwyd pleidlais "Ie" ysgubol i'r cwestiwn a ddylem gael pwerau deddfu yng Nghymru. Nawr mae gyda ni Senedd i Gymru a mwy o'r pwerau hynny rydyn ni eu hangen i drawsnewid Cymru - i adeiladu Cymru well. Roedd cefnogaeth trawsbleidiol i'r ymgyrch "Ie" yn y refferendwm ac roedd hynny'n bwysig dros ben. Ond gadewch i ni edrych i'r man y dechreuodd a sut y digwyddodd.
Pedair blynedd yn ôl, yn dilyn yr etholiad Gymreig yn 2007, roedd dewis anferth yn ein gwynebu fel plaid. Roedd rhaid i ni ddewis naill ai i fod yn bartner mewn llywodraeth newydd yng Nghymru, yn cydweithio gyda Llafur neu aros fel y brif wrthblaid. Byddwch chi i gyd yn cofio'r trafodaethau hir y cawsom ni. Fel rhywun a oedd yn ddrwgdybus iawn am fynd mewn i glymblaid ar y pryd, rwy'n gallu dweud heddiw gyda gwir hyder, fe wnaeth Plaid Cymru y dewis iawn. Un o'n prif amodau fel rhan rhan o gytundeb Cymru'n Un oedd cael refferendwm ar bwerau deddfu i Gymru i'w gynnal erbyn 2011. Oherwydd y penderfyniad wnaethom fel aelodau'r blaid yn 2007, bydd deddfwriaeth sydd ond yn effeithio ar Gymru yn cael eu gwneud yng Nghymru o hyn ymlaen.
Roedd y refferendwm yn bleidlais anferth o hyder yn ein hunain ac yn ein gallu fel cenedl i reoli ein hunain ac i wneud yr hyn sydd orau i ni. Roeddwn i'n ymgyrchu ar draws y wlad dros y bleidlais 'Ie', ar stondinau stryd, ac mewn cyfarfodydd cyhoeddus, a gyda ychydig o eithriadau, roedd y bobl roeddwn i'n siarad â nhw yn llugoer am y bleidlais. Roeddwn yn pryderu bod y diffyg brwdfrydedd yn adlewyrchu rhywbeth dyfnach. Wel, fe welsom ar y trydydd o Fawrth ei fod e - ond nid adlewyrchu unrhyw ddiffyg cefnogaeth i'r bleidlais "Ie" - i'r gwrthwyneb! Roedd yn adlewyrchu teimlad y mwyafrif mai y cam nesaf amlwg i Gymru oedd i gael pwerau deddfu - doedd dim angen trafodaeth mawr amdano. Cwestiwn syml gydag ateb syml - "Ie". Dim byd i wneud mor a mynydd o'i gylch - jest gwnewch e!
But of course, the vote represented much more than that. It sent out a clear message to the world that we believe in equality and democracy - that like all peoples, we have the right to decide out own future.
We have seen that same belief mobilize who knows how many thousands of people in Tunisia and Egypt to bring about momentous change in their countries. The knock on affect of the popular movement for democracy has brought protestors onto the streets from Morocco to Bahrain - many young people - a new generation using new technology to communicate with one another and transform the world. We are also of course, seeing the tragic events in Libya and Yemen where those protests are being met with violence and oppression by the governments. As a party that has always been internationalist and which has always believed fiercely in justice, we must support those who are willing even to lay down their lives for the cause of democracy and freedom in all parts of the world.
We had our referendum and we made history in Wales. On 10th April there will be a referendum on independence for Catalonia in Barcelona. It will be the last of a series of referenda that started in December 2009. More than five hundred towns all over Catalonia have held polls, open to all residents over sixteen. More than 600,000 people have voted and the results have been an overwhelming "Yes". But the referenda are not like ours. The Spanish government refused to allow the Catalan government to hold their own official referendum and so it has been organised by civil society and run entirely by volunteers. I was there in December 2009 for some of the first votes and I will be going back as an international observer in April to give evidence that the vote is open and fair and to show our support for the right of the Catalan people to have their say on their future.
People power expresses itself in different ways in different countries. What unites us all is the drive to improve people's lives. We are faced with climate crisis and economic crisis. We have seen what damage is done by the policies but put greed and profit before people. Plaid Cymru is firmly on the side of the people.
Our vision for this nation is based on just that. We have exciting new policies to create jobs, to give all children the best education, to defend and improve our health service, transport and housing and to promote the Welsh language. Too many Welsh communities are poor when Wales is hugely wealthy in resources - water, land, energy - the really valuable assets that will become scarcer in future. And we have the skills that we can use to make those communities thrive, given the chance to do so. We all know that. Plaid Cymru is asking you to let us make that happen. With a vote of confidence on May 5th we can do just that. We can deliver a brighter, greener future.
And on that note, there is another global event this weekend. On Saturday night at 8:30pm lights will be switched off all over the world to mark Earth hour - a simple and visible action to show that we want a real commitment to renewable energy and sustainability from world leaders. The Coliseum in Rome, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Caernarfon Castle, Newport clock tower and the Senedd are among the many buildings that are taking part. I am asking everyone in Wales to join the billion people all over the world for this demonstration against climate change: one hour of darkness for a brighter future. In government, Plaid Cymru ensured Wales made a real commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Governments must be radical to deal with the crisis of climate change but we can all play a part. Earth hour is a chance to do that.
In the past four years, Plaid Cymru has shown what it can do in government. We can change things at the highest levels to improve all our lives. The reason we can do that is because we have members all over the country who work tirelessly, day in, day out, in their communities. Our attention today is focused on the National Assembly election and the wonderful team of candidates we have fighting those elections. But there are elections week in, week out as well. In the past year, there has been something like thirty by-elections fought by Plaid Cymru candidates on a town or county level. On behalf of the party, I would like to thank each and every one of those candidates who stood for our beliefs and value and, more than anything, sought to improve the lives of local people. Some of you were successful this time; some of you will be successful next time. For Plaid Cymru success means working with people to improve Wales at all levels. It is our local teams of members and supporters that drive our campaigns.
I talked about change. Wales is changing. The world is changing. Bob Dylan famously sang about the times a-changing and the old order rapidly fading. That is happening all around us today. It is up to us to make that change work for us. There is only one party which is dedicated to that and which will do that - Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales. Work with us to build a better Wales.
Jill Evans ASE
