Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
CENTRE, MANILA
Tarikh/Date : 14/12/87
Tajuk/Title : THE OPENING SESSION OF THE THIRD
MEETING OF THE ASEAN HEADS
OF GOVERNMENT
Madam Chairman;
Your Majesty and Your Excellencies the Heads
Of Government;
Distinguished Delegates.
Twenty years ago five countries in South-East Asia came
together to establish ASEAN. Nearly four years ago Brunei
Darussalam joined the ranks of those countries. Now, the
strong commitment of the six countries towards ASEAN has
been and will continue to be a dynamic and cohesive regional
association of states. ASEAN is indeed a reality in the
international system.
2. Within the two decades of its existense ASEAN has been
able to build an image of sober inter-regional and
international responsibility, maturity and commitment to
peaceful development. It has provided the necessary
environment for strengthening national and regional
resilience which a reessential to development, peace and
stability in Southeast Asia. The incertitude that hung in
the air during the signing of the Bangkok Declaration in
1967 gave way to confidence and firm resolve among the
member countries to enhance regional cooperation as
enunciated in the Bali Declaration of ASEAN Concord. That
confidence has gained in strength and is again clearly
demonstrated here in Manila today. This meeting reaffirms
our solidarity and our conviction that ASEAN remains
viable for promoting economic development, social progress
and peace and security in the region.
3. ASEAN today has brought into sharp focus the vision of
its founding Heads of Government, two of whom, I must say
with great respect and esteem, are still among us here at
this meeting. ASEAN has shown that regional cooperation
founded upon political, economic and cultural cohesion can
lead to development and progress. This is vital for
regional stability and security. Regional cooperation as
manifested by ASEAN remains the cornerstone of Malaysia's
foreign policy.
4. Since the Meeting of the ASEAN Heads of Government in
Kuala Lumpur ten years ago, several important developments
and changes have taken place in the region and elsewhere.
These developments have affected the ASEAN countries b oth
individually and as a group in various ways.
5. These developments and changes present both formidable
challenges and vast opportunities. I believe ASEAN should
and could respond to those challenges squarely. We do not
lack the resources. We have the combined potential of more
than 250 million people whose creativity and innovative
ability are considerable. Given this invaluable asset, it
remains only for us to match it with the varied and rapid
advances in science and technology to turn the region into a
powerhouse of economic and social advancement.
6. The ASEAN countries have the natural resources and
productive capacity to venture into many areas of economic
activity in order to realise the region's full potential and
to truly turn ASEAN into a growth centre for the future.
Rightly, there should be no unnecessary barriers to our
pursuit of economic cooperation. We must have the political
will. For as long as we are clear about those objectives,
our will should not wane.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
7. Among the great many changes that we in Southeast Asia
have faced in the last decade is the prolonged Vietnamese
occupation of Kampuchea. There has also been a new
correlation in the strategic interests and military
presence of the superpowers in the region. These have
presented an unfavourable situation for peace and stability
in the region.
8. ASEAN has channelled a lot of its energies into finding
a comprehensive durable solution to the Kampuchean problem.
Our efforts should never become less than what they have
been. Efforts to find a solution to this problem should not
aim only at ensuring total Vietnamese withdrawal and the
restoration of the independent, neutral and non-aligned
status of Kampuchea, but they should also aim at ending once
and for all the rivalry between the major powers in the
region so that durable peace, understanding and cooperation
could, in the long term, prevail for the whole of Southeast
Asia. Let Southeast Asia be for Southeast Asians and let
the people of this region get on with the job of maintaining
peace and stability for the sake of their own development
and progress.
9. ASEAN's commitment to the Zone of Peace, Freedom and
Neutrality in Southeast Asia, or ZOPFAN, as the ultimate
goal for a peaceful and stable Southeast Asia should be
stronger now in the light of these changes. It is
imperative that further efforts be made to effect the early
realization of ZOPFAN. Malaysia, on her part, places great
importance on ZOPFAN. We recognise the roles of the major
powers, their legitimate interests and their positive
contributions in the region. The legitimate interests and
positive contributions of the major powers could be enhanced
if Southeast Asia remained free from intra-regional conflict
and major power rivalry.
10. For us in Southeast Asia, given the region's history,
the successful containment of internal threats to our
security remains crucial to our development. Each of our
countries face different sets of internal security problems.
ASEAN cooperation in the economic areas could positively
contribute towards enhancing our national security.
11. Nevertheless, there are problems affecting security
that are common to us all. Drug abuse and illicit
trafficking is recognised by us as a menace which needs the
concerted efforts of the international community to
eradicate. The pernicious effects of this menace need not be
recounted. ASEAN's resolve on this matter has been an
example to all countries in countering this terrible scourge
faced by mankind. We must remain steadfast in the fight
against the drug menace.
12. For more than a decade the ASEAN countries have been
faced with the problem of Indochinese refugees seeking
temporary asylum within our borders, pending resettlement
elsewhere. Problems such as this unnecessarily complicates
our priorities and distract our attention from the more
fundamental objectives of regional development and peace and
security. Efforts should be continued to find a durable and
effective solution, in particular by solving it at the
source. Vietnam and Laos should cooperate in this regard.
13. ASEAN has been quite successful in facing the security
challenges posed by developments in the region. Our faith
in the importance of economic development and social
progress as the foundation for peace and security has paid
off. Consequently we reject the possiblity of ASEAN
evolving into a regional collective security arrangement or
military alliance. We are able to do this because of our
belief that to win friends one should not create enemies.
Our major concern, rightly, has been and should continue to
be the promotion of ASEAN economic cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
14. The economic challenges being faced by ASEAN are
enormous. ASEAN has been highly dependent on the world
market for the sale of primary commodities and a limited
range of manufactured products. Since the early 1970s there
has been a relatively small though steady increase in
intra-ASEAN trade. But intra-ASEAN trade still forms a small
proportion of the total ASEAN trade. Therefore, in the
circumstances, ASEAN's dependence on external markets will
continue, making it more important for ASEAN to be assured
of ready access to those markets.
15. The prolonged imbalances in world trade and increase
protectionist trends which are becoming pervasive in the
international trading environment do not bode well for
ASEAN. The United States continues to incur huge trade
deficits and would need to restructure to reverse the trend
and maintain a balance. The U.S. still provides the largest
market for ASEAN. Japan's mounting surplus, which has now
firmly established her as the world's largest creditor
nation, will not be any good to ASEAN if there are
insufficient sustained efforts on Japan's part to liberalise
her trading practices and help redress the international
trade and monetary situations. The huge debt burden of the
developing countries remains a source of instability in
the international economic system. The ASEAN countries,
being no exception, have been hurt in varying degrees by
the spiralling appreciation of major currencies and the
unstable exchange rates.
16. We are still far from being out of the woods in respect
of the problems of low prices and depressed markets for the
world's major commodities. The commodity producing
countries in ASEAN have suffered the ill-effects of poor
demand, low returns and increasing protectionism in the area
of commodities. We face dangerous trends in the developed
countries in the form of subsidised agricultural exports,
concessional sales and smear campaigns to discredit our
products. ASEAN should increase its efforts in safeguarding
its long-term interests in the area of commodities. There
is now an urgent need for ASEAN to give special emphasis to
commodity issues by reviewing and restructuring the ASEAN
machinery to accommodate the commodity sector.
17. The list of economic woes affecting practically all
countries in the world is long. Calls for restructuring,
increased aid, standstill and rollback on non-tariff
barriers have been repeatedly made. Various pledges,
resolutions and promises have been uttered, articulated and
documented. Yet, while we progress towards the threshold
of a new millennium, many of the solutions to the problems
at hand remain elusive. We may indeed be in danger of coming
close to a serious breakdown in the system if the present
trends persist. Not only have the gaps in income and
standard of living between the North and the South remained
wide, there has also been very little narrowing of the chasm
that divides the perceptions and views of both sides.
18. ASEAN, as a respected regional organisation, should be
capable of contributing towards finding some of the
solutions through the intensification of economic
cooperation among the member countries, through the dialogue
process with the Dialogue Partners and through active
participation in the relevant international fora. ASEAN
countries can collectively venture into various areas in
order to help themselves as well as to contribute towards
a more stable and manageable world economic environment.
Increased cooperation among the countries in the South could
provide new opportunities for ASEAN.
Ladies and Gentlemen
19. ASEAN has had its share of critics. As leaders of the
respective member countries, we have on numerous occasions
launched into self-appraisals of ASEAN which quite
inevitably conclude in our own grim, uncomplimentary and
critical assessments of ASEAN's performance in the area of
economic cooperation. But let the critics be reminded that
while certain specific programmes in ASEAN economic
cooperation may have run into some problems, ASEAN has
succeeded in many other areas. ASEAN functional cooperation
which encompasses a wide range of issues and activities has
indeed enhanced the ASEAN identity. It has certainly
increased the awareness and consciousness of ASEAN among
the peoples of our countries, and has allowed them to
participate actively in many of ASEAN's activities. ASEAN
should always be willing to improve, accept new ideas and
begin with fresh initiatives to raise the level of
cooperation not only among the member countries but also
between ASEAN and the rest of the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
20. This Meeting of Heads of Government gives us the
opportunity to assess ASEAN's achievements and look into the
new initiatives that have been carefully worked out over the
last few months. I am confident that all of us share the
view that ASEAN economic cooperation needs to be
intensified. Therefore, we should provide the necessary
direction for the future.
21. One of the areas which could be seriously considered is
the encouragement of wider participation of the private
sector in the activities of ASEAN. In this context, I
personally feel encouraged that the private sector had taken
a keen and active interest in the preparations for this
Meeting. I wish to compliment the Group of Fourteen for its
efforts. The Group's contribution has helped to augment the
preparatory work carried out by the Ministers and Officials.
22. A lot of attention has been focussed on this Meeting
ever since the decision to hold it was made. I believe
there are many supporters and critics -- established and
potential -- who are watching with keen anticipation for the
final outcome of this Meeting. There are no doubt people
who understand the nuances and methods upon which ASEAN
cooperation is built. However, there are also those who
refuse to acknowledge that despite its shortcomings, ASEAN
has had many achievements which can easily surpass those
of other regional groupings. The path followed by ASEAN has
certainly shown that a strong commitment to the values of
freedom and independence, and respect for individual
entrepreneurship and dexterity bring many benefits to the
member countries. In sharp contrast, strict adherence to
narrow ideologically-based objectives preferred by others
have clearly shown many signs of failure.
23. I am confident that we can work together in the spirit
of ASEAN solidarity and friendship to make this Meeting
another important watershed in ASEAN's history. ASEAN owes
its peoples a better future.
Thank you Madam Chairman.
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