Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	JAKARTA, INDONESIA 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	01/09/92 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT SUMMIT 


 
Mr. Chairman,
     May  I  on behalf of my delegation and on my own behalf
congratulate you on your unanimous election as  Chairman  of
the Tenth Conference of the Heads of State/Government of the
Non-Aligned  Movement.  As a close friend and neighbour, and
as an ASEAN colleague, I am particularly happy to  see  Your
Excellency  in  the Chair.   It is fitting that this crucial
meeting of the NAM should be held in your country, where the
first concept of a third world force was concretised.  It is
also a tribute to your leadership  of  this  great  country,
Indonesia.   We are confident that with your vast experience
and wisdom, you will guide this historic meeting to  a  suc-
cessful conclusion.
2.   My  delegation  wishes also to place on record its deep
appreciation to the Government and people of  Indonesia  for
the warm and generous hospitality accorded to us and for the
excellent arrangements made to ensure our comfortable stay.
3.   I would like to take this opportunity to extend my del-
egation's   warm   welcome  to  the  delegations  of  Brunei
Darussalam and the Philippines as full-fledged members.    I
also  welcome  the  delegations  of  Papua  New  Guinea  and
Uzbekistan as new members of the Movement,  and  the  deleg-
ations  of China, Thailand, Croatia and Armenia who are here
for the first time as observers.  China, a permanent  member
of  the  Security Council, would be able to contribute posi-
tively to the interests of the group.   I  look  forward  to
China's  full  membership  of  the Movement.   I am also de-
lighted to welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia who  have
been accorded guest status.
Mr. Chairman,
4.   The  peace  and  tranquility  in  this  capital city of
Jakarta belie the violence and conflict that occur in  other
parts  of the world.  In Bosnia - Herzegovina a vicious war,
involving the worst of human rights abuses, is being fought.
Concentration camps with emaciated prisoners  have  returned
as Serbs implement their version of apartheid, called ethnic
cleansing.  Women are being raped and even children are shot
and killed by snipers.  The Bosnians have been encouraged to
exercise  their  rights,  and  when they are subjected to an
all-out attack as a result, their plight is largely ignored.
Talks in far away places have not deterred the Serbs in any-
way.  The killing goes on.
5.   The Europeans who  have always considered  the  Balkans
as  their  special  responsibility,  and once plunged Europe
into a world war because an  Archduke  was  assassinated  in
Sarajevo,  now  seem  quite  unwilling to be involved.   The
Bosnians do not need just food and medicine.   They need  to
be  saved  from  Serbian expansionism by force of arms.  The
Western attitude towards the daily killings of the  Bosnians
stands  in  stark  contrast  to  the response to the alleged
killings of the Kurds in Iraq.   Ships and planes,  men  and
money have been deployed there even when the evidence is not
clear.
6.   Is  this the face of the New World order?  If it is, it
is a frightening face because it is  grotesquely  distorted.
While  minor human rights infringements will attract retrib-
ution, blatant abuses on  a  massive  scale  go  unpunished.
What  kind  of  a New World Order is this?  What will be the
fate of the many small and weak countries who  make  up  the
majority  in  our Organisation?   If we are subjected to the
same Serbian-type brutality, will the world watch uncaringly
on their TV screens?
Mr Chairman,
7.   The ending of the Cold War and East-West  confrontation
raise  the  question  as to whether neutrality has any rele-
vance in world affairs.  How can we remain non-aligned  when
the two ideological adversaries have disappeared?  Where be-
fore  we  had the option to defect to the other side, now we
have none.  Our new option is to submit or resist.  Both in-
volve a loss of leverage, and weak nations with no  leverage
can  only  become weaker.  And the strong will truly inherit
the world.
8.   For members of the Non-Aligned Movement, the moment  of
truth  has come.  Unless non-alignment is redefined, it will
become a misnomer.
9.   But recent history  must  surely  convince  us  that  a
unipolar  world  is  every  bit  as threatening as a bipolar
world.  Apart from the tragic helplessness of Bosnia, we see
international laws and ethical codes being ground  into  the
dust by the powerful and the mighty.  We see soldiers invad-
ing  a  weak  country  to capture the head of Government and
bring him back for trial under the laws of the invader.   We
see a citizen being kidnapped in his own country by authori-
ties  of  another  country,  sanctioned  by  the kidnapper's
court.  We see the extra-territorial application of the laws
of the strong over the weak.  We see decisions by the Inter-
national Court being ignored.  We see attempts by democratic
states to bomb-assassinate the leader  of  another  country.
We hear threats to arrest the legitimate leader of a country
because  what he did in his own country apparently broke the
laws of another country.
Mr. Chairman,
10.  In the economic field, the independence  of  nation  to
decide on their own policies has been effectively curtailed.
New  concepts such as intellectual property, local contents,
free trade arrangements and selective  discriminatory  taxes
restrict  world  trade  and slow down the economic growth in
many countries.  The environment, human rights and the demo-
cratic systems have all become instruments of economic domi-
nation.
11.  Where before the internal affairs of a country are  not
to  be  interfered  with  by other countries, now a right is
claimed for such affairs to be scrutinised uninvited.  While
the weak are in no position to examine  the  record  of  the
strong,  there  is  no limit to the judgement and subsequent
incursions by the powerful.  Matters such as the  system  of
Government,  human  rights  practices,  labour relations and
laws, and the environment come under the category of matters
to be subjected to scrutiny by the self-proclaimed champions
and for unilateral action.
12.  Internationally, far from moving closer to the rule  of
law following upon the end of the Cold War, the trend is to-
wards  the  arbitrary  exercise of judgements and actions by
those in a position to judge and execute.
13.  Free speech is one of the freedoms much touted  by  the
exponents  of  the  so-called Western democracy.  Woe betide
those countries which do not respect free speech and freedom
of the press.
14.  Yet criticisms of the policies  and  behaviour  of  the
powerful  are  not tolerated by them.  Dark hints about dire
consequences are heard.  Alternatively such  criticisms  are
effectively  censored.   The proponents of freedom of speech
and the press apparently believe that those freedoms are  to
be  confined to condemning the third world's own Governments
only.  The world press is controlled by the powerful and has
become their instruments to undermine the very freedoms they
preach.
Mr. Chairman,
15.  The NAM or at least this group of nations needs to pro-
tect itself from the unilateral definitions and  impositions
of  the  ideas  which  will  shape  the  post  Cold War era.
Clearly from the list of violations of basic  principles  on
human  rights  and  accepted  international behaviour by the
rich and the powerful, there is a need for us to go  on  and
to  pool what little strength we have in order to avoid what
amounts to a revival of the old Western colonialism.  It  is
not  a  case  of confronting anyone.  This group is not in a
position to confront.   But we need  to  protect  ourselves.
Protection needs some strength.
16.  NAM may have to be renamed to reflect its new role in a
unipolar world.  NAM must have a new set of principles.  NAM
must be given new objectives.
Mr Chairman,
17.  Not  only  must  NAM change but the UN must change too.
The victors of World War II cannot be allowed to permanently
affect the relative positions of the nations of  the  world.
New forces have emerged which must be acknowledged.
18.  The  composition  of the Security Council may be justi-
fied in the immediate post World War II period.   It  cannot
be  justified now.  It represents disregard for democracy in
international affairs.  It denies the rights of  the  major-
ity.    We  do  not  need  more  permanent members with veto
rights.  We need fair representation, if not on a  basis  of
population, at least on a basis of a combination of relevant
factors.
19.  Any attempt at building a New World Order must also ad-
dress  the increasing inequity in the international economic
system which has resulted in a widening gap between the rich
nations  of  the  North  and  the   poor   in   the   South.
Protectionism  and subsidies by the developed countries have
resulted in developing countries  losing  US$500  billion  a
year, ten times more the amount of foreign assistance to de-
veloping  countries.  Still there is more world concern over
the Human Freedom Index than the poverty and  starvation  in
the  South.    Democracy  and a multiparty system may be the
best political system but by themselves they will not reduce
the inequities prevailing nor automatically alleviate  human
sufferings.
Mr. Chairman,
20.  A New World Order needs to be more realistic and not be
dazzled  by  the  apparent victory of Western Democracy over
Communist dictatorship; the free market over  the  centrally
planned  economy;  absolute freedom over absolute authority.
There  is  no  perfect  system  that  can   overcome   human
imperfections.   What works in one country or region may not
work in another.  Imposition should not be the way to spread
the faith.  Conversion will only work if there  is  a  basic
understanding  on  the part of the majority of the people of
the workings of the new creed.
21.  A New World Order cannot be determined by the  few  and
forced  on  the many.  The few should by now have discovered
that their simple scenario of nations submitting  meekly  to
the  will  of  the  powerful is not correct.  Determined and
blatant disregard of the powerful can occur, especially when
the powerful is obviously concerned about  minimising  their
own casualties.
Mr. Chairman,
22.  Malaysia  has always actively supported the struggle of
the Palestinian people.  We view the latest development pos-
itively and hope that peace  negotiations  be  entered  into
with  sincerity  by  both sides.   No one can get everything
that they want.  But the rights of the Palestinians must  be
respected.
23.  In  South Africa, the Government must control their po-
lice and stop the carnage.   While there should  be  negoti-
ations  it is important that the Government exhibit palpable
sincerity.
Mr. Chairman,
24.  Our meeting here provides an opportunity to chart a new
course and direction to ensure an effective  and  meaningful
role for our Movement in the changing international environ-
ment.    In  this context, Malaysia supports the elements on
future steps to be taken identified by the  NAM  Ministerial
meeting  in Accra.  NAM needs to establish a code of conduct
and its  own  confidence-building  and  conflict  resolution
mechanism to reduce the chances of violent conflicts involv-
ing member states.
Mr. Chairman,
25.  Malaysia believes that in planning for NAM's future di-
rection,  some serious consideration must be given to tangi-
ble cooperation in non-political areas.
26.  One important area is economic  cooperation  and  trade
amongst the developing countries.  Malaysia is fully commit-
ted  to  the Non-Aligned Movement's Action Plan for Economic
Cooperation and the appeal made at the last Non-Aligned Sum-
mit for member countries to  assist  and  encourage  greater
South-South  cooperation.    The Group of 15 South countries
has laid the foundation for trade and  economic  cooperation
within  the South which should be of interest and benefit to
the other members of the Movement.  Member countries  could,
if  they  wish, avail themselves of the facilities developed
by the Group.  On our own or together, we need  to  get  our
houses  in  order.   Our people must gain from the fruits of
progress and stability even if  the  international  economic
environment  remains hostile.  We cannot blame everything on
outside factors.
Mr. Chairman,
27.  We must not subscribe to the view that our Movement  is
anachronistic.    Our Grouping is relevant but in a way that
is very different from the period of  the  Cold  War.    The
Unipolar  World  is fraught with threats and challenges.  To
deal with them we need to cling even more closely to one an-
other.  Without the option to defect to the other  side,  we
can expect less wooing but more threats.  Alone we will have
to  submit  one by one.  Together we may yet be able to sus-
tain our independence and integrity.   We must  decide  our-
selves  or  the  decision will be made for us by others.  We
cannot expect decisions made by others to favour us.
     I thank you Mr Chairman.