Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Tarikh/Date : 11/03/95
Tajuk/Title : THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD SUMMIT FOR
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
On behalf of the Malaysian delegation, I wish to convey
our deep appreciation to you and through you the Government
and people of Denmark for the warm hospitality and the
excellent arrangements made.
2. I also wish to acknowledge the important role played by
Ambassador Juan Somavia of Chile in his capacity as Chairman
of the Preparatory Committee.
3. Although the 50 year-old Charter of the United Nations
begins with the words "We the peoples of the United
Nations....", this is, arguably, the first time that we meet
at this level to discuss the common people and their
problems; their social development. That it has taken us 50
years to do this is a measure of our commitment to the lot
of the common people and an illustration of the failure of
multilateral efforts, derailed for over 5 decades by the
ideological battles of the Cold War. That confrontation,
usually on someone else's soil, has undermined most of the
social action plans of the UN agencies. International
development efforts became predicated on the degree of
support that developing countries gave to either of the two
superpowers. Our regions became cockpits for superpower
manipulations and their fields of battle. The developing
countries and their people become mere marionettes.
4. The wreckages, the pain suffered and the injustices
inflicted, have left many of these countries crippled,
incapable of making the necessary adjustments to meet
present and future challenges. Afghanistan, Somalia and
many others are among the countries that have been
pulverised; their infrastructure obliterated, their people
in total disarray. The marginalisation process continues
even now, despite strides in science and technology.
5. As for the peoples of the world, the vast majority have
suffered not only deprivation, but more importantly, loss of
human dignity. We are looking at over one billion people
caught in a spiral of abject poverty that relegates them
permanently to the status of subspecies. The United Nations
is faced with an enormous outflow of some 19.7 million
international refugees. Admittedly, migration is a
nightmare for the developed countries but migrations also
cause severe dislocations and drain the developing countries
of essential human resources. It does not help that the
developed countries discriminatingly welcome the skilled and
the educated.
6. Even as the international community takes the first
fateful steps into the next millennium, we cannot but be
troubled by the emergence of "failed states" in the wake of
the break-up and breakdown of nations. The magic of the
midnight hour at the moment of independence cannot be
sustained. Countries stumble and retrogress and the
people's expectations remain largely unfulfilled;
paradoxically, at a time of qualitative scientific and
technological advances which should have benefitted the
needy the most.
7. Even among the developed countries, elements of a
failed state can be detected. Contradictions and
polarisations have surfaced which reflect possible flaws in
the national direction. We see serious poverty,
homelessness and joblessness, and rampant crime and drugs in
pockets of these societies, even in the most advanced
countries. For these countries lessons too need to be
learnt; change and adjustments should apply to them as well,
especially those relating to unbridled and unsustainable
high incomes and consumption, and the breakdown and decline
in the moral values of their society. These countries,
supposedly locomotives of world growth and paragons of
standards, would do well to effect these changes instead of
seeking to hold the high ground and preach to others.
8. We also see aspects of racism and ethnic challenges in
these states. Economic decline, malaise in society have in
some cases dried up the humanitarian outlooks of the past.
Targets internationally agreed, such as the 0.7% for ODA,
reiterated at the Summit in Rio in 1992, have been largely
forgotten. There is diminishing tolerance coupled with a
rigid insistence on homogeneity with one group and one set
of values. There was, for instance, a national convulsion
over the wearing of a head scarf to school in Europe
recently. The implications are disturbing. The future of
humankind must point towards globalism, pluralism and
multi-culturalism, not exclusivity of regions and blocs and
the superiority of one set of values.
9. We remain utterly helpless as the bestialities in
Bosnia and in Rwanda are committed. All of the political
will of Europe could not save the thousands sacrificed in
Bosnia. Chechnya is a domestic affair. However, Tian An
Men is not. All of the machinery of the United Nations
could not respond to and prevent the slaughter in Rwanda.
Indeed, the first reaction was to retreat from danger to
self.
10. Since the end of the Cold War, the international
community has arrived at many crossroads and defining
moments but we have fallen short in our collective response
almost every time. We move from one major conference to
another, pronouncing with lofty intention global action
programmes but we have never satisfactorily made available
the means of implementation. We seem to grope and to muddle
through to give meaning to global interconnectedness but we
find ourselves being only rhetorical, never quite able to
distinguish between self-interest and the care and
well-being of humankind and the welfare of the planet.
11. In the last few years, the concept of development has
changed from one of synthetic economic targets to that of
real economic gains, securing human needs and the
optimisation of the human person at the centre of
development. Obviously, the free market and selective human
rights alone will not do the job. Unfortunately the failure
of Communism and Fabian Socialism has not taught any
lesson. Despite the weaknesses of capitalism and the free
market, only one western modal is permitted. The obvious
failures of the so-called locomotives of growth are not
acknowledged. At the same time the sucessful economies of
Asia and Latin America are not regarded as potential
locomotives. Instead the high growth in these areas is
regarded as a threat to the industrial North. It seems to
be the agreed policy to categorise them and then put
impediments in their way.
12. The developing world must not continue to be looked
upon as a bottomless pit, meant for wasted western handouts
and welfare programmes. The developing world needs to be
given its righful place as much as the composition of the
Group of Seven should be regarded as seriously
anachronistic. All these require major changes in political
perceptions. Also, the United Nations should cease from
continuing to be a place to discipline the developing world
on the basis of a western model that "one size fits all".
13. At the heart of development lies the issue of
governments and society. Certainly, if governments
continuously fail to deliver, they should exit. The issue
of governance and accountability, renewed by fresh mandates
through the democratic process, applies to all, not just the
developing countries. Empowerment must take into account
the vulnerable groups, women and minorities that exist in
all societies. In this area much progress has been made
among the developing world. The days of the demigod leader
are largely over.
14. In South East Asia where change has been effectively
managed, much has been taken stock of. The obvious mistakes
of the West will not be repeated. The relevance of
Government and a focussed national purpose through a
supportive society remains the prerequisite for development.
We have left the socialistic concepts of the welfare state
for a workdriven, fully participative society.
15. For Malaysia, growth will be tempered with equity and
social responsibility. While we try to harness the positive
elements of globalisation, where swift movements of capital,
technology and markets often outpace governments, we remain
committed towards narrowing income and opportunity
disparities. I am confident we shall achieve our targets of
qualitative growth and the amelioration of every Malaysian
as a composite resource in a matrix of pluralism and
multi-culturalism.
16. While in the first 25 years of independance the
Malaysian Government has been the major actor in the
exercise to restructure society, the private sector has not
only been involved in the restructuring process of our
society, but has been tasked with the creation of
opportunities for economic growth in order to achieve the
nation's objective to become an economically developed
nation by the year 2020.
17. We are determined to develop the nation in our own
mould along all dimensions; economically, socially,
politically, spiritually, psychologically and culturally.
The vision is for a Malaysian society that is democratic,
tolerant and caring, economically just and equitable,
progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an
economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.
18. While we and our neighbours try to make socio-economic
progress, we cannot but lament the external impediments
which threaten to derail us. We are concerned about
pressures and other means by some in the North to erode our
limited comparative advantages, particular labour and
natural resources. The North had exploited fully these very
same assets in their own countries and in ours when they
ruled us. Now they seek to stifle our growth by involving
human rights, the social clause and environmental
conditionalities. Did they care for these things when they
were at our stage of development?
19. I give my commitment, speaking on behalf of my people
and country, that Malaysia will support the decisions and
programmes of Copenhagen. I hope Copenhagen will not be
Rio. It should not merely be remembered for the declaration
or the plan of action. Copenhagen should be recalled for
being the starting point of a new determination to sincerely
put into effect the programme to meet the needs and
aspirations of people, the focus of our decision.
Thank you Mr. Chairman
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