Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : NEW DELHI, INDIA
Tarikh/Date : 20/12/96
Tajuk/Title : THE OCCASION OF THE CONFERMENT OF
THE JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AWARD FOR
INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING FOR 1994
1. It is a great honour and privilege for me to be
here today to accept this prestigious Award that the
Government and people of India have conferred upon
me. This is a proud moment that I will long cherish
and treasure. As I looked at the distinguished
names of those who have been honoured before me, I
am apprehensive at the thought of living up to the
high expectations that this Award represents. It is
even more daunting when this Award is given in the
name of a great leader, philosopher and statesman,
such as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In accepting the
Award, I will endeavour to pursue and promote the
ideals associated with this outstanding Statesman.
2. Jawaharlal Nehru, an illustrious son of India,
was no stranger to my part of the world. His
philosophy and ideals inspired and moulded the
thinking of many leaders of the time. His vision of
freedom and the well-being of nations inculcated a
sense of pride and dignity among mankind that paved
the way for the birth of nationalism in Asia. His
determination to carry India into the modern age of
scientific discovery and technological development
is still being emulated by many of us in Asia. His
courage to inculcate and impart modern values and
culture, five decades ago, in an environment steeped
in traditions and conservatism, is still being
fought for by many of us.
3. Most of all, Nehru lived and fought for an end
to colonialism, for freedom and for equality of
mankind, for mutual respect and the sovereignty of
nations, non-interference in the internal affairs
and for peaceful co-existence among nations. His
ideals and philosophy inspired millions beyond the
shores of India to struggle to free themselves from
the clutches of colonialism and imperialism.
4. Five decades have now passed. We are now free
from the stranglehold of the old colonialism and we
are free to shape our own destiny. However, as we
intensify our efforts to develop our economy and
bring prosperity to our people, we are continuously
hampered by new obstacles that restrict our march
towards progress and economic advancement. Today,
we, in what Nehru termed as the Third World, are
still faced with deliberate obstacles thrown in the
way of our progress and our advancement towards
higher socio-economic status. New issues are
constantly being introduced to keep us as dependent
as we were when we were colonies. Thus the few
competitive advantages that we have are being
assailed while the major advantages that the
developed countries have, such as patent rights,
know-how, capital, huge domestic markets, etc may
not be touched at all. And we are now told that the
little protection that we accord our own industries
must be removed in the name of free and borderless
trade.
5. Environment conditionalities are being used as
a weapon to deprive developing countries from
exploiting their natural resources. Yet in my
country at least huge tracts of forests were cleared
during the colonial days in order to plant rubber
and mine for tin. We have since independence been
much more careful in extracting timber from our
forests. Today, fully 50 percent of Malaysia is
still forested while another 20 percent is covered
with tree plantations. Yet our people are being told
to remain primitive, hunting with blowpipes, because
that is our way of life and we must stay with it.
When Sukarno, a contemporary of Pandit Nehru, coined
the word Neo-colonialism, we thought he was being
rhetorical. Now we know he knew better. What we
are experiencing now is indeed a new form of
colonialism, more insidious than open colonialism.
6. We have not seen the end. As the developing
countries continue to progress and increase their
share in world trade, there will be more hurdles,
rules and conditions to frustrate and prevent us
from achieving our goals. We can no longer depend
on the generosity and goodwill of the more advanced
members of the international community to solve our
problems and assist us in our economic development.
The developing countries themselves need to unite
and speak with one voice to secure our place in the
global market.
7. We shall continue our relations with the North,
but we should ensure that we are not dominated by
them or be too dependent on them. For this there is
a need for the countries of the South to work
together. If it is worthwhile for the North to
trade and invest in the South, then the South must
have something worthwhile to offer. It is time that
we in the South look at each other and identify
areas for cooperation and trade. Once, there were
many things which only the North were capable of.
But now we in the South have acquired much of this
capacity. And these include trade and investments.
It is time that we look towards the South in our
quest for new trade and investments. Surely there
must be room in the South for both the North and the
South.
8. The Group of 15 countries of the South has now
been established. In the short time of its
existence there has been a greater flow of
information between them and between other
developing countries. This is important because
lack of information about each other's resources and
capabilities was what prevented us from interacting
economically with each other. Now we are seeing
more trade and investment between the countries of
the South than ever before. They are still small
but a beginning has been made. There can be no
doubt that with better knowledge of each other,
better communication, shipping and flights, trade
and investment between the countries of the South
will increase. We should not be deterred by the
slow progress. There can be no doubt that if we
persevere trade and investments between the
countries of the South will become a part of our
economic scene. Then we would become less dependent
on the North. We would add more meaning to our
freedom and independence.
9. Pandit Nehru, the teacher, taught us that
cooperation among mankind and nations is essential
to peace and harmony and that a world of haves and
have-nots will never be at peace with itself. It is
imperative that developing countries intensify
cooperation among ourselves. We should concentrate
and build on our similarities and complementarities
rather than highlight our differences and divisions.
We should be more forthcoming in sharing our
expertise and technological know-how rather than
harp on our inadequacies. We should provide
opportunities and facilities for the development and
promotion of trade and investment so as to create a
real bridge to effective and productive cooperation
among us. Most of all, we must stand together to
articulate our concerns and exercise our rights to a
fair and just trading environment. For only when we
achieve economic strength can we be truly
independent.
10. Pandit Nehru could not have done more. He
instilled pride and dignity to our struggle for
freedom and taught us that cooperation is the key to
peace and prosperity. He inspired the developing
countries to unite into a cohesive third force to
protect and project their interests in the
international arena and he devoted his life to the
cause of world peace and understanding. Indeed, it
is through his tireless efforts that the voice of
the developing countries like Malaysia and India are
today heard and given due cognizance. The
institution of the Non-Aligned Movement of which
India was a founding member, is instrumental in
voicing and advancing the interests of developing
countries. This is but one lasting legacy of
Nehru's many achievements.
11. `The Teacher' has laid a firm foundation for us
to build on. Let us honour his memory by working
together for a better future for our peoples and for
all mankind.
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