Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : LANGKAWI
Tarikh/Date : 02/12/97
Tajuk/Title : THE LIMA 1997 AEROSPACE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
"ASIA AND THE WORLD CENTURY:
PROSPECTS FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY"
1. I have been requested to speak on the topic of "Asia
and the World Century: Prospects for Peace, Progress and
Prosperity". I believe it is more correct for us to
refer to the coming 21st Century as the `world century'.
We are only three short years away from entering the new
millennium. Whether we are ready or not to cross the
threshold, none of us can delay the process. Time after
all waits for no man. Perhaps it is worthwhile if we
can give some thought and ponder upon the likely changes
that the next century will bring. If we care for our
future well-being, if we believe in the progress of
human civilisation, if indeed we believe in the goodness
of peace and the higher human values, then we should try
to understand the signs of our times, the possible
trends and the coming technologies and direct them in
the best interest of the world. We should always be
doing this of course but the beginning of a century, and
in this case the beginning of a new millennium, is more
appropriate than at any other time for us to launch a
new endeavour. And since the world today is more
interconnected and interdependent than at the beginning
of any century in the past, since communication of all
kinds is so good, we would be losing a unique
opportunity if we sail into the new century and
millennium without understanding and without a road-map
for our future.
2. I am no futurist but I must admit to being a
dreamer who believes in ideals. For that reason I think
we should work to make the 21st Century a century of the
world, a new world, a single Commonwealth of all
nations, which excludes no country or community, but
which includes all of humanity. This `new world
century' should be characterised by true `liberte,
egalite and fraternite', both at home and within the
comity of nations. It must consists of nations and
people who are responsible, productive, democratic as
well as able to show greater mutual respect,
appreciation, consideration and concern for the
interests and feelings of others. It will also be one
where great efforts are made by the rich to assist the
poor in the noble bid to enrich one and all. How can we
in the 21st century and the third millennium call ours a
civilisation if the rich enrich themselves while
impoverishing the already poor. Yet the end of the 20th
century and the second millennium is seeing just that
with no sign yet that it will be reversed. Still we
have three more years to retrieve the ideals of a more
humane civilisation.
3. I know that there are those who believe that
clashes between nations will be replaced by the clashes
of civilisations. It will be a sad day for humankind if
this really happens. Instead, what we should all work
towards is a fruitful co-existence of civilisations. We
have so much to gain if efforts are made to build a new
world civilisation which comprises the best that each
and every one of our civilisation has to offer. I am
referring to a world civilisation that is richly endowed
with the very best of cultures and value systems from
Asia, Europe, Africa -- of even the smallest of
community or tribe, making it a celebration of
civilisations. Given the rapid technological advances
we have made, particularly in the speed and ease of
transportation and in Information Technology,
geographical lines drawn on maps are virtually
`disappearing'. In an increasingly borderless world, no
country can be an island, no society can exclude
external influences and developments. Similarly, no
single nation or people or region can claim the right to
inherit the future, but rather all nations and peoples
should have the opportunity and freedom to shape their
own future.
4. Malaysia is a small vulnerable country and is not
in a position to shape the future of the world. So
pardon us if we dare to think of the world and the
future of mankind. But what I would like to do is to
debunk the idea of an `Asian Century'. And this is not
because of the current currency blight. We had said it
repeatedly before, that there would be no Asian century,
no Asian dominance, even though Asian values will remain
to enrich the world century, the celebration of
civilisation, that the world should embrace. The more
likely scenario to emerge would be new centres of
economic power. They would certainly not be all Asian.
There will be as there are now, European and American
powers -- each a match for any of the others. All of
these economic powerhouses -- be they in the West or
East -- will act as the locomotives of growth for the
rest of the world. As such, there should not be any
fear or gloating over the possibility of the 21st
Century becoming an Asian Century. We should downplay
this `Asian Century' obsession but promote the Century
of the World, where global interests take precedence
over the narrow aspirations of nations and continents,
race and colour and ideology. Nor should we gloat that
there would be no `Asian Century'. Rather we should be
relieved that no one would dominate the world of the
future.
5. By speaking out against "the Asian Century", it
does not mean that Asia does not have a vital role to
play. The Asian region, in particular the Asia-Pacific
region, is experiencing an unprecedented period of peace
and prosperity. There is also a growing trend and
inclination among regional states to enhance dialogue on
political cooperation and cooperation for peace and
coexistence. In addition, Asia is also considered to be
the most dynamic region of the world in terms of
economic growth, currency turmoil notwithstanding. The
Asia we know today is vastly different from what it was
at the beginning of the current century. Some of the
most dynamic economies on earth -- China, Taiwan, Korea,
and Japan -- were once ravaged by war and famine and we
bereft of essential technologies and skills. But over
the last quarter of this century, Asia has produced more
economic growth for more countries than any other region
in the history of mankind. I am confident this trend
will continue. Allow me to quote you some general
statistics. According to World Bank predictions, Asia,
in particular East Asia is expected to grow at over
seven percent annually until the year 2004. That's two
and a half times faster than the rest of the world. Even
if the vibrant economies of Korea, Japan and the South
East Asian nations experience some slow-down, this is
likely to be temporary. The huge potential of China and
India even if mildly stimulated would contribute an
enormous amount towards the generation of wealth for the
world. Furthermore, it is also forecast that by 2020,
four of the world's ten largest economies will be in
Asia, namely Japan, China, Korea and India. Over this
same period of time, Asia's share of world GDP is also
said to be able to expand to 35 percent as compared to
the current 28 percent.
6. I am aware that even as I am saying this, there are
many cynics out there who question and are waiting
expectantly for the Asian economies and more precisely
the Southeast Asian economies to stumble and fall, never
to recover or achieve the growth rates predicted. No
doubt, we are facing new challenges as a result of the
currency and market turbulence. This setback I must
insist, is only temporary and transient. I am confident,
given the general resilience of the ASEAN region and its
strong economic fundamentals, we will bounce back to
emerge stronger and more robust. We have never been
quitters. We are not going to be diverted from the
primacy of economics and our commitment to pragmatism.
7. In the Asian region, peace and economic development
are closely linked. We need a peaceful and secure
environment to enable our governments to focus upon
developing the economy. No nation can be expected to
fully concentrate upon developing its economy if it does
not feel secure. A secure climate is one where nations
are not acting defensively or looking over their
shoulders. Likewise, greater economic development which
will improve the standard of living of the people also
contributes to a lessening of tension and hostility,
particularly on the domestic front. History has amply
demonstrated that people who are prosperous desire
peace, for peace is essential to continued prosperity.
On the other hand poor countries do not value peace and
are prone to military adventures abroad, to deflect the
minds of their people by focusing their hatred on the
enemy and to acquire rich lands and subject peoples to
augment the little resources they have. But history has
also shown that conquests are no solution to domestic
problems. And so we should discard confrontation and
espouse peace and friendship between neighbours far and
near. And thus we will achieve prosperity which in turn
will give us a vested interest in maintaining peace.
8. What then does the future hold for Asia? One thing
for sure, Asia must be able to manage reform and deal
with changes in a borderless and more integrated world.
Domestic reforms, the need to strengthen regional
cooperation and friendship as well as to strive for a
more equal and productive new world order therefore
become essential for a successful Asia. We have done
well thus far but we cannot afford to rest. There is so
much more for us to do if we want to contribute to the
century of the world.
9. I believe Asia will continue to support and
implement the concept of open regionalism and
constructive engagement. We have also shown our
willingness to accept a borderless world where capital
moves unhindered between countries and regions. We have
liberalised and deregulated within our borders and
between borders and we are ready to accept a world
regime in which everyone has a say in shaping and
enforcing rules, regulations and laws. As much as we
believe in the rule of law within our borders, we think
the removal of national laws should not result in the
absence of the rule of law in the borderless world.
10. Today, in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia,
aggressive territorial acquisitions appear to be the
last thing on the minds of the leaders. Peace and good
neighbourliness seem to be the preferred creed. However,
this does not mean that we face no serious challenges.
Issues like drug trafficking and international criminal
activities, money laundering and white-collar crimes
pose real challenges which add to the complexity of
maintaining stability and peace. Furthermore, we must
also address the issue of poverty. There are at least
800 million people who are still living in abject
poverty in the Asia-Pacific region. Several hundred
millions are denied access to the basic necessities of
life -- food, clean water and air, shelter, education,
health and employment. The issue of poverty thus
becomes a major challenge, particularly in the domestic
arena. People who live in poverty often feel alienated,
leading to disenchantment with government and society.
Their protests and their violent reactions very often
retard the economic growth of their own countries and
render them incapable of overcoming the poverty which
the protests were supposed to draw attention to and to
remedy. The 21st Century will not be a World Century if
the rich of the world ignore the poverty of the poor and
the deprived. Certainly the rich of the world must not
be so avaricious as to impoverish the poor in order to
enrich themselves further. They must instead contribute
or even make sacrifices in order to ensure a more
equitable distribution of wealth. In doing so they will
ensure peace and prosperity for themselves and for
others.
11. Trade, world trade should generate the wealth that
will create prosperous nations and peoples. After the
collapse of the communist bloc there should be a
lessening of tension between nations. The need for arms
should be reduced as war on the world scale no longer
threatens us. Bush wars will erupt here and there,
However the weapons for such wars are not those of mass
destruction. No one should possess them or be allowed
to develop them. To avoid dominance by anyone, there
should be a truly functional international force, manned
by all nationals and lead by a mixed command.
12. Today a lot is being spent in the search for more
lethal conventional weapons. The costly development
results in a huge weapons market to help recover costs.
Countries are being persuaded to buy newer and more
costly weapons by creating a fear of potential enemies
and their hegemonistic tendencies.
13. If we believe in prosperity as the weapon against
war then we will not need the kind of weapons we are
producing and selling now. But we will need weapon
against criminals, pirates, drug smugglers, white slaves
and the like. We don't need to kill them. We need to
be able to paralyse them, to immobilise them from a
distance. Laser technology, blinding light, loud
explosions have all been invented and used effectively.
But surely more can be done, more research in non-lethal
but effective weapons for use in bushfire wars, for
neutralising lethal weapons in the hands of warring
parties or armed criminals, for exploding mines from a
distance and for self-protection.
14. A great new arms industry can be created but the
arms will be of the kind mentioned. We will hold
exhibition, to promote the sale of such weapons, of
aircrafts which fight fires and cause rain to fall, of
ways of creating clouds and moving them to the right
places, to render deserts fertile, to cool the
atmosphere, reduce humidity, cause snowfalls. New
weapons will attack storms and hurricanes, calm the
seas, generate power and tame volcanoes and other
natural catastrophes.
15. Fanciful perhaps. But who predicted the powerful
microchip, the lap-tops, the laser beams and others. No
one really. But they were discovered, harnessed and
developed.
16. I am a great believer in human ingenuity. The most
important thing is to identify and recognise the problem
or to set the objective. Then the concerned politicians
would allocate the necessary resources and in time the
solution or the weapon would be invented.
17. The next century should see a world bent on
creating and sharing wealth and resources for everyone.
It is an insult to civilisation that despite our
intelligence and resource there are so many who still
live in poverty and misery. We are still in the Dark
Ages. Many are still thinking of doing others in. Many
play the game of enriching themselves at the expense of
impoverishing others. And many use power in various
permutations in order to bludgeon others into
submission.
18. And yet if we accept the desirability of creating a
world century of Peace, Progress and Prosperity, if we
set our mind on achieving it, it is very much within our
means to succeed. It is the mindset that needs to be
changed. Humanity can do it if we want to do it.
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