Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR.
MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : NEW YORK, USA
Tarikh/Date : 29/09/99
Tajuk/Title : THE 54TH SESSION OF THE UNITED
NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Allow me, firstly, to congratulate you on your
election as the President of this 54th session of the
United Nations General Assembly. It gives me great
pleasure to see the international community honour both
you and your country through your election to this high
office. I am confident that given your vast experience
and diplomatic skills you will be able to steer the
proceedings of this Assembly to a successful
conclusion.
2. I join other speakers in expressing our gratitude
to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Didier Opertti
Baden, for the dedicated and effective manner in which
he had guided the work of the last session of the
General Assembly.
3. I would also like to take this opportunity to
commend the Secretary General for his great dedication
to the Organisation and the many contributions he has
made in the service of the international community.
4. Malaysia would also like to join other member
states in welcoming, most warmly, the Republics of
Kiribati and Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga as new
members of the United Nations and looks forward to
working closely with them, particularly on issues of
common interest to the Asia Pacific region from where
we come.
5. The 20th Century is coming to an end. Before we
enter the 21st Century it is useful to review the
events of the 20th Century so we may learn from our
experience and hopefully we will know how to conduct
the affairs of the 21st Century.
6. The 20th Century saw the most destructive wars
which destroyed billions of dollars of property and
killed millions of people. It saw the most inhuman
dictatorship in Germany where six million Jews were
tortured and killed. It witnessed the first nuclear
bombs that killed hundreds of thousands instantly and
many more due to the after effects.
7. When the greatest war in human history ended, this
august body, the United Nations was founded. We
thought there would be peace as the great powers work
together in the United Nations. But not so.
Immediately the victors divided themselves in two camps
and initiated the cold war. However it was the threat
of a hot war that kept the war cold. Each side built
huge arsenals of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons and
glared at each other across deep chasms of
misunderstanding as they threateningly fingered their
nuclear triggers.
8. For the colonies of European nations there was an
up-side. Fear of defections to the other side forced
the two camps to relax their grips on their colonial
territories. Countries gained independence but their
survival depends on their skills in playing the Western
bloc against the Eastern bloc.
9. Unfortunately this choice to defect to the other
side did not last. Suddenly the Communist side
collapsed. Lured by the apparent wealth of the Western
free-market liberal democracies, the Eastern bloc
jettisoned their authoritarian centrally planned
economies and adopted the liberal democratic free
market overnight. They thought that since they now
have a similar system as the Western bloc they would
get the friendship, cooperation and help from the
Western countries. They were na.ve enough to think
that after seventy years of command economy and
dictatorship they could overnight switch to the free
market economy under the liberal democratic system.
They soon found out that they knew nothing about how to
make the system work and that they would get no help
from the Western nations. Instead the Western nations
saw in their incompetent floundering an opportunity to
destroy the Eastern bloc, in particular the principal
flag-bearer, forever.
10. Even as the inability to manage a free market
resulted in galloping inflation, destruction of state
enterprises and massive unemployment, the hedge funds
and the Western financial institutions moved in to
devalue the currencies and make debt defaulters of this
once powerful enemy. Despite knowing that these people
could not manage a free market liberal democracy at
all, they were nevertheless urged and threatened into
continuing anyhow. There was no going back for the
Eastern bloc countries.
11. The destruction of the Eastern bloc was complete.
It could never again militarily challenge the Western
liberal democratic free marketeers. Now there would be
only one choice for the world and no defection would be
possible for the countries of the world, big or small.
With this the liberal democratic free market capitalist
see no more need to be gentle in spreading their
systems or in profiting from them. No one would be
allowed any other political or economic system except
what is prescribed by the sole dominant bloc. The true
ugliness of Western capitalism revealed itself, backed
by the military might of capitalism's greatest
proponent.
12. For the small countries the demise of the Eastern
bloc is a major disaster. Now they are exposed to
pressures which they cannot resist. And very quickly
they learnt that the free marketeers intend to milk
them dry. As for their politics, the instability of
the liberal democratic system that comes with a lack of
understanding of its intricacies by the leaders as well
as the people, meant that they would stay in a state of
continuous turmoil, verging on anarchy.
13. A few countries apparently managed to grow and
prosper. But not for long. The currency manipulators
and short-term investors of the rich soon impoverished
these countries through devaluing their currencies and
share prices. Impoverished and politically unstable
they were forced to borrow from the IMF. Whether by
design or through sheer lack of understanding the
economic regime imposed by the IMF destroyed their
economies further. Soon their political freedom was
also subverted and many had to accept political
direction by the IMF or the loans would not be made
available. For practical purposes there was no
independence.
14. And so for the small independent countries of the
world the future looks bleak. They are now being told
that the world should be borderless, that capital,
goods and services should flow freely between
countries. There should be no discriminatory taxes to
protect local industries or products. Local banks,
industries and products must compete on the same
footing as imported products and their banks and
industries must compete with foreign banks and
industries set up in their countries. No conditions
must be attached to foreign banks and businesses which
want to set up operations in their countries. They
must have national status like those given to local
businesses. This way it is said, a level playing field
will be created and competition will be fair.
15. But can competitions between giants and dwarfs be
fair even if the playing field is level. The giant
banks, corporations and industries from the rich
countries with huge local markets can afford to lose
money in a small foreign country when they make huge
profits at home and elsewhere. The small businesses in
the small countries will go bankrupt if they lose money
repeatedly. In the end they will have to sell to the
giant foreign companies or close down altogether.
16. There will be no more big local companies. There
will only be branches of large foreign companies who
will indulge in transfer pricing, and will repatriate
most of their profits.
17. The efficient giants may produce better and
cheaper goods but if a country does not export its own
products to earn foreign exchange it will not be able
to pay for imports. Cheap high quality goods mean
nothing if you have no money to pay for them. The
markets of the poor countries may not be big but
impoverishing them would result in lost sales for the
rich.
18. That was what happened when the currency traders
impoverished the countries they attacked. These
countries could not buy the products of the rich i.e.
the rich lost their markets and world trade contracted.
19. Free unrestricted flow of goods and services
across borders may be good for a while. But eventually
it will destroy markets and result in contraction of
world trade. The world would actually become poorer
because of free trade.
20. After the last World War, the confrontation
between East and West lead to most of the colonies
being liberated and becoming independent countries.
Being independent meant the right to govern their
countries themselves. Unaccustomed to wielding so much
power many of these Governments failed. They became
hopelessly indebted to the banks of the rich countries.
Their people suffered from incompetent and frequently
oppressive rule.
21. But the principle that prevailed in the third
quarter of the 20th Century was that no one should
interfere in the internal affairs of a nation. That in
fact was the essence of independence. As long as the
world was divided into Eastern and Western blocs this
principle was respected.
22. But then a President decided that his country had
a right and a duty to oversee that human rights are not
abused anywhere in the world irrespective of borders
and the independence of nations. No one conferred this
right on this crusading President. But small things
like that was not going to stop him.
23. The claimed victory of the West in the Gulf War
was regarded as a moral endorsement of the right of the
powerful to interference in any country's internal
affairs. Soon it was not just human rights. Systems
of Government and the administration of justice, of the
financial and commercial systems came under the
scrutiny of the powerful countries. They insist that
there must be only one way of administering a country
and that is the liberal democratic way. They insist
that there can be only one economic system for the
whole world and that is the free market system. They
insist that there must be openness in everything;
transparency, separation of the private from public
sectors, non-discrimination between ethnic groups and
no discrimination against foreigners in favour of
nationals.
24. All these and more sound very good. They have
apparently worked for the developed countries of the
West, making them rich and powerful countries, giving
their people high standards of living. But will they
work for everyone?
25. They seem to have forgotten that they took
centuries to make their system work. Their transition
from feudal oppressive rule was bathed copiously in
blood. Both rich and poor were massacred as reforms
were forced by a succession of uncaring tyrants, many
elected by the people. Even today their system has not
brought about freedom and equity to large segments of
their people. Yet they insist that all the countries
of the world, new or old, must immediately adopt the
only system of Government, their system, their liberal
democratic system.
26. The newly independent countries which knew only
the authoritarian system of Government cannot but fail.
The former Communist countries in particular found
themselves unable to cope with the destabilising
challenges directed at Government authority in a
liberal democracy.
27. But the new countries are not going to be allowed
time to learn and operate the system. They must change
now, immediately. If their countries are destabilised,
if their people suffer, if they regress economically,
these are irrelevant. The important thing is that they
must democratise and liberalise. If they fail to do so
they would be forced to do so through arm-twisting,
trade sanctions and military action if necessary. That
these measures are more oppressive than those of the
disapproved regimes and systems do not matter. That
adoption of the approved system would destabilise the
countries further, and cause further suffering -- all
these do not matter because the most important thing is
the adoption of the system, not the benefit to be
derived from it.
28. It is the same with economic management. There
must be liberalisation and deregulation. The
Government should not help the business sector, should
not give them any protection. If they are attacked by
outside forces, fairly or unfairly, and they lose, then
let them die. They must be inefficient if they lose,
and the world has no time or sympathy for inefficient
losers.
29. And so giant currency traders, their funds
leveraged a hundred times or more, are pitted against
Central Banks with limited reserves and without
leveraging rights. The economies of whole countries
and regions are destroyed but the cries for protection
by these countries are ignored. The fields are level
and the free movements of capital are a part of the
sacred free trade. Everyone must accept whatever
happens because it is free trade. All the currency
traders are doing is to discipline Governments, so that
they conform to the system and do away with their bad
old ways.
30. In a financial crisis Governments may not help
businesses to recover. To do that means a bailout of
cronies. Let them die. Let there be blood. Only then
will Governments be considered as serious in wanting to
reform their systems, to adopt best practices, world
standards and the only proper way to administer the
economy. If the Government becomes bankrupt in trying
to do this, that is alright. The important thing is to
do things correctly even if the country is destroyed,
the people starved to death, anarchy reigns, and
Government collapses.
31. There is a touching concern on the part of the
West over human rights. But the definition of human
rights seem limited to an individual's right of dissent
against the Government. Millions of people in a
country will be made to suffer through sanctions and
even bombings in order that a few dissenters may enjoy
their rights of dissent. Apparently the rest of the
population, hundreds of millions of them sometimes,
have no rights. Their rights are not considered human.
Thus the deprivation of the right to work for millions
resulting from currency trading is not considered as
violation of human rights. In the Western perception
only individuals have rights, the masses do not.
32. The concern over child labour and sweat shop
factories is expressive of a sense of caring.
Unfortunately the concern is only shown when the
products of child labour and sweat shops compete
successfully with the products of highly paid high
living four-day week workers in the developed
countries.
33. Child labour and sweat shops are not something
which anyone would defend but consider the extreme
poverty of the people in some countries. They have no
capital, no technology or expertise, no markets at
home, no Harvard-trained managers. All they have is
low cost labour. For the workers the tiny wages that
they earn is far better than starvation and death. If
we really care, then invest and pay high wages and the
sweat shops will disappear and adults will earn enough
to feed their children. Forcing them to stop child
labour and sweat shops will only cause more sufferings
for their people. Telling them to stop producing
children is not a solution either. We know that the
poor have a higher birth rate than the rich. To stop
the population explosion which the West is worried
about, enrich these people. Stopping their sweat shops
and children from working will only impoverish them
further and cause them to have more children.
34. With the end of East West confrontation, conflicts
have increased instead of decreased. The Palestinian
problem is still not resolved, but the sanctions and
bombing of Iraq, sanctions against Libya, the conflicts
resulting from the break-up of the Soviet Union, and
the stirring up of unrest and rebellions or near
rebellions by open supports for insurrection go on.
Before it was the Communists who stirred up rebellion
everywhere including in Malaysia, now we have the
Liberal democrats doing exactly the same in the same
manner, complete with supply of arms. Whether it is a
Communist or a Liberal democratic insurrection the
people suffer not one bit less.
35. The United Nations seems helpless. Indeed it is
often bypassed by the big and the powerful. Now
groupings of powerful nations or even one nation by
itself seems to decide when to step in and when to step
out. While they like to wield power, they are
inordinately unwilling to pay the price. Tele-wars are
conducted using high technology such as the so-called
pinpoint bombings in order to avoid the body bags from
coming home. This unwillingness to face the enemy
often results in unnecessary killing of innocent people
and destruction of wrong targets.
36. Unfortunately no one should expect any change for
as long as the United Nations belongs to the Permanent
Five. The structure of the United Nations will
continue to reflect the glorious victory of these
nations fifty years ago. For the small countries
yearly speeches and various anniversary speeches will
be allowed. Occasionally there will be membership of
the Security Council. But despite three at least of
the Permanent Five being vociferous advocates of
democracy there will be no democracy in the United
Nations. The only saving grace are the agencies and
their good work.
37. Unfortunately some in the United Nations have
rather unusual principles. Normally in order to study,
report and pass an opinion or judgement on something a
neutral or unbiased person would be chosen. But the
United Nations chose a person well-known for his
virulent attacks against the Malaysian judiciary to
report on that institution.
38. The United Nations then confers on him total
immunity against the laws of his country without
reference to or consent of the country. This immunity
apparently extends beyond his task of reporting his
findings to the United Nations. He may publish his
opinions, defame people and the subject of his study
anywhere and everywhere.
39. Is there no limit to a United Nations
Commissioners' immunity.
40. We are told that Governments must not interfere
with the judiciary. Yet in this case the Government is
expected to instruct the judiciary not to act against
this United Nations Commissioner for breaking the laws
of the country.
41. I am not blaming the Secretary General for this.
It is the peculiar system and principles which guide
the choice of the United Nations Commissioner that I
find unacceptable. Nor do I think it proper to hint at
dire consequences for the Malaysian nation if this man
is not freed from court action for open contempt and
defamation. There is something not right here which
the United Nations needs to look into.
42. But small countries lack a public forum to air
their views freely. The Western media distorts
everything that they say or do. Again we are expected
to give immunity to western journalists. They may
break our laws but no legal action may be taken against
them. I would like to point out that in Malaysia even
the King and the hereditary Sultans are not above the
law.
43. This then is the scenario in the last quarter of
the 20th Century. We will carry this baggage into the
21st Century and the new millennium. For the poor and
the weak, for the aspiring tigers and dragons of Asia,
the 21st Century does not look very promising.
Everything will continue to be cooked in the West.
Just as Communism and Socialism came from the West,
liberal democracy, globalisation, a borderless world,
deregulation, unfettered free flows of capital and
their flights to quality, the disciplining of
Governments by the market and by currency traders and a
host of other ideas all come from the West. And what
is from the West is universal. Other values and
cultures are superfluous and unnecessary. If they
remain there will be a clash of civilisation. To avoid
this there should be only one civilisation in the
world. Everything should be standardised according to
Western best practices. They may change only if the
West change.
44. Thus the Globalised world will be totally uniform.
Variety is equal to being intransigent and must
therefore be eliminated.
45. Malaysia has just gone through a very traumatic
experience. In a matter of weeks 42 years of hard work
to develop the country was destroyed, in particular the
affirmative action to reduce the enemity between the
races in Malaysia.
46. We have devised our own formula for recovery.
With the blessings of Allah we have now turned around
and we are on the road to recovery. But we are being
pressured to abandon our currency control. We do not
understand. It has done us a lot of good. It has done
no harm to anybody except a few thousand rich currency
manipulators. Foreigners doing real business in our
country have profited much from the so-called controls.
But we are still being urged to conform to an
international financial system which has enabled the
unscrupulous to destroy the wealth of many nations.
47. No serious attempt is being made to change the
International Financial System. So far there is only
talk about intention. But the threat of financial,
economic and political destabilisation remains.
48. Malaysia only wishes to be allowed to manage
things in its own way in the interest of its own
people. We will not harm others. We are not turning
our backs to the world. We have always cooperated with
the rest of the world, in particular with the United
Nations. We will continue to do our bit for world
peace. As much as we accept criticisms, warranted and
unwarranted, we hope others will also tolerate our
criticisms of them. Free speech would be meaningless
if criticisms can only be directed at the poor and the
weak, but never at the rich and powerful. In
criticising others we are only exercising our right to
freedom of expression.
49. We are not too enchanted by the prospects we
foresee in the next century. But I can assure you that
we will be a responsible nation, friendly towards all
who are friendly towards us and harbouring no bad
intentions towards anyone.
50. I thank you Mr. President.
|
|