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Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR.
MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA
Tarikh/Date : 28/07/98
Tajuk/Title : THE SECOND SOUTHERN AFRICA
INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON
SMART PARTNERSHIP
At the first Southern Africa International Dialogue,
I spoke of globalisation, its inevitability and its
challenges. I spoke of the possible social and economic
injustice that can result from unfettered globalisation
where the interest of the strongest reigns supreme.
Finally, I spoke of the need for developing nations to
present a united front and to form smart partnerships to
face these challenges. This need has become very acute
for the developing world is now under siege.
2. When I said all those things at the first Southern
Africa International Dialogue I had no inkling of the
economic catastrophe that was soon to befall my country
and the other countries of prosperous dynamic Southeast
Asia. I had every faith in the milk of human kindness,
in the belief that in this day and age the exploitation
of the poor by the rich is a thing of the past and our
modern civilisation would not allow it to come back. Now
I know otherwise.
3. I am not a racist nor am I anti-white or anti-
European but I cannot help but notice that ethnic
Europeans have an infinite capacity to convince
themselves that whatever it is they may be doing at the
moment is right, is proper, is just. Thus when they were
colonising us, exploiting our wealth in Asia, Africa and
the Americas, even warring and killing us, they were able
to convince themselves that it was a burden imposed on
them by God, a cross that they must bear for what they
were doing was to civilise the natives and to bring
culture and religions to them. They called it the White
Man's burden. If in the process the natives were
oppressed it was incidental and quite unavoidable.
4. In their own countries their capitalists exploited
the working classes. They believed it was right because
they were using their capital and their industries to
create jobs for the miserably poor. The working classes
knew no better. Left to themselves they would starve or
resort to crimes.
5. Their working classes revolted, and influenced by
economic and political theories, they adopted Socialist
and Communist ideologies. Again they were convinced
completely of the justice and the righteousness of their
ideologies. And being convinced they were prepared to
fight and kill in order to achieve their objectives. The
hated Capitalists were exterminated in order to set up
Communist republics of the workers. Elsewhere the
Socialists banded together, initiated strikes, disrupted
the Capitalist economies, set up workers and Socialist
parties and grabbed power. In Germany the infamous
Nazis, or National Socialist, used terrorism in order to
seize power and set up a dictatorship, completely
convinced that Aryan domination of the world was their
destiny.
6. The Communist and the Socialists were absolutely
convinced that they had the formula for human salvation.
What could be more fair and just than to give everyone an
equal share of the wealth of the nation? If in the
course of doing so people were killed or oppressed or
otherwise terrorised, that could not be helped. The main
thing was that their way and objectives were right.
7. And so country after country were forced in one way
or another to choose between socialism or Communism or
Capitalism, all of which were perfect and God-given.
Millions were killed in the process, wealth was
destroyed, whole populations were enslaved, all because a
minority was convinced of the superiority of the
ideologies they believed in and the ultimate heaven for
the people which they were going to create.
8. When they could not conquer they subverted the
people by spreading their ideology. Even as the
Capitalists ruled their colonies with an iron hand, the
Communists and the Socialists promoted the supremacy of
the state and its need to own all the means of production
in order to spread the wealth of the nation. And many of
us were convinced. In the early years of our
independence we nationalised everything, frequently
seizing the properties and enterprises of the rich. Then
we messed up everything with our inexperience and our
wealth was destroyed. Far from becoming rich
egalitarian states, we became poor and indebted to
foreign agencies and banks. Soon we were working merely
to service these loans.
9. In the meantime the Communists and the Socialists
of Europe were having second thoughts. After 70 years
they finally decided their Socialism and Communism did
not deliver the promises that they had made. Having
convinced themselves that these ideologies were wrong
they abandoned them. And the poor Asian and African
countries which had been converted to Socialism and
Communism were left stranded with massive poverty, huge
debts and Governments which were not only inefficient but
oppressive.
10. While the Communists and the Socialists were gaining
ground in Europe, the Capitalists were making judicious
adjustments in order to survive. They curbed their greed
and put on a friendlier face. They accommodated their
workers, allowing them to unionise, to strike and to form
political parties. They increased the pay packets and
the social benefits. They renamed capitalism 'market
economies'. And so they not only survived but they
prospered as well.
11. The collapse of the Communist bloc deprived the poor
countries of the option to defect to the other side. Now
there is only capitalism. The need for a friendly face
for capitalism is no longer there. And so capitalism,
baleful unmitigated capitalism is free to do what it
likes.
12. But their countries have become too small for the
capitalists and the huge capital they had amassed or
invented. They need a bigger arena. They need the world
for the maximum deployment of their capital. Borders
which divide countries are barriers to their
acquisitiveness and unlimited greed.
13. And so borders must be done away with. Why should
there be borders in a world of instant communication and
high-speed travel? There must be just one world for
capital to operate in. Capital must be free to go
anywhere regardless of borders.
14. Again the justification for this convinced them.
Capital would enrich the poor countries through
investments and financial skills. Best of all capital
would enable the best goods and services to be
universally available at the lowest cost. The efficiency
of the developed world would flow into the developing
world, to create a better and richer society.
15. The developed ethnic-European countries were
convinced that they were actually doing the developing
Asian and African countries a favour. It was the white
man's burden all over again, only this time no gunboats.
Money does a better job.
16. Malaysia and the countries of East Asia had
developed fast after gaining independence. Instead of
accepting wholesale the system and the ideologies of the
West we had devised our own system and maintained what we
consider our Asian values. We accept democracy, but not
the liberal democracy of the West. We are relatively
open.
17. Our Governments may not be the cleanest and the most
incorruptible in the world, but we do care for our people
and our country enough to work hard to develop and to
progress, to industrialise and to build prosperous
economies. In less than half a century we had converted
our agrarian nations of poor peasants into fairly
sophisticated industrialised economies. Our people were
reasonably well-off, were employed and our poverty was
reduced to a bare minimum. We believed that we could
eventually join the privileged group of developed
countries.
18. Then suddenly came disaster, not due to any natural
catastrophe, not due to our doing something different,
not revolution or civil war or invasion by our
neighbours. The disaster that came was in the simple
form of currency devaluation against the US Dollar. The
result was to impoverish us. Malaysia had a per capita
income of US$5000 before. A 70 per cent devaluation
reduced the per capita to US$1500. The per capita and
the GDP of some other countries of East Asia are even
worse.
19. But the currency is not the only target for attacks.
The share markets are also attacked. Share prices
tumbled, in some cases by 90 percent, rendering companies
incapable of paying debts or operating normally. Profits
were greatly reduced or losses sustained.
20. The Governments which depended on corporate taxes to
finance administration and development are finding
themselves bereft of funds. Social and political unrest
explode and Governments either become ineffective or are
overthrown.
21. We are told that all these things are happening
because our Governments are corrupt and our countries are
badly run. Considering that we have been able to develop
and prosper our countries remarkably well, this
accusation seems strange. If we were badly run, surely
we would not have prospered, surely we would have
suffered devaluation long ago.
22. But the Western media insisted again and again that
the economic turmoil we are experiencing is our own
doing. We are told it is no good blaming others. We,
our Governments are to be blamed for we are not
transparent, we practise crony-capitalism and nepotism.
Now market forces have come to discipline us, to teach us
how to run our countries properly.
23. Who are the market forces? Certainly they are not
the locals. These market forces are foreign, located in
some countries where they cannot be seen. Taking
advantage of their ability to breach borders with their
capital, they are able to devalue currencies at will. And
when our currencies are devalued we will of course
suffer. But how else can you discipline people if you
don't make them suffer?
24. Today tens of millions of workers have lost their
jobs, thousands of companies have been bankrupted, banks
and finance companies have closed down taking with them
the deposits of their clients. Today millions of people
are without food and medicine. Today Governments are
unable to function, much less to help the suffering
masses. Today shops are looted, people are raped and
killed. And all these things and more are happening
because our Governments have to be disciplined, to be
forced to become transparent, to remove obstruction to
the free flow of foreign capital, to the purchase and
control by foreigners of national banks and businesses.
25. We are told that this is how the globalised world
functions. The media tells us this and tells us that
this turmoil, all this impoverisation of our people and
our countries, is good for us because they will help us
to get good Government, help us attract foreign
investments.
26. While the market forces were disciplining us, they
were making billions of dollars for themselves.
Apparently the market forces have to be well-paid for
disciplining Governments.
27. I am sorry but we still think it is a gross
injustice. We think it is inhuman to impoverish millions
of people in order that capital should flow freely. We
think it is unjust to destroy the prosperity of countries
in order to realise a globalised, borderless world. We
think there must be a better way to discipline
Governments, a way which does not involve misery for
innocent people .
28. We believe in globalisation. Yes we want the
prosperity that a free flow of capital can bring. But
what we are experiencing is not prosperity but massive
impoverishment. Since this is not what we expect, since
this is not what is good for us, can we not ask that
there be some rules and regulations governing the flow of
capital.
29. But we are told currency trading is special. It
cannot be regulated or made transparent. It cannot be
taxed. It is the essence of a free market.
30. The ethnic-Europeans, having given up empires,
Communism and Socialism have now embraced capitalism
totally. Nothing must stand in the way of capitalism.
Globalisation, deregulation, liberalisation, borderless
world -- these are the fundamentals of the new theology.
The high-priests are the people with capital, unlimited
capital. Their hand-maidens are the great writers,
journalists and economists, the media practitioners who
propagate the religion with fervour. And like all
religious fanatics they tolerate no recalcitrance.
31. It is a pity. All these. It is a pity because the
world is indeed getting smaller and we are all getting
closer to each other. National boundaries are indeed
anachronistic because we can see and hear each other
across borders, across vast spaces. Nothing happens in
one part of the world that does not affect other parts,
affects immediately sometimes, affects profoundly. We
can no longer isolate ourselves. No man, no nation is an
island. The world is our country, the nation to which we
belong. Globalisation is therefore the right way, the
inevitable consequence of information technology.
32. But like everything else globalisation needs to be
carefully handled. It is a means, not an end.
Globalisation must result in a better life for everyone
in this world. If it does not then we have to reexamine
it, not to do away with it, but to eliminate what is
harmful and promote what is good.
33. Remember that the Western ideologues have been wrong
so many times before. They could be wrong again. They
could be wrong about globalisation, at least about their
interpretation or concept of globalisation.
34. We must globalise, but we must do so carefully and
slowly. We must recognise that the countries and nations
whose borders we are going to dismantle are not all of
the same strength or level of development. They need to
be protected from the predators, at least for some time.
Surely the rich and the powerful can wait.
35. It is now argued by the developed countries that
Malaysia would benefit if we allow for unrestricted and
tax-free imports of low-cost goods from the highly
efficient industries of the developed countries. We
would be able to buy the best products at the lowest
price.
36. But if we do not industrialise we will not develop.
Our people will remain unemployed and poor. Even if the
imported products are of good quality and cheap we will
not be able to buy them.
37. Yes, we should globalise but countries must be
allowed to open up in their own time, when they are
ready. We should also not confine borderlessness to
capital only. People too should be able to cross borders
freely.
38. The rich countries, particularly those with vast
uncultivated land should allow for migration of the
people from poor countries. Just as the financial
capital of the rich will benefit poor countries, the hard-
working peoples of the poor countries can benefit the
rich countries.
39. Globalisation is a great idea whose time has come.
But it must be interpreted correctly if it is going to
bring about a better world. Presently we are not too
convinced that it is going to be good for us in the
developing countries. We have seen how the free flow of
capital has damaged our economies and we fear that
globalisation may turn out to be like Socialism and
Communism, ideas which were touted for a time and are
then discarded as wrong. Globalisation might one day go
the way Imperialism, Communism and Socialism went. But
we are willing to give it a try, at our own pace. We
would like the proponents of globalisation to remember
that it may be harmful. We would like them to accept the
need for consulting us and for our complaints and
suggestions to be heard and when legitimate be accepted.
40. God Willing globalisation may yet be the route to
equitability for the peoples and the nations of a
borderless world.
41. I would like to pledge my support for a
globalisation that is concerned not just with the means
but also the ends. Let us form partnerships, smart
partnerships. Let us have good governance. But let us
not forget that our quest is for the well-being of our
people. The best ideology or system or philosophy means
nothing if the result is not justice, fair-play and
prosperity for us.
42. I would now like to invite the Heads of Government
present at this dialogue to attend the Langkawi
International Dialogue in July 1999.
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