Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. 
			MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	10/02/99 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE IX SUMMIT OF THE G-15 


      
      It  gives  me  great  pleasure to  be  here  at  this
  beautiful beach resort of Montego Bay.  On behalf of  the
  Asian  member  states, let me congratulate you  Mr  Prime
  Minister  on your assumption of the Chairmanship  of  the
  Group  of  Fifteen.   I would also  like  to  convey  our
  heartfelt  thanks  to  you  for  the  warm  welcome   and
  generous hospitality accorded to us since our arrival  in
  this  beautiful island.  We are grateful to you for  your
  efforts to ensure that this Summit will be a success.
  
  2.    On  behalf  of  the  leaders of  the  Asian  member
  states,  I  would  also  like to welcome  Her  Excellency
  President  C  B Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka to  this  Summit
  Meeting.    We   sincerely  believe  that   Sri   Lanka's
  admission   into  the  Group  of  Fifteen  will   further
  strengthen  the  Group.  I am sure  Her  Excellency  will
  have many ideas to contribute towards this end.
      
  3.    This  Summit in Montego Bay comes at a very crucial
  moment in history.  We are now at the threshold of a  new
  century  and  a new millennium.  If what is happening  to
  the  world  today is any indication, the new  century  is
  going  to  bring  a  lot  of challenges  for  us  in  the
  developing  countries.  We must therefore take  stock  of
  things  and examine the trends and the systems which  are
  being foisted on us in a unipolar world.
      
  4.    First  the unipolar world itself.  We had  welcomed
  the  end of the Cold War believing that peace and freedom
  would  now  be  ours.   But unfortunately  we  find  that
  losing  the  option  to  defect to  the  other  side  has
  deprived  us  of  the  little leverage  that  we  had  in
  defending our interests.
      
  5.    The  defeat of Communism and Socialism  means  that
  only   one  politico-economic  creed  is  allowed.   When
  Communism  and Socialism were contesting with Capitalism,
  the   latter  modified  itself  in  order  to   be   more
  acceptable.   Today  capitalism  finds  little  need   to
  compete  for  acceptance.  As a result the worst  aspects
  of  the  system have been bared.  Anything  done  in  the
  name  of  capitalism must be accepted on  pain  of  being
  labelled a heretic.
      
  6.    In  East Asia we experienced the new capitalism  in
  the  form of the free flow of capital across our borders.
  We  had  welcomed foreign capital in order to  boost  our
  growth.   We  still do but now we realise the  damage  to
  our  economy  when  that capital is  suddenly  withdrawn.
  From   being   miracle  economies  we  have  now   become
  impoverished nations.
      
  7.    The great Asian tigers are now no more.  Reduced to
  whimpering  and begging, they are but a shadow  of  their
  former  selves.  Their people are starving,  rioting  and
  looting.   Their  Governments have  been  overthrown  and
  their  political  system so undermined that  they  cannot
  govern   effectively.   They  have  to   accept   foreign
  direction of their internal affairs.
      
  8.    But  the assault on them is far from over.  Whether
  it  is  planned or not their impoverishment  has  exposed
  them  to  the  danger  of losing their  independence.   A
  condition for getting aid from such institutions  as  the
  IMF  is  to  open  up  their  economies  to  unrestricted
  penetration by foreign businesses.  They may not  protect
  their  indigenous  banks and industries.   These  may  be
  taken over or shouldered aside by foreign giants.
  
  9.    As  if the foreign corporations are not big enough,
  they  are now engaged in consolidating themselves.  Banks
  and  industries  in the developed countries  are  merging
  into  superbig entities, each bigger than the  developing
  countries.   When these superbig giants  move  in,  their
  local counterparts will just suffocate to death.
      
  10.    I am sure it is not their intention tointerfere in
  local politics but we know  that  in the Banana Republics 
  the managers of banana plantations  wield more power than 
  the  Presidents  of  these countries. The  temptation  to 
  interfere  in  local politics  might be  too much for the 
  foreign giants to resist.

  11.   Globalisation  and  a borderless  world  seem  very
  attractive  in  this  Information  Age  and  advances  in
  transportation  and communication.   We  now  live  in  a
  global  village.  We will all be citizens of  the  Planet
  Earth.   But  apparently we are not  going  to  be  equal
  citizens.
      
  12.   While  borderlessness is being interpreted  as  the
  right  of  capital to flow anywhere unconditionally,  the
  poor  people  may not cross borders into  rich  countries
  with  equal  freedom.  For them the barb wire fences  and
  the border guards will remain.
      
  13.    Even  as  globalisation  is  being  promoted,  the
  powerful  are  actively increasing the traditional  basis
  of  power  i.e  military strength.   The  defeat  of  the
  Communist  was  initially thought to end the  arms  race.
  But  the quest for ever more destructive weapons have not
  abated.    Huge   sums  are  spent   on   research   into
  destructive weapons and equipping vast armies in the  use
  of these weapons.
  
  14.   To recover the money spent, the poor countries  are
  persuaded  to  buy ever more sophisticated weapons.   The
  result  is  not  only tension and minor  arms  races  but
  misallocation  of  their limited funds.   Less  is  being
  spent on the well-being of society.
      
  15.   While  misbehaviour on the part  of  the  weak  may
  attract  rockets  and  bombs, the massive  violations  of
  human  rights  in  such places as Bosnia Herzegovina  and
  Kosovo, go on with impunity.
  
  16.  Power not only corrupts but it must also be free  of
  any  challenge.  If anyone has the temerity to  criticise
  those with power, the result can be very painful for  the
  critic.   Every weapon at the disposal of the power  will
  be employed maximally against the critic.
      
  17.   Among  these  weapons  is  the  media.   If  anyone
  criticises  the  actions of the  mighty  the  media  will
  demonise  the  critic and cause him to lose  credibility.
  That  way  the  abusers  of power  will  remain  free  to
  continue their abuses.
      
      
  18.    We   are   16  countries  scattered   over   three
  continents.   We  are weak.  We are  poor.   And  we  are
  linked  with each other only by thin and friable  beliefs
  that  we  have something in common, that we  have  common
  problems,  that  we  need  to cooperate  to  enhance  the
  little  strength that we have and to use it to enable  us
  to  survive.   I  must  say  in  all  these  we  are  not
  succeeding too well.
      
  19.   On  the  other hand the rich and the  powerful  are
  consolidating,   forming  powerful   cohesive   politico-
  economic  alliances.   They  meet,  they  plan  and  they
  execute  strategies impacting on the world.   Clearly  if
  we  want  to safeguard our future we have to be aware  of
  the  forces  around us, to consult with each  other  more
  often and to have a common stand on most issues.
      
  20.   I have painted a very gloomy picture of the future,
  of  the    new century and   the   new millennium.  Maybe
  I  am  over  pessimistic.  Maybe  I am  exaggerating.   I
  have  been wrong before and I may be wrong again.  But  I
  was  right many times also and it is possible that I will
  be  right again this time, if not fully at least  partly.
  And  if  I  am partly right even, it is not going  to  be
  good  for  us in the developing world.  We may  find  our
  newly won independence eroded away.
  
  21.    Malaysians   took  four  centuries   to   liberate
  themselves.   We  have  been  independent  just  for   41
  years.  We do not relish losing that independence.   Just
  as  we  struggled  hard  to  gain  independence  we  will
  struggle equally hard or harder to retain it.
  
  22.   We have not just seen the signs but we are actually
  going  through a painful experience of the kind of  world
  the  future will bring.  For the time being we have  been
  able  to  retain our freedom but we are not sure that  we
  can successfully fend off future challenges.
  
  23.   Paradoxically the greatest catastrophe for  us  who
  had   always  been  anti-Communist  is  the   defeat   of
  Communism.   The  end of the Cold War  between  East  and
  West  has  deprived us of the only leverage we  had,  the
  option to defect.  Now we can turn to no one.
  
  24.   As  a member of the G-15 I feel a need to shout  my
  warnings.   I  know I will be ridiculed  but  that  is  a
  small  price to pay.  The world may  not see a  clash  of
  civilisations but the disparities between  the  weak  and
  the  strong  is  such  that might  will  continue  to  be
  regarded as right.
  25.   I  do  not ask to be believed.  But I do appreciate
  this opportunity to speak out before you, the leaders  of
  middle-income developing countries.
  
  26.   When I condemned the currency traders at the height
  of  their  attack  on  the East  Asian  countries  I  was
  punished  by  having the currency of my country  devalued
  further.  I was told to cease and desist.  I did not  and
  the  currency  and  the stock market  and  the  image  of
  Malaysia  suffered.  What I have said today  may  attract
  other punitive actions.
  
  27.   That is a risk that I have to take.  That is a risk
  that my own country will take.  But I have to say what  I
  have to say.
  
  28.   I  hope and pray that our Summit will result  in  a
  greater  understanding of the problems  which  lie  ahead
  and greater collaboration between us.