By: DATUK SERI ANIFAH AMAN
TEHRAN: Mr. Chairman; Honourable
Heads of State and Government; Excellencies Ministers; Ladies and Gentlemen;
AT THE outset, I wish to
convey the appreciation and best wishes from the Honourable Dato’ Sri Najib Tun
Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, to the Honourable Dr. Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the host and chair of
the Sixteenth NAM Summit and the people of Iran. We thank the Government of the
Islamic Republic of Iran for all the arrangements and express our appreciation
for the warm hospitality accorded to us.
We like to join the voices
of everyone here in expressing our condolences to the victims and families of
the recent earthquake.
I wish to also thank Egypt
as the out-going Chair for the exemplary leadership in the past three years.
Mr. Chairman,
51 years down the road, we
need to ask ourselves these fundamental questions; who are we and what are our
objectives?
If we recall the five
principles which served as the basis for NAM when it was first founded, the
question is whether we have used our collective strength to promote and project
our views and interests effectively at the international stage based on those
principles? If we have done so, why are there disputes, division and
disenchantment within NAM?
This was categorically
pointed out by the UN Secretary-General in his statement yesterday. He also
said that this part of the world has been at the epicentre since the last NAM
Summit - this is something not to be proud of. However, these countries are
also members of the United Nations. Our problems are also the UN’s problems. We
must work within the principles of the UN Charter to resolve disputes not only
peacefully but also justly.
Mr. Chairman,
There is no doubt that the
situation in Syria is serious and demands our immediate attention. We are
appalled at the unabated violence that has engulfed Syria, resulting in
unnecessary loss of innocent lives and damage to property.
We applaud the quick action
by the United Nations to appoint Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi as the new Joint Special
Envoy for Syria to find a solution to the unending violence.
We call upon all parties in
Syria to cease hostilities immediately and abide by international law including
international humanitarian and human rights laws. This is a collective
responsibility and I would like to quote what the UN Secretary-General so
rightfully said yesterday that those who provide arms to either side in Syria
are also contributing to the misery. In
finding a lasting political solution, we must adhere to the fundamental
principles of NAM by allowing Syria to determine its destiny.
Mr. Chairman,
Another issue that has been
haunting us for decades is Palestine. The prospect of returning to the
negotiating table for a two-State solution seems even more distant. However,
that appears to be the only just solution - the co-existence of the State of
Palestine and the State of Israel, side by side in peace and security. We are
not taking anything away from Israel but only returning what legitimately
belongs to the Palestinians.
With all the actions that we
have taken so far, Israel still violates international law and the rights of
the Palestinian people. The Quartet and the international community seem
helpless. We cannot adopt the business as usual mode anymore and we must take
action oriented initiatives.
My delegation therefore
welcomes the decision of the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Committee on
Palestine to establish a Special Action Task Force and to come up with concrete
actions that could be carried out by NAM to support Palestine. This is a
breakthrough in the way NAM addresses issues and we must build on this momentum
to come up with similar action oriented initiatives on other critical issues
facing the Movement.
Mr. Chairman,
These unresolved issues
should also serve as an impetus to call for immediate reforms of the United
Nations. This is where NAM leveraging on its numerical strength could push the
reform process forward. If we are not action oriented, we subject ourselves to
being a mere talk shop and substantiate the views of critics of the irrelevancy
of NAM.
The UN is not the only body
that needs to be reformed. We also need to address the long-standing
shortcomings of international financial and monetary institutions. Have we not
suffered enough as a result of the shortcomings of these institutions? It is
therefore imperative that these institutions should also be reformed by making
a collective call for equitable participation and representation of developing
countries in the decision-making process of international financial and
monetary institutions.
Mr. Chairman,
On the subject of human
rights, it is a fact that there are diverging views on values and norms that
shape human rights. While we should all adhere to international standards such
as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), these international
standards must take into account cultural diversity of all nations. That is why
we have Article 29(1) in the UDHR.
I believe that NAM with its
diverse membership can relate to this as well. Don’t our respective values and
norms matter? Are we settling for another form of neo-colonialism - the
imposition of values and norms of others which may not be compatible with ours?
So, if we stand up for our rights, values and norms, does it mean we are
purporting to oppose “international human rights standards”? Where is the human
right in that?
My point is - we should not
let others impose their values and norms on us. We as a Movement of 120 should
instead, foster better understanding, respect and acceptance on cultural
diversity in shaping today’s human rights standards.
Mr. Chairman,
Malaysia believes that in
order to secure sustainable peace and security, a culture of moderation must be
inculcated. The Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) is all about rallying the
voices of moderates to drown out the voices of extremists that have for far too
long hijacked the center stage. GMM is not about religion alone but encompasses
all aspects of life. There are extremists in all religions and so it is a
fallacy to say that Islam is an extremist religion. All religions like Islam, Christianity
and Judaism exhort moderation as a value.
Since the inception of this
idea in 2010, the GMM Foundation has been established and is now looking
forward to working closely with the UN Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) to
foster understanding, acceptance, moderation and mutual respect between the
various cultures, religions and faiths. GMM has now gained growing acceptance
regionally and internationally by ASEAN, Commonwealth and now to be part of the
16th NAM Summit Final Document.
Mr. Chairman,
Where do we go from here? In
three years time, will we be repeating the same rhetoric? Will there be
progress on the issue of Palestine; will conflicts be resolved swiftly and
peacefully without the loss of lives; will there be a more universally accepted
standards for human rights; will we see reform of the UN and international
financial institutions.
This is where NAM can play
its role. We have the numbers and we have the strength, do we have the resolve?
Edmund Burke said and I quote, “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil
is that good men do nothing”. This appears to be the reality where the
international community does nothing in the many situations confronting us. We
must aim for concrete progress before the next Summit.
Mr. Chairman,
I want to thank you once
again for your gracious hospitality and excellent arrangements for the Summit.
However, what is more important is the outcome of this Summit and it is our
hope and expectation that continuing progress on some of the issues we have
highlighted will be made under your chairmanship.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you.
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