Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

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Quite clearly also, we in East Asia should continue the
process of inter-governmental cooperation with regard
to health, tourism, labor flows, environmental issues,
education and human resource development. There are
countless possibilities promising remarkable returns.
Let me also stress one other thing we should all do
in order to contribute to the making of the Asian
community of dynamic prosperity. Instead of adopting
short-sighted “beggar-thy-neighbor” policies, I believe
that we should deliberately and actively adopt “prosperthy-neighbor”
policies. The dividends are too great and
too obvious to require elaboration.
Asian Community of Caring Societies
Let me now turn to the third pillar of the Asian
community that we must build in the decades to come:
a region of deeply caring societies.
I believe that in coming decades we must strongly lay
the foundations for a region that is not only peaceful,
not only prosperous but also truly caring. Caring of the
physical environment because if we do not care, then
our region could be an environmental disaster, not fit
for healthy and decent human life, still less for the rich
fauna and flora, too many of which are on the brink
of extinction. We cannot so mistreat so many of the
creations of God Almighty.
We must also be a region of societies deeply caring
of the multitude of humanity for whom we must be
responsible. Caring societies must care for the protection
and nourishment of the family, of women, of children
and of citizens. Supportive and stable families are
paramount in nurturing the healthy development of
individuals. Family solidarity must be strengthened and
mutual care and support fostered in the community, so
that all individuals are embedded in a network of care,
trust, support and reciprocity.
Great importance needs to be attached to the
development and protection of our children and
their well-being. It should be placed at the forefront
of our cooperation efforts for economic and social
development. We want an Asia fit for children, and it
is our shared obligation to ensure that they are given
the best possible start in life—provided with a safe,
supportive and conducive environment to develop their
individual capacity. Investing in the neediest early in
childhood can help level the playing field. And the
process continues through education—its access, its
quality.
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows
The caring societies we must have in East Asia must
care deeply for the right of citizens to health, to live in
stable societies free from high rates of crime, to freedom
from hunger and malnutrition. Many of the countries
of East Asia have proven to be world champions at
killing poverty. My own country has a record for
poverty eradication unmatched by any country in the
twentieth century. But problems remain. In the quest
for economic growth, we can ill-afford to turn a blind
eye to the wide socioeconomic disparities that permeate
within as well as between countries. The deeply caring
societies of East Asia must seek the absolute eradication
of absolute poverty.
Our vision for a caring and just society must celebrate
the rich diversity of our Asian community, recognizing
that each individual is endowed with different strengths.
We must create an environment in which people are
given every opportunity to develop their potential, to
have a free and liberating intellectual and cultural life,
and to be treated with equal dignity and respect.
Governance
A regional community is not just a matter of physical
infrastructure or regional architecture. It needs to
be underpinned by a code of governance based on
shared values. I believe that our peoples have a right
to free elections, to democracy and to representative
government, even as they have a right to order and
freedom from anarchy.
Today’s world is characterized by an emerging culture of
openness and transparency. Information can be had at
the touch of a button. People are communicating more.
Leaders no longer rule in isolation, but are exposed to
public scrutiny. If a system of government is far away
from what is considered acceptable by its citizens, there
will be discord. Resources go to waste in the effort to
sustain an unpopular system of government. Nations
become unstable, marked by uprisings. Energies of
government are directed toward unproductive tasks.
Military expenditure rises, not to defend the nation from
external threats, but to suppress the voice of the people.
Indeed, the strongest defense for any sovereign nation is
the bond of unity and a common vision between leaders
and followers arrived at through consultation and based
on a system of government that practices democracy
and upholds the rule of law. Democracy is justifiably
accepted as the best form of government. Yet even a
democratic system can reveal an ugly face if the system
is abused or manipulated.