Poster of the Event at PICC
1. Introduction. The Conference was held on March 9, 2015 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), Putrajaya, organised by the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) as part of its long term agenda to abolish war. It was participated by an estimated 500 representing the government deparments, corporate sectors, the foreign missions, students and representatives of various NGOs. In his opening remarks, Tan Sri Dato' Sri Norian Mai, Chairman of PGPF, indicated that the Foundation began with the launching of the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalise War in December 2005, as a forum to actively promote global peace and abolish war . A series of conferences have been held on the issue and at the same time the Foundation has established a number of outreach programmes and undertaken humanitarian aids activities such as aid for Gaza, Somalia and refugees in Lebanon.
2. Keynote Address on the 'New World Order' (NWO) and Panel Discussion. The keynote address delivered by YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, President of PGPF, was quite critical of NWO which, according to him, was conceptualised by the powerful, rich Western nations to establish an elitist world government to dominate the world. These countries, together with their capitalistic corporations and armed forces have built up their military and economic might to ensure that countries toe their lines; take measures to subvert and undermine countries; regulate trade to favour them; impose their moral values against our own. As a result there are many conflicts particularly in the Middle East. It appears that the NWO is a recipe for war. The panel discussion which ensued was chaired by Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia and was constituted of the following six members:
a. Thomas P.M Barnett of Barnett Consulting LLC who started his deliberation on a positive note in that the world has been peaceful for a long period in history; there is more wealth and freedom; limited proliferation of nuclear weapons; rapid urbanisation which is concomitant with democratisation; availability of food to feed the increasing population; ageing population. We are less likely to get killed by war and that wars are fundamentally state-based conflicts. He concluded that the future be filled with LOVE and CARING.
b. Dr Michel Chossudovsky, Founder of the Centre for Research on Globalisation, Canada and author of eleven books, came up strong with the statement that global wars on terrorism is in fact a US undertaking and that many organisations considered terrorist were the creation of US, NATO, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Wars, to him, is a criminal undertaking.
c. Dr Din Syamsuddin, Professor of Islamic Political Thought at State Islamic University, Jakarta and President of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia was more conciliatory in his deliberation and looked at the NWO as partnership to develop a world system to eliminate poverty and construct a culture of peace, caring and sharing - sharing of space, coexistence whilst, at the same time, conserve and protect the environment. To Dr. Din, the security of the globe is a collective responsibility and not the exclusive right of the powerful and that we must strive to eliminate global injustices; ensure human rights, freedom and tolerance. He suggested that we need to work together on ethics and religion.
d. Dr Chandra Muzaffar, President of The International Movement for a Just World and author of more than 20 books, postulated that President Bush in 1991 was the advocate of the NWO with the
intention of sustaining the US as a superpower. To enable to do so it has to continue building its
military strength, control currency and resources of the world, control the minds and hearts through
culture and the media; bring regime change and appropriate action against recalcitrant states. It has
manipulated religion for defeating its enemy like in Afghanistan and has created terrorist organisations such as the Al-Qaeda. The US looks at the globe as four hegemonic parts: contain China, concern for Russia, role of NATO to contain Ukraine and continue to have countries of South America under its patronage.
e. General Elias Hanna (Rtd), Professor at the American University of Beirut, touched on the geopolitics of the Middle East and the US as a superpower was the cause of the many crises in the region.
f. Yoichi Shimatsu, Former Editor of Japan Times, focused his attention on detecting hidden warfare such as coups and clandestine operations in countries, mysterious disappearance of airplanes and tragedies, cyber attacks, outbreak of diseases such as Ebola virus, establishment of IS caliphates.
YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, President of PGPF, delivering his keynote address
Panel discussion
A cross-section of the participants at the Conference
3. Launching of book on Abolishing War and Panel Discussion on Abolishing War. The book on Abolishing War, authored by Prof. Johan Galtung, Professor of Peace Studies, was launched by YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Prof. Galtung then delivered his keynote address on the topic which encompassed Criminalising War, Removing War Causes and Removing War as Institution and the address introduce the topic of abolishing war to the panelists of the afternnon session. The panel was made up of the same speakers as the first seesion. However, the second seesion was chaired by General Tan Sri Mohd Azumi Mohamed (Rtd). The salient points covered can be summarised as follows:
* that many conflicts had religious origin, interfaith dialogues might be a mechanism to
reduce tension by practicing universal common values
* to abolish war is a logical initiative
* abstain from association with anything to do with war
* strengthen international institutions
* abide by the international rules of law
* amend the constitution of nation states 'to forever renounce war as a soveeign right of
the nation'
* ban weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
*since wars begin in the mind of people, 'maximise the brain to minimise war'
* set the mind of abolishing war right from school
_______________________________________________________________________________
Posted on 25/3/2015
Comments on the article or blog could be communicated to the email
hashim.abdulwahab@gmail.com
* that many conflicts had religious origin, interfaith dialogues might be a mechanism to
reduce tension by practicing universal common values
* to abolish war is a logical initiative
* abstain from association with anything to do with war
* strengthen international institutions
* abide by the international rules of law
* amend the constitution of nation states 'to forever renounce war as a soveeign right of
the nation'
* ban weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
*since wars begin in the mind of people, 'maximise the brain to minimise war'
* set the mind of abolishing war right from school
_______________________________________________________________________________
Posted on 25/3/2015
Comments on the article or blog could be communicated to the email
hashim.abdulwahab@gmail.com
