Indonesian President Attacks Global Injustice in Opening Asian-African Summit
The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, attacked the continuation of global injustice, inequality and violence when opening the Asian African Summit in Jakarta on 22 April, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the historic Bandung Conference of 1955.
Widodo said global injustice prevails in today’s world when the Palestinians are deprived of a state, when rich countries with 20% of the world’s population consume over 70% of global resources, when a group of rich countries think that they could change the world by the use of force and the United Nations looks on helpless, and when they think the IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank still rule the world. Widodo called for a new international order which recognises the role of developing countries. Below is his speech.
On behalf of the people and the government of the Republic of Indonesia, I welcome all of you to Indonesia, the initiator and host of the first Asian-African Conference in 1955.
Sixty years ago, our Founding Father, President Soekarno, proposed the initiative to raise a new awareness among Asian and African nations to claim their right to live as free nations, to refuse injustice, and to oppose imperialism in all of its manifestations.
Sixty years ago, we declared the Asian-African solidarity in our fight for independence, prosperity and justice for our peoples.
That is the flame of the 1955 Asian-African Conference. This is the essence of the Bandung Spirit.
Now, sixty years later. In a different global situation, the colonized nations have gained their sovereignty, but our struggle is far from over.
The world that we inherited today is still fraught with global injustice, inequality and violence.
Our common dream of a new world civilization based on social justice, equality, harmony, and prosperity, has yet to become a reality.
Global injustice and inequality are clearly on display before us.
When the rich nations, which comprise a mere 20 percent of the world’s population, consume 70 percent of the world resources, then global injustice becomes real.
When hundreds of people in the northern hemisphere enjoy the lives of the super rich, while more than 1.2 billion people in the southern hemisphere struggle with less than 2 dollars per day, then global injustice becomes more visible before eyes.
When a group of rich countries think that they could change the world by the use of force, the global inequality clearly brings about misery, of which the United Nations looks helpless.
The use of unilateral force without a clear UN mandate, as we have witnessed, has undermined the existence of our common world body. Therefore, we, the nations of Asia and Africa, demands the UN reform, so that it could function better, as a world body that puts justice for all of us before anything else.
For me, the global injustice feels more suffocating, when the Bandung Spirit, that demanded freedom for all nations of Asia and Africa, still left one outstanding debt for six decades. We, and the world, still owe it to the Palestinians.
The world is helpless before the suffering of the Palestinians, who live in fear and injustice, due to years of occupation.
We cannot turn away from the misery of the Palestinians. We have to continue to fight with them, to support the birth of a free Palestine.
We also feel the global injustice when a group of established nations are reluctant to recognize that the world has changed. The view that the world economic problems can only be solved by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank, in an outdated view.
I am of the view that the management of the global economy cannot be left only to the three international financial institutions. We must build a new global economic order, that is open to new emerging economic powers.
We push for a reform of the global financial architecture, to eliminate the domination of one group of countries over other countries.
The world needs a collective global leadership which is exercised in a just and responsible manner. Indonesia as a new emerging economic force, as a country with the largest Muslim population on earth, and as the third largest democracy, stands ready to play a global role as a positive to fulfil a noble goal.
Today and tomorrow, we gather here in Jakarta to respond to those challenges of global injustice and inequality.
Today and tomorrow, the world awaits our steps in bringing the Asian and African nations to stand in equality with other countries in the world.
We can do all that by bringing the Bandung Spirit down to earth, by contextualizing the three core objectives that our predecessors had fought for sixty years ago.
First, prosperity. We must cooperate closely to eradicate poverty, improve education and health services, promote science and technology, and provide jobs for our people.
Second, solidarity. We must grow together, by increasing and expanding trade and investment between us. We must develop inter-regional economic cooperation between Asia and Africa, by helping each other in strengthening connectivity among us, by building infrastructures that connect our ports, our airports, and our roads. Indonesia will strive to be a maritime bridge that connects the two continents.
Third, internal and external stability, and respect for human rights. We have to ask ourselves, what is wrong with us that many of our countries are plagued by internal and external conflicts that derail our economy.
We must work together to withstand the challenges of violence, conflicts, and radicalism in our society, and respect and protect our people’s rights. We must declare war against illegal drugs that destroy the future of our children.
We must work hard to establish external stability and security which are prerequisites to development in each country. We must cooperate to ensure that our oceans, or seas, are safe for international trade. We hope that no inter-state conflict and dispute is resolved through the use of force.
These are the challenges before us, the solutions of which need to be found during the Asian-African Conference in the next two days.
Allow me to use this forum to express my conviction, that the future of the world rests with the countries around the equator, in our hands, the people of Asia and Africa.
Therefore, in the Name of Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate, Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I declare the 2015 Asian-African Conference officially open.
May God Bless Us All. Thank You.
Remarks by Joko Widodo at the Commemorations in Bandung, 24 April
Peace be upon us all.
Welcome to Bandung, the city of the fiery spirit against colonialism and injustice.
Decades ago, in this very hall, gathered our forefathers, who had inspired the world.
In this hall, the spirit of the initiator, SOEKARNO, our Great Leader, still echoes;
In this hall, the fighting spirit of the Great Leader JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, stays aflame;
In this hall, the spirit of solidarity from the Great Leader MOHAMMAD ALI BOGRA, remains alive;
In this hall, the noble dream of the Great Leader SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA to bring prosperity to his people still lives among us;
In this hall, the revolutionary perseverance of the Great Leader U NU, still touches our hearts.
INDIA was a dream.
PAKISTAN was a dream.
SRI LANKA was a dream.
MYANMAR was a dream.
INDONESIA was also a dream.
The dream of a free, just, and prosperous life,
The dream which gave birth to the Spirit of Bandung.
In this city, they called for independence, prosperity and justice to the Asian-African nations.
Such was the great vision of our forefathers.
Their dreams were ahead of their times.
Sixty years ago, only 3 African nations took part in the Asian-African Conference.
The representative of Sudan was even present, with a white cloth in his hands with “Sudan” written on it. There was no flag, as they had not gained their independence yet.
The world has changed. The Asian-African Conference this year is attended by 91 states, with the same spirit, against different challenges.
The spirit to bring prosperity to our peoples.
We realize that our dreams will be fulfilled through cooperation, in equal partnership with other countries.
Once again, cooperation on equal footing, with fellows from other countries.
As the President of more than 250 million people, I am well aware that Indonesia has yet to be free of poverty;
Indonesia has yet to reach the level of progress as the developed countries in other parts of the world.
This is also the issue faced by our friends in Asia and Africa.
Therefore, on this august occasion of the 60th Commemoration of the Asian-African Conference,
Let us reignite the Spirit of Bandung.
Let us continue the aspiration of our Leaders 60 years ago.
We need to enhance mutual understanding and attain world peace. All forms of violence must be stopped.
We shall continue our support for Palestine in their struggle for independence.
We must work hand in hand to enhance the welfare of our peoples, through economic and trade relations.
We should work together for equal standing with the developed countries in other parts of the world.
I fervently hope that we will keep the spirit of the Asian-African Conference among us and in our respective countries.
I highly appreciate your active participation in this Asian-African Conference.
Until we meet again in the next Asian-African Conference.