Passing the torch<\/p>\n
It befits the leadership style of President Soeharto that on
\nWednesday the Indonesian head of state formally ended his
\nchairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with a call for
\nthe 113 member countries to continue working towards the
\nestablishment of a new world order ensuring social justice,
\nwelfare and peace for all.<\/p>\n
The world's economic and political landscape has undergone
\nradical transformation since the movement was born at a summit
\nmeeting on Sept. 1, 1961 in Belgrade, the capital of what was
\nthen Yugoslavia. In the Cold War climate of those days, leaders
\nof the 25 developing countries -- all African and Asian with the
\nexception of Yugoslavia and Cyprus -- agreed to adopt a strategy
\nof political neutrality, or non-alignment, with regard to the two
\nmajor political blocks led by the Soviet Union and the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
True, looking back on the beginnings of the movement one could
\nsay that the spirit of peace and equality among nations was, at
\nleast in principle, always there. The first-ever summit meeting
\nof Asian and African countries, held in Bandung, West Java, in
\n1955, presaged the birth of NAM. It adopted a 10-point
\ndeclaration on world peace and cooperation, which advocated,
\namong other things, respect for the sovereignty and territorial
\nintegrity of all nations, recognition of the political equality
\nof all races and nations, abstention from the use of force, and
\nsettlement of international disputes and grievances by peaceful
\nmeans.<\/p>\n
Those were the lofty ideals which inspired the member
\ncountries of the movement to maintain their existence as
\npolitically and ideologically independent states. Yet, as many of
\nus remember, the ability to resist the pull of the two opposing
\nblocks was not easy. During the NAM foreign ministers meeting in
\nGeorgetown in 1972, for example, Indonesia walked out of the
\nmeeting, protesting what it regarded as the movement's unhealthy
\ndrift towards one of the then two superpowers.<\/p>\n
The world has since changed dramatically. As the dominance of
\nthe two mutually confrontational blocks vanished, the NAM, having
\nlost the initial reason for its existence, could easily have lost
\nits orientation and become a non-player on the world political
\nstage. Instead, it has gained considerable credibility as a
\nresponsible defender of the interests of the developing world.
\nThere can be no denying that this has been due to the kind of
\ncool and rational leadership which President Soeharto has
\ndisplayed over the past three years as the movement's chairman.<\/p>\n
We believe it would serve the movement well to perpetuate this
\nkind of leadership in the coming years. As President Soeharto
\nremarked in his address in Cartagena on Wednesday, the challenges
\nthat lie ahead are still formidable. Debt problems, for example,
\nstill strangle the poorest countries of the world. The world
\neconomy is still far from equitable. Local conflicts continue to
\nprevail and indeed tend to escalate in some parts of the world.<\/p>\n
In the light of these challenges we believe the President's
\ncall for continued efforts towards a new world order based on
\nsocial justice, welfare and peace is more relevant than ever.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passing-the-torch-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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