Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to be in Havana today and
speak on behalf of my country – Sri Lanka.
Our country has been a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
from its very inception, 45 years ago. Sri Lanka ’s
association with the Movement, in fact, precedes the
Belgrade Conference. We take modest pride in having
played a role in the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement
as one of the 5 convenors of the Afro-Asian Conference
in Bandung in 1955, - a meeting which indeed inspired
the birth of our Movement.
Let me express my deep gratitude to His Excellency Fidel
Castro and the Government of Cuba, for the warm welcome
and hospitality extended to us. His Excellency is not
only the longest serving current head of a non aligned
government. He is also the world’s longest ruling
current head of government as well. His Excellency is
also the first head of government to take the leadership
of the developing world for a second time - the first
occasion being 27 years ago at the non-aligned summit
in Havana in 1979. I take the opportunity to wish President
Fidel Castro speedy recovery.
Let me also congratulate Malaysia for her wise stewardship
of our Movement through challenging times.
To Haiti , and St Kitts and Nevis , I join in extending
a warm welcome as they join our family of Non-Aligned
nations.
We are now a group of 118 countries. Our movement continues
to grow, despite ill-informed statements by some that
we are now irrelevant. We constitute over half of the
membership of the United Nations. Yet, our ability to
effectively influence developments at a global level
remains limited.
As Cuba , a country which has been associated with our
Movement for long years, assumes the leadership of NAM
, we are provided an opportunity to take a hard and
honest look at ourselves: And to do so in order that
we may identify the problems that now confront our Movement.
The ideals of NAM have always been close to our hearts.
They have served to provide a strong influence on our
vision and ideology, over the years. The dedicated leadership
provided to the Movement by its founders, including
Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka ,
has been a great source of inspiration for me.
When I look back on my own life I find that it is from
their vision, their courage and their convictions that
I have drawn strength and inspiration, first as a student
and then as a young Member of Parliament, from 1970,
to step into the forefront of public service in my country.
Our strong support for our brothers and sisters in many
countries of Africa and Asia, who were at that time
still under colonial rule, and my support for the just
cause of the Palestinian people, were the result of
my commitment to the ideals of NAM.
At the inception of our movement, our objectives included
decolonization and the ending of apartheid. We successfully
accomplished these objectives by acting through our
united strengths. Today however, the pursuit of individual
interests seems to have weakened our pursuit of common
goals.
We meet today in Havana , therefore, at an important
stage in the growth of our Movement. While in less than
5 years we would complete half a century of our existence,
our movement is faced, - more than ever before, - with
the need to find solutions, - as a united force, - to
the many challenges that confront not only the developing
countries but the people of the world at large. Thus,
while on the one side our original agenda has not been
fully accomplished, we find – on the other –
that many new challenges now need to be addressed.
The political rights of the Palestinian people remain
to be realized. Human rights, including social and economic
rights such as the right to development still remain
to be achieved. We have also to yet achieve the democratization
of global governance. At the same time, the problems
of poverty, disease, hunger, under-development, environmental
degradation and rapid urbanization, and the problems
of conflict, continue to afflict many of our countries.
Excellencies, it is also evident that State sovereignty,
civil society and the rule of law are increasingly threatened
by the transnational networking in illicit arms, terrorism,
narcotics, money-laundering and crime. Terrorism is,
without doubt, the most de-humanizing and politically
de-stabilizing phenomenon of our time.
Terrorism and liberation differ from each other, as
much as the sky differs from the earth. Liberation,
unlike terrorism, is a creative and a humane force.
It is a humane vehicle of new visions for the progressive
change of power structures on the one side and socio-economic
structures on the other. Terrorism, by contrast, is
a destructive force, - a de-humanizing force, - that
cannot in any way be justified.
The people of my country have suffered for long years
at the hands of a most ruthless terrorist outfit which
resorts to the most hateful forms of terror. Suicide
bombing, mine attacks, massacres, indiscriminate armed
assault, and the forcible conscription of young children
for battle, comprise their modes of action. They indulge
in the progressive elimination of all political leaders,
human rights activists, journalists and all those who
do not approve their methods and agree with their views
and objectives.
All efforts that have been taken by successive governments,
including mine, to enter into dialogue with this group,
have so far failed. Yet, even in the face of extreme
provocation, we continue in our attempts to transform
this dictatorial terrorist group that engages in violence,
into a political force that would engage peacefully
with the State and with other political parties and
participate in a democratic political process.
Let us call upon the Non-Aligned Movement as well as
the United Nations to strongly renew the commitment
to fight terrorism whenever and wherever it decides
to raise its ugly head. At the same time all of us together
need to find innovative means and ways to combat terrorism,
as it poses a grave threat to the political and economic
well-being, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
nation States.
Excellencies, we must also address the important fact
that today the United Nations is also under pressure
to change. We agree that change is needed. But the way
the process is being followed and managed does not inspire
sufficient confidence that reform and change in the
United Nations would definitely be in the best interest
of the majority of world’s people.
The Non-Aligned Movement should take an initiative in
trying to bring about balanced change in the United
Nations as well as in other multilateral institutions.
It is vital that our Movement should take this role
upon itself. Let the Non-Aligned Movement ensure that
reform will increase, - and not decrease, - the relevance
of the United Nations.
Excellencies, my own political journey has been both
long and full of challenges. Coming as I do from the
far South of our country, I have grown to appreciate
the beauty and simplicity of village life. The beauty
of rural life is fast disappearing since the benefits
of the process of globalization have failed to filter
down to our rural areas.
Most of the development that occurred in our country
after independence was centred on the towns. In terms
of access to basic infrastructure facilities and public
utilities, many rural areas fell behind. This resulted
in the migration of people from village to town, and
the accompanying problems of rapid urban migration which
are well known to us all.
After my election as President of our country in November
last year, we have adopted a development strategy which
is pro-poor on the one side, and ensures more regionally
balanced growth on the other. Our new development strategy
provides for social and economic growth that is both
comprehensive and participatory. Our objective is to
raise the level of overall development, while raising
the income levels and well-being of the poor who constitute
around half of the country’s population. As we
move towards this objective, we are also empowering
people through community development projects at grassroots
level.
But, as in the case of all our developing countries,
for the economic strategy of my government to be successful
it is essential that we the Non-Aligned Nations stand
together to ensure that the developing countries gain
adequate access to the policy making processes in international
financing and trade. At the same time, we the developing
countries must help each other by reducing the trade
barriers between ourselves. Let us evolve a common culture
of self-help for the South.
Let us find ways and means to ensure that all of us
together achieve the benchmarks, - such as the Millennium
Development Goals, - that we have set for ourselves.
At the same time let us help each other in the matters
of good governance, transparency, productivity, cooperation
with civil society, respect for human rights and labour
rights, and other such matters that are important to
our people.
Let our Movement take decisions. Let us make both decisive
and practical statements on these matters, and follow
through effectively on our decisions, lest we become
irrelevant and thereby fail our people.
Over 2500 years ago, one of the greatest philosophers
and religious teachers of all times, Gautama the Buddha,
- the Enlightened One, - said:
Mattasukhapariccaga
Passe ce vipulam sukham
Caje matta sukham dhrro
Sampassam vipulam sukham.
(Dhammapada: Chapter XX1:
Verse 290)
“If by giving up a lesser happiness one may behold
a greater one, let the wise man give up the lesser and
look to the greater one”.
Excellencies, the will to act collectively for the greater
good of all still remains the vital spark of our Movement.
But today it needs to be fanned and fuelled. It is up
to us, members of the Movement, to undertake this task.
And let us do so with renewed hope and determination.
Thank you.
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