1Dream, 1People, 1Nation and ultimately...Towards 1 world.. 1 currency

Najib’s clarion call for 1Dream, 1People, 1Nation and ultimately...
Towards a 1World
2009/10/07

Nuraina A. Samad in Paris

CELEBRATING diversity as a source of national strength rather than conflict is at the root of the 1Malaysia philosophy that can be extended to 1Region and ultimately, 1World, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib said here. Alibaba.com - Fast & easy sourcing right from your computer


1Malaysia, he said, was the right formula not only for national harmony but also for enhancing regional and global peace.

“We believe in this philosophy, predicated on mutual trust and respect between all communities. My clarion call for Malaysia is 1Dream, 1People and 1Nation.

“Therefore, the next logical extension of this national philosophy would be the concept of 1Region and ultimately, 1World,” he said in his keynote address at the 35th general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) here yesterday.


This is the first time a Malaysian prime minister has been invited to address Unesco’s general conference. The agency was established in 1945. Najib, who arrived here on Sunday for a four-day official visit to France, drew attention to three major challenges confronting the international community that needed to be collectively met and overcome .

These are ensuring peace, establishing financial stability and dealing with climate change. Najib reflected on the political instability of Southeast Asia 40 years ago when the region was mired in conflict.

“Today, by and large, it is a region that has allowed member states to accelerate their respective national developments.

“The culture of peace and stability in the region is underpinned by virtue of Asean’s unique form of regionalism which is predicated on dialogue and constructive engagement within the region. He also said engagement ensured a durable, just and equitable peace, “not just for our time but peace for all times, a peace premised upon a covenant of the willing and not one enforced by way of hegemony”.

“Such peace can only come into existence if we are willing to constructively engage each other through inter cultural dialogue... indeed, ignorance, fear, prejudice and apathy left unchecked is fertile ground for breeding hatred, fatalism and fanaticism, the root causes of what ills the world today.”

In this regard, Najib said Malaysia was willing to play its role in facilitating such a dialogue, given that the country’s geography and its legacy had positioned it strategically as a bridge linking all the world’s major cultures. On the second major challenge, he said this was in creating a new global financial architecture on a more sustainable, equitable and just outcome, in view of the impact of rapid globalisation.

“The arguments against globalisation have been somewhat strengthened by the current global financial implosion which is caused by the weaknesses inherent in the international financial architecture.

“Obviously, it is a reflection of the success and extent of globalisation that, while tremors of the Asian financial crisis a decade ago reverberated regionally, the current financial meltdown has left no nation unscathed.”

On managing climate change, the prime minister brought the delegates’ attention to the earthquake in Padang, tsunami in Samoa, hurricanes in the Philippines and floods in Southern India. He expressed Malaysia’s sympathies to the people of these countries. He said the climate change conference in Copenhagen in December must reflect a strong global commitment and action to reverse serious deterioration of planet Earth, which is the most valuable heritage that we could bequeath to future generations.



Najib acknowledged the daunting task of preserving this heritage but warned that the world cannot afford the price of inaction.



“Failure is not an option for it will have far-reaching consequences for our very survival.”

Earlier, Najib paid tribute to Irina Bokova, Unesco’s first woman director-general who won the election last month. She takes over from Koichiro Matsuura .

“The metaphorical glass ceiling will finally be shattered in an institution dedicated towards equality for all. I wish herwell and have every confidence that she would continue the good works of her predecessors.”

Accompanying the prime minister are his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Anifah Aman, Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zakarshi and Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.