YouSaid · the spoken record

Mahathir bin Mohamad

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD

lines on the record: 108
first: 1988-09-24
most recent: 2019-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“New, cheap yet powerful weapons have been invented that even the poor can produce and use. If we do not make wars a crime, our security cannot be sustained. We must resuscitate the original purpose of this great Organization — the United Nations. We must punish warmongers. We must make the world peaceful for all. That was our mission, and that must remain our mission. Only if we succeed can we claim to be civilized.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Modern technology can help, but there is a need for good training. Countries and people should be allowed to retain their cultures and ways of life. The General Assembly should authorize international interference only if those ways of life involve taking away the rights of people. As for the Security Council, the time has come to modify the veto power if it cannot be done away with completely. The veto should be valid only if two permanent members and three non-permanent members of the Security Council agree to apply it. That way, abuses would be less frequent. Three-quarters of a century is a long time. We cannot be held to ransom by events of the distant past. The members of the Security Council with the power of the veto should not think that they will always be above international laws and norms.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It can do more, but it is short of funds. Certain countries, including those that are very rich, are not paying their dues. It is shameful. We need to support the United Nations, even though it has failed to banish wars. Its work on health, education and social security make the United Nations worth having. I would like to thank the staff and officers of the United Nations for their work and dedication in all those fields. Malaysia has been able to contribute by carrying out peacekeeping activities in many countries. I look forward to the time when those services will no longer be needed and when countries will be able to ensure their own security. The United Nations should play a major role in the restoration of failed Governments. Many countries have failed because their administrative machinery does not function well.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“They are already talking of making trillions of dollars. It is dangerous for a person or a company to have so much money. It can influence things and it can buy power; hence the need for anti-trust laws. We saw what happened with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, whereby rich companies gave themselves the power to sue Governments. The terms of the agreement were drawn up by them, and they are not all like Bill Gates, who spends some money on charity. Most are bent on exploiting the power that money gives them. The United Nations has failed to protect the poor from the scourge of war, but in other fields it has done much better. It has contributed to better health and to alleviating the suffering of some of the poor and the needy. It provides a degree of security and stability in places plagued by internal conflicts.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“With new communication technologies, we can increase our trade with the world. Therefore, I ask our partners not to impoverish us by forcing us to buy what we do not need or to reduce our exports. Trade wars are wasteful. Now that the entire world has become a market for everyone, trade wars will stultify the potential of everyone to become rich. We are also seeing sanctions being applied to countries. We do not know the laws under which such sanctions are applied; it appears to be a privilege of the rich and the powerful. If we want sanctions, let us have a law to govern them. The fact is that when a sanction is applied to a country, other countries get sanctioned as well. Malaysia and many others lost a big market when sanctions were applied to Iran. I believe in capitalism, but capitalism has gone mad.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We human creatures are clever. We can still survive the next cycle if we task our researchers with coming up with defences against catastrophes. If we reduce our budgets for killing people, we will have the funds for research and preparation. Malaysia is a middle-income country that depends on trade to grow. Naturally, our markets are the rich countries. Now the rich want us to balance the trade and to buy more of their goods to correct the imbalance. To do this, we will have to spend the money we earn from trade to import the goods of the rich. Our growth will be stunted so that those who are already rich can become richer. Trade enriches everyone. That has been shown through the ages. Malaysia is a trading nation. Our population is too small to provide a good domestic market, so we need the world market.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We should be preparing to combat climate change in order to bring back the normal environment we have been used to for thousands of years. We should be preparing ourselves for major earthquakes, typhoons and hurricanes, floods and landslides, inter alia. We should learn how to mitigate these natural disasters. We should be constructing shelters, making rain and growing food without sunlight and evacuating coastal areas, among other things. We should have teams of well-equipped and trained disaster experts ready to rush to disaster areas. Every disaster is a world disaster. All these natural disasters may not happen, of course, but we cannot rely on that. We are wasting our money preparing for wars and inventing more new destructive weapons when we could all be wiped out by natural disasters as the planet goes through its next cycle.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are more frequent and destroying towns and cities. Melting snow in the Arctic and Antarctic is causing sea levels to rise and threatening to overrun islands. I have a feeling that these disasters are part of the cycles of change that our planet has been going through for millions of years. Could it be that the stable, salubrious climate that we have been enjoying has come to the end of its cycle? Could it be that the cycle is changing, as it did in prehistoric times, millions of years ago? Is it possible for temperatures to rise to a level where living conditions become unbearable? I think that, instead of preparing for war, we should be paying attention to climate change and the natural disasters that accompany it.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“When we go to court, we do not always get what we claim to be rightfully ours, but it is the same with war — we do not always win. In a contest between two parties, one must lose if the other is to win, but if we use peaceful means even if we lose it will cost us much less. No one dies, nor is any land devastated. The world is experiencing climate change. Malaysia is hotter than ever before. We do not seem to be returning to previous temperatures; in fact, it seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Elsewhere, powerful typhoons and hurricanes are destroying whole towns, killing thousands and wreaking havoc of unprecedented proportions. Flood waters from storms inundate huge areas of land. Sometimes there is a dry spell and wildfires destroy forest and towns, creating haze and potentially causing hundreds of deaths.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We consider ourselves civilized, but we are still very primitive, given that we accept killing people as a way to settle disputes between or within nations. There are other ways of settling disputes. We can negotiate or submit to arbitration by third parties or we can resort to the courts of law, for example the International Court of Justice. Malaysia does not just talk; we take action. We settle disputes with our neighbours through negotiation and through the International Court of Justice. We have won some and we have lost some, but no one has been killed. All this talk about not giving up one inch of territory is ridiculous. We know that, if we go to war, that inch is going to cost us far more than it is worth.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“There is no evidence that it is poisonous. Millions have consumed palm oil and have not fallen ill. We appeal to the good sense of the rich not to impoverish us and prevent hundreds of thousands of our workers from earning a living. Consuming palm oil will constitute a good deed. In keeping with the objectives of the United Nations, Malaysia has launched a campaign to criminalize war. It is ridiculous to hang a murderer for killing one person and yet glorify those who are responsible for the deaths of millions of people. Modern wars are total in every way. Not just combatants, but innocent people — children, the sick and the incapacitated — are killed and wounded. Whole countries are devastated and trillions of dollars are lost. In the end, both the victors and the losers suffer.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Unable to sustain the competitiveness of their own edible oils, they campaign to ban palm oil. It is said that palm oil is poisonous, destroys the habitats of long-nosed monkeys, reduces carbon dioxide absorption and so on. European products are labelled palm-oil free to show their dislike of and ban on palm oil. Malaysia produces palm oil; many poor countries produce palm oil. Malaysia will not clear more forests for palm oil plantation. We are just as concerned as the Europeans about our environment. At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Malaysia pledged to maintain at least 50 per cent of its land mass under forest cover. We have made good on our pledge and even surpassed it. Our forest cover is currently at 55.3 per cent, exceeding our Rio pledge. Palm oil is still a big contributor to our economy.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In the agreement, the Governments of small countries could have been forced to greatly compensate big foreign companies with huge sums of money should their decisions affect the profitability of those companies, including future profits. Fortunately, now the powerful country that prepared the agreement has rejected it. With the exclusion of that country, the agreement has become more palatable, but it still lays down trade conditions that negate free trade. We are told that we must remove duties on imports or reduce them so that foreign products can knock out our infant industries. We are reduced to exporting only raw materials. How do we industrialize and create jobs for our people? A classic case of the denial of free trade is the ban on the import of palm oil, proposed by European countries.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In colonial days, the wealth of colonized lands was exploited to enrich their colonial masters. We cannot expect much from their former colonial masters, but they do expect to be allowed to develop their own country for themselves. However, they are hampered from doing so. There is much talk about free trade, but new regulations are constantly being introduced that are detrimental to the development of poor countries. This is because proposals, rules and regulations are made by the rich, often secretly, and the poor are practically forced to accept them. One example is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It was cooked up in Washington, D.C., with input from big business.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“They were forced to migrate and now dare not return to Myanmar even when offered the chance. They cannot trust the Myanmar military unless some form of non-Myanmar protection is offered. The helplessness of the world in stopping the atrocities inflicted on the Rohingya in Myanmar Regard has reduced regard for the resolutions of the United Nations. Now, despite United Nations resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, the country has been invaded and occupied. There may be reasons for this action, but it is still wrong. The problem must be solved by peaceful means. India should work with Pakistan to that end. Ignoring the United Nations would lead to other forms of disregard for the Organization and the rule of law. All countries of the world wish to prosper and grow their economies.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Unable to withstand the suffering of war and violence, their people are forced to migrate. The great democracies talk incessantly about the rule of law, but they are selective. Their friends may break any law and get away scot-free. Israel can break all international laws and norms of the world and will continue to be supported and defended. Unfriendly countries can do nothing right. There is no justice in this world. I must again refer to the fate of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Many colonies of the West expelled non-natives from their countries upon independence, but no country has ever been as brutal as Myanmar. Even the natives of the land were massacred, brutally killed and raped in full view of the world, against the backdrop of burning houses and villages of the victims.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It is undeniable that in the past there was no such massive migration. Now the wars and instability caused by regime changes have forced people to run away from their countries. I will admit that democracy is a better form of Government than dictatorship, but democracy is not the easiest form of Government to operate. That is especially true when it is adopted overnight. Time should be allowed for a gradual transition to democracy. Indeed, the very countries that promote democracy became democratic over a period of decades, if not centuries. The result of an overnight switch to democracy is destabilization and civil war, reducing some countries to governmentless wilderness. Some have even reverted to authoritarian regimes that are worse than those that were displaced.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We need to identify the cause and remove it, but the great Powers refuse to deal with the root cause. They prefer military action and sanctions, and they will continue to fail to stop terrorism. Malaysia accepts the State of Israel as a fait accompli, but it cannot the blatant seizure of Palestinian land by Israel for its settlements or its occupation of Jerusalem. The Palestinians cannot even enter the settlements that are built on their land. Because of the creation of Israel, there is now enmity towards Muslims and Islam. Muslims are accused of terrorism even if they do nothing. Muslim countries have been destabilized by the campaign for democracy and regime change. Muslims everywhere have been oppressed, expelled from their countries and refused asylum. Thousands have died at sea and in the severe winters of Europe.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“True, the warlike European countries have not gone to war with each other over the past two-thirds of a century, but elsewhere there is evidence that European countries have caused wars to break out and arms and funds to be supplied, and have actively participated in prolonging those wars. It is apparently good for business and for weapons sales. The first act engineered by the Western countries was the creation of the State of Israel by the seizure of Palestinian land and the expulsion of its 90 per cent Arab population. Since then wars have been fought in many countries, and many have been related to the creation of the State of Israel. And now we have terrorism where there was none before, or at least none at the present scale. Military actions against acts of terrorism will not succeed.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Yet, there are among them those that berate other countries of the world for not being democratic or democratic enough. How much longer should that group be allowed to exercise that power? How long? Forever? The unspoken time frame seems to be eternal. That very power has resulted in an arms race. Each one of the five rely on its military might in order to challenge any attempt to take its power away. They feel that they must be well armed to retain their right to be the privileged five. It is that structure of the United Nations that renders it incapable of achieving its principle objectives of preventing wars between nations. Indeed, the structure has enabled the promotion of war within countries and between countries.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“On the basis of that victory, they insisted on the right to practically rule the world, and so they gave themselves veto power over the rest of the world in the Organization they built — an Organization they claimed would end wars and solve conflicts. The veto power, as they must know, was against all the principles of human rights of which they themselves claim to be the champions. It killed the very purpose of the great Organization that they had created. It ensured that all solutions to all conflicts could be negated by any one of them. Broken up into ideological factions, they frustrated all attempts to solve problems. Each one of them can negate the wishes of the nearly 200 other members. It is totally and absolutely undemocratic.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I would like to join the others in congratulating Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session. I would also like to thank Her Excellency Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces for her dedication and stewardship in successfully completing the work of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. Malaysia welcomes the theme of this year’s General Assembly, which is “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion”. The key message of that theme is “galvanizing multilateral efforts”, which is what the United Nations stands for. I will propose a few. Almost three-quarters of a century ago, five countries claimed victory in the Second World War.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“After 15 years’ absence and at 93 years old, I now return to this rostrum with the burdensome task of bringing the voice and hopes of the new Malaysia to the world stage. The people of Malaysia, proud of their recent democratic achievement, have high hopes that around the world we will see peace, progress and prosperity. For that, we look to the United Nations to hear our plea.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Five countries, on the basis of their victories in wars fought more than 70 years ago, must not be allowed to claim to have a right to hold the world to ransom forever. They cannot take the moral high ground, preaching democracy and regime change in the countries of the world while they deny democracy in this Organization. I have suggested that the vetoing of a draft resolution in the Security Council should require that at least two permanent members, supported by three non-permanent members of the Council, vote against it. The General Assembly should then uphold the decision with a simple majority. I will not say any more. I must admit that the world without the United Nations would be disastrous. We need the United Nations, and we need to sustain it with sufficient funds. No one should threaten it with financial deprivation.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We see Governments pandering to populism, retreating from international collaboration and closing their borders to the free movement of people, goods and services, even as they talk of a borderless world and free trade. While globalization has indeed brought us some benefits, the effects have been proven to threaten the independence of small nations. We cannot even talk or move around without having our voices and movements recorded and often used against us. Data on everyone is being captured and traded by powerful nations and their corporations. Malaysia lauds the United Nations for its endeavours to end poverty and protect our planet and for its efforts to try to ensure that everyone enjoys peace and prosperity. However, I would like to mention the need for reform in the Organization.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Now palm diesel is also condemned because the producers decimate virgin jungles. The caring people making those claims forget that their boycott deprives hundreds of thousands of people of jobs and a decent life. We in Malaysia care for the environment. Some 48 per cent of our country remains virgin jungle. Can our detractors claim the same about their own countries? Malaysia is committed to sustainable development. We have taken steps, for example by improving production methods, in order to ensure that our palm oil production is sustainable. By December 2019, the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil standard will become mandatory. That will ensure that every drop of palm oil produced in Malaysia will be certified as sustainable by 2020. All around the world, we observe a dangerous trend towards inward-looking nationalism.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I believe in non-interference in the internal affairs of nations, but is the world supposed to watch massacres being carried out and do nothing? Nations are independent, but does that independence mean they have a right to massacre their own people? On the other hand, in terms of trade, nations are no longer independent. Free trade means that there is no protection for the infant industries in small countries. They must abandon tariff restrictions and open their countries to invasion by the products of the rich and powerful. Yet the simple products of the poor are subjected to clever barriers so that they cannot penetrate the market of the rich. Malaysian palm oil is labelled as harmful to health, and it is claimed that the palm oil estates are destroying animal habitats. Food products of the rich are declared to be free of palm oil.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Yet poorer countries are persuaded to buy them, even if they cannot afford them. They are told that their neighbours or their enemies have them. It is therefore imperative that they, too, have such weapons. While their people starve and suffer from all kinds of deprivation, a huge percentage of the budget of many countries is allocated to the purchase of modern arms. The fact that their buyers may never have to use them does not bother the purveyors at all. In Myanmar, Muslims in Rakhine state are being murdered and their homes torched. Millions of refugees have been forced to flee, to drown in the high seas or live in makeshift huts without water or food and with the most primitive sanitation. Yet the authorities of Myanmar, including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, deny that that is happening.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Wars in the other countries can help test the new weapons being invented, and so the arms exporters sell them to warring countries. We see their arms in wars fought between smaller nations. Those are not world wars, but they are no less destructive. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, whole countries devastated, and nations bankrupted because of fantastic new weapons. Such wars give handsome dividends to the arms manufacturers and traders. The arms business is now the largest business in the world. They profit shamelessly from the deaths and destruction that they cause. Indeed, so-called peace-loving countries often promote that shameful business. Today’s weapons cost millions. Fighter jets cost about $100 million each, and maintaining them can cost tens of millions.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“There is something wrong with our way of thinking and with our value system. Kill one man and it is murder; kill a million and they become a hero. However, we persist in believing that conflict between nations can be resolved with war, and because we do so, we must prepare for war. The old adage says, “if you want peace, prepare for war”. We are forever preparing for war, inventing more and more destructive weapons. We now have nuclear bombs that are capable of destroying whole cities, but we also now know that the radiation emanating from the explosion will affect even the country that uses the bomb. A nuclear war would destroy the world. That fear has caused the countries of Europe and North America to maintain peace for over 70 years. However, that is not the case for other countries.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Let there be a State of Palestine. Let there be justice and the rule of law. Warring against them will not stop terrorism, nor will out-terrorizing them succeed. We need to remind ourselves that the United Nations, like the League of Nations before it, was conceived for the noble purpose of ending wars between nations. Wars are about killing people. Modern wars are about mass killings and total destruction countrywide. Civilized nations claim that they abhor killing for any reason. When a man kills, he commits the crime of murder, and the punishment for that may be death. But wars, as we all know, encourage and legitimize killing. Indeed, such killings are regarded as noble, and the killers are hailed as heroes. They have medals pinned to their chests and statues erected in their honour, with their names mentioned in the history books.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Massive retaliations were mounted by Israel, rocketing and bombing hospitals, schools and other buildings and killing innocent civilians, including schoolchildren and hospital patients, among others. The world has rewarded Israel, deliberately provoking Palestine by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It is the anger and frustration of the Palestinians and their sympathizers that cause them to resort to what we call terrorism, but it is important to acknowledge that any act that terrifies people also constitutes terrorism. States dropping bombs or launching rockets that maim and kill innocent people also terrify people — they are also acts of terrorism. Malaysia hates terrorism. We will fight it, but we believe that the only way to fight terrorism is to remove the cause. Let the Palestinians return to reclaim their land.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“They tried to fight a conventional war with help from sympathetic neighbours; the friends of Israel ensured that that attempt failed. More Palestinian land was seized, and Israeli settlements were built on more and more Palestinian land. The Palestinians themselves are denied access to the settlements built on their land. The Palestinians initially tried to fight with catapults and stones. They were fired on with live bullets and arrested. Thousands are incarcerated. Frustrated and angry, unable to fight a conventional war, the Palestinians resort to what we call terrorism. The world does not care, even when Israel breaks international laws, seizing ships carrying medicine, food and building materials in international waters. The Palestinians fired ineffective rockets that hurt no one.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Security checks inconvenience travellers. There can be no liquids on planes. The slightest suspicion leads to detention and unpleasant questioning. In order to fight the terrorists, all kinds of security measures, gadgets and equipment are deployed. Big brother is watching, but acts of terror continue. Malaysia fought the bandits and terrorists for independence and defeated them. We used the military, to be sure, but alongside it — and more importantly — we campaigned to win the hearts and minds of the people. The present war against the terrorists will not end until the root causes are found and removed and hearts and minds are won. What are the root causes? In 1948, Palestinian land was seized to form the State of Israel. The Palestinians were massacred and forced to leave their land. Their homes and farms were seized.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“There is a trade war between the two most powerful nations, and the rest of the world is feeling the pain. Socially, new values are acting to undermine the stability of nations and their people. Freedom has led to the negation of the concept of marriage and families, moral codes and respect for one another. But the worst turmoil is in the political arena. We see acts of terror everywhere. People are tying bombs to their bodies and blowing themselves up in crowded places. Trucks are driven into holiday crowds. Wars are fought, and people beheaded with short knives. Acts of brutality are broadcast live to the world. Masses of people risk their lives to migrate, only to be denied asylum while being forced to sleep in the open and freeze to death. Thousands starve, and tens of thousands die in cholera epidemics. No one, no country is safe.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It will not be easy for us to do because Malaysia is multi-ethnic, multireligious, multicultural and multilingual. We will provide the space and time for all to deliberate and to decide freely based on the principles of democracy. When I last spoke here, in 2003 (see A/58/PV.11), I lamented how the world had lost its way. I bemoaned the fact that small countries continued to be at the mercy of the powerful. I argued for the need for the developing world to push for reform, enhance capacity-building and diversify the economy. We needed to maintain control of our destiny. Today, 15 years later, the world has not changed very much. If anything, the world is far worse. Today, the world is in a state of turmoil economically, socially and politically.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“They also want a Malaysia that will speak its mind on what is right and wrong, without fear or favour; a new Malaysia that believes in cooperation based on mutual respect and mutual gain; a new Malaysia that offers a partnership based on our “prosper-thy-neighbour” philosophy. We believe in the goodness of cooperation and that prosperous and stable neighbours contribute to our own prosperity and stability. The new Malaysia will firmly espouse the principles promoted by the United Nations in our international engagements. Those include the principles of truth, human rights, the rule of law, justice, fairness, responsibility and accountability, as well as sustainability. It is within that context that the new Government of Malaysia has pledged to ratify all remaining core United Nations instruments related to the protection of human rights.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“A new Malaysia emerged after the fourteenth general election, in May this year, in which Malaysians decided to change their Government, which had been in power for 61 years, that is, since independence. We did that because the previous Administration indulged in a politics of hatred, racial and religious bigotry and widespread corruption. The process of change was achieved democratically, without violence or loss of life. Malaysians want a new Malaysia that upholds the principles of fairness, good governance, integrity and the rule of law. They want a Malaysia that is a friend to all and an enemy to none, a Malaysia that remains neutral and non-aligned, a Malaysia that detests and abhors war and violence.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Malaysia enjoyed a positive and active engagement with the United Nations during his tenure. The theme of this seventy-third session of the General Assembly, “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”, remains true to the aspirations of our founding fathers. The theme is most relevant and timely and is especially pertinent in the context of the new Malaysia. The new Government of Malaysia, recently empowered with a strong mandate from its people, is committed to ensuring that every Malaysian has an equitable share in the prosperity and wealth of the nation.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I would like to join others in congratulating the President of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. I am confident that with her wisdom and vast experience, this session will achieve the objectives of its theme. I assure her of Malaysia’s full support and cooperation towards achieving those noble goals. Allow me to also pay tribute to her predecessor, Miroslav Lajčák, for his dedication and stewardship in successfully completing the work of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly. I also commend the Secretary-General and the United Nations staff for their tireless efforts in steering and managing the Organization’s activities globally. I particularly want to pay tribute to the late Kofi Annan, who served as the Organization’s seventh Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006 and, sadly, passed away in August.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We cannot afford to miss this historic opportunity to benefit from the peace dividend resulting from the cessation of the cold war. It must, however, be underlined that a global consensus approach requires tolerance of different ideas and practices inherent in our complex and pluralistic world. There is simply no place for an international order based on hegemony and domination. Let us, then, work together as partners in our common endeavour to build a better world.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“The experience of the Gulf conflict also makes it imperative that the United Nations explore and put into effect all the potential for preventive diplomacy, including a more proactive role on the part of the Secretary-General and expanded peace-keeping operations. Malaysia believes that the time has come for the international community to explore also the potential of the International Court of Justice - the judicial organ of the United Nations - as a means of fostering the resolution of conflict by peaceful means and in accordance with the rule of law. The international community is now at the proverbial crossroads. We truly have a chance to build a better world through consensus and to use the United Nations as the principal forum and vehicle for the achievement of our objectives.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“While we believe that a restructured Security Council has a vital role to play, we should like to see a balanced constitutional relationship, including accountability between the General Assembly, the 8ecurity Council and the Secretariat in order that the United Nations may truly be made the guardian of peace, as suggested in the Secretary-General's report of 6 September 1991. Related to this, the Malaysian delegation has joined others in efforts to deliberate on ways and means of revitalising the organs of the United Nations, including the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Malaysia has supported the United Nations at every turn. We believe that the United Nations is the only legitimate instrument for the creation of an equitable world, for protection of the weak and the poor from the pressures of the strong. We welcome the end of the cold war, but we must admit to feeling more naked and vulnerable than ever. There is nowhere to look to except the United Nations. More than ever before, we need a greater role for the United Nations in the affairs of the world.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“And so the East Asia Economic Group was proposed - not as a trade bloc, but as a forum for the nations of East Asia to confer with each other with a view to reaching agreement on a common stand to deal with a common problem caused by the restrictive trade practices of the rich. We are perplexed to find that this objective merely to have a voice in international affairs is being opposed, openly and covertly, by the very country that preaches free trade. It is even more surprising that there should be such opposition when the North American Free Trade Association itself is being formed on the basis of the principle of the right of free association of independent countries. Can it be that what is right and proper for the rich and the powerful is not right and proper for the poor? One is tempted to suspect racist bias behind this stand.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Economic growth in a poor country cannot depend on the domestic market. To grow, poor countries must have either aid or free access to foreign markets. It would be near-suicidal for poor countries to keep their market for themselves. On the other hand, there is every reason for the rich to keep their markets for themselves. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was conceived to promote free and equitable world trade. But how can poor individual countries argue their cases in the GATT Rounds when the huge trade blocs monopolise the meetings? Who would listen to the plaintive arguments of a tiny, insignificant third-world country? To be heard, the poor must band together - not to form impoverished trade blocs, but to lend weight to their arguments.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“True, we should have to sacrifice a few thousand acres of our forests. But we can spare these, for we have millions of acres more. But all manner of campaigns are mounted against our proposals for hydro-electric projects. Mow, of course, the World Bank will be used to deprive poor countries of cheap hydro-electric power - and all this after the rich have developed most of their hydro-electric potential. Can we be blamed if we think this is a ploy to keep us poor? If the United Nations Conference on environment and Development is to be meaningful, let us hear now of the plans of the rich to reduce their own contribution to environmental degradation. If the sole approach is to link aid to poor countries with what they must do environmentally for the well-being of the rich, then the Conference will be a lost opportunity.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“If we can build sophisticated war-planes at $1 billion apiece, surely we should have the ingenuity and the money to create tropical forests out of deserts. Libya should be congratulated on tapping underground water to irrigate its desert. It is shameful that nations richer and more advanced than Libya have done nothing significant to green the world. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (crca) and fossil fuels is greatest in the richest countries. Is there really a need for CfCs for spraying when a simple rubber bulb can do the same job? Do the countries with huge populations of monster automobiles really need to use them when small cars or efficient public transport systems could us* electricity generated by hydro-power plants? We in the poor countries should like to have some cheap hydro-electric power.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“The idea that the tropical forests can be saved only by boycotting tropical timber smacks more of economic arm-twisting than of a real desire to save the forests. If selective logging and sustainable management are prevented, and consequently the forests become no longer a source of wealth, the worthless forests may be cleared in order to produce food crops or to provide firewood in poor developing nations. On the other hand, the vast potential for reforestation has hardly been touched. The deserts of California could be converted into a tropical forest, complete with rain-forest flora and fauna, simply by pumping the ground water and planting trees. Instead, the underground water is being used for golf courses and artificial lakes to surround luxury hotels.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“In our view, Jews in the Soviet Union are better off there, where their entrepreneurial skills could be put to good use to rebuild the economy of that country. Next year the nations of the world are expected to meet in Rio de Janeiro to discuss the environment. If we are to meet there, we need to know whether it is going to be a constructive meeting or a finger-pointing, third-world-bashing session. If that conference is to be productive, we shall have to face the facts and deal with than. Unless we accept the truth regarding the sources and the causes of environmental pollution, rising temperatures and ozone depletion we are not going to get anywhere in our efforts to reverse the process. If we go to Rio, let us go there to discuss and agree on a common course of action on the environment and development.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)