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

“We welcome the initiative and commitment of President Bush and Secretary Baker in undertaking this difficult task and we wish them well. The plight of the Palestinian people touches the heart of every Malaysian. We would like the Palestinian people to be treated fairly and ju5tly. If what they do to protect themselves is considered criminal, then the same deeds committed by the Israelis should be considered equally criminal. Governments which kidnap and kill people should be condemned even more than desperate freedom fighters who are forced to use violence because they can seek justice in no other way. The accelerated build-up of illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied territories is jut act of unwarranted provocation by the Israeli authorities and constitutes a very serious and unacceptable obstacle to the current peace efforts.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Right now priority must be given to putting an end to violence in black townships, reviving the preparatory process for constitutional negotiations involving the Pretoria regime, the African National Congress, Inkatha and others, as well as addressing the problems of social and economic inequalities brought about by decades of apartheid. While the climate of peace and dialogue has benefited many parts of the world, the Middle East remains the most volatile region and the Palestinian people continue to suffer under the cruel and illegal Israeli occupation. The current United States peace initiative has raised the hopes of many nations, including Malaysia, for an active peace process that would lead to a comprehensive solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the establishment of an independent State for the Palestinians.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We are glad that the winds of change have brought about significant developments in South Africa, which we hope will bring about the dismantling of apartheid and the start of negotiations towards a new, democratic and non-racial South Africa. All this would not have been possible without international solidarity, without the United Nations system playing a key role in putting the necessary pressure on Pretoria. Despite these important developments, international solidarity, as manifested in the 1989 United Nations consensus Declaration, must be maintained to meet the still-difficult challenges ahead and ensure a successful conclusion to the process of change in South Africa.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“They are helped by the Western media, which also consider it their duty to tell us how to run our country. All these combine to make independence almost meaningless. Our only hope lies in the democratisation of the United Nations, especially as the option to defect to the other side is no longer available to us. We want to remain independent but we also want to conform to international norms as determined not by some non-governmental organizations or the so-called advanced democracies, but by all the nations of the world. If we default, then it is the United Nations and not some Robin Hoods that should chastise us.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We cannot preside over the disintegration of nations into ethnic communities, particularly if military action had no role in the initial consolidation of a nation. Perhaps it may be asked why a tiny developing nation like Malaysia should be giving advice on how the world should be managed. We should not, except that what the world does, and what some nations or even individuals do, can affect us - and affect us adversely. Today individuals in some developed countries consider it their right to tell us how to rule our country. If we do not heed them, then they consider it their right to destroy our economy, impoverish our people and even overthrow our governments. These people latch on to various causes, such as human rights and the environment, in order to re-impose colonial rule on us.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Research into new weapons by all nations should be reduced and no weapon should be sold by anyone without permits issued by the United Nations. Malaysia has joined efforts with other delegations at this session of the General Assembly to work towards a United Nations arms register that will provide transparency and confidence as a first step towards giving the United Nations comprehensive authority over disarmament. We need weapons only for fighting criminals. If a nation is subjected to an armed uprising, then the United Nations should take part in putting it down. Democratic governments should be brought down only by democratic processes. Anything that goes beyond democratic processes should merit United Nations intervention If it is requested.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“The leaders of nuclear nations, the people who will push the nuclear buttons, are not safe, as events in the Soviet Union have amply demonstrated. We cannot even be sure that someone who is irrational might not become a leader and gain access to the button. Accordingly, the existence of any nuclear weapons cannot be justified in the present world. The United Nations, which is playing the role of inspector in Iraq, should extend that role to supervise the destruction of all nuclear weapons everywhere. What is more, it should control the invention and production of other diabolical weapons. Weapons for defence should be solely for defence and their capabilities must be such as to prevent them from being used as weapons of aggression except in a limited way.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Can our conscience be clear if the principal victims are the old and the infirm, pregnant women and newborn children, the young and the innocent? With the advent of modern weapons, should wars be fought or police action taken by destroying the recalcitrant nation totally in order to avoid casualties among our police force, and above all to avoid the demoralizing effect of coffins being brought home? Is it truly possible that everything that is hit by massive bombs and rockets is military in nature? Is the Geneva Convention still relevant in the conduct of war? We condemn chemical warfare, but must we still have nuclear weapons around7 Are the people who possess them concerned about the horrendous effects of these weapons and are they responsible enough not to use them other than as a deterrent? Who determines when a deterrent is needed?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Are we going to be shackled forever to the results of the Second World War? If international democracy as represented by the United Nations is to be meaningful and effective, there must be an infusion of some of the current ideas and realities. The world needs policing, as the Gulf War demonstrated. But are we to have self-appointed policemen, or are we to have a police force that is beholden to this body, the United Nations? Police action by the United Nations needs to be governed by principles and rules. Laying siege to a castle or a city until the people had to eat rats or starve may have seemed appropriate and acceptable in the olden days. But can our conscience remain clear if a whole nation is starved into submission?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Clearly, the States of the world are not equal; not in the United Nations, not anywhere. If democracy is such an equitable concept, why must we accept inequality between nations? All these point towards unhealthy and undemocratic relations between nations. Yet equality and freedom are supposed to be the sole guiding principles of this modern civilization. When the United Nations was formed, in 1945, the victors of the Second World War arrogated to themselves the right to dictate the roles of and the distribution of power between, nations. Many things have happened since then. The victors of 1945 are no longer the dominant players in world affairs. New powerful nations have emerged, while some major Powers have changed structurally; new ideas about rights and wrongs and democracy have crystallised.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Admittedly, the majority may not oppress the minority but if the minority exercise their rights without responsibility, become the agents of foreign democracies and try to weaken their own country so as to make it a client State to certain democratic Powers, must the majority in the name of democracy submit to the minority? If democracy is to be the only acceptable system of government within States, should there not also be democracy among the States of the world? In the United Nations we are equal, but five are more equal than the rest of the 166. Seven countries on their own lay down the laws which affect adversely the economies of others. A few nations on their own have taken it upon themselves to determine the new world order. Powerful trade blocs demand voluntary restraints and impose laws and rules extraterritorially.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We the converts will accept the basics but what is the meaning of democracy if we have no right of choice at all or if democracy means that our people are consistently subjected to instability and disruption and economic weaknesses which make us subject to manipulation by the powerful democracies of the world? Hegemony by democratic Powers is no less oppressive than hegemony by totalitarian States. Democracy means majority rule. The minority must have their rights but do these rights include denial of the rights of the majority?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We see differences in the practice of democracy even among those who are preaching democracy to us. Can only the preachers have the right to interpret democracy, to practise it as they deem fit, and to force their interpretations on others? Cannot the converts to interpret the details, if not the basics7 If democracy means the right to carry guns, to flaunt homosexuality, to disregard the institution of marriage, to disrupt and damage the well-being of the community in the name of individual rights, to destroy a particular faith, to have privileged institutions which are sacrosanct even if they indulge in lies and instigations which undermine society, the economy and international relations, and the right to permit foreigners to break national laws, then if these are the essential details, cannot the new converts opt to reject them?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“We are told that we must call ourselves Pacific people and align ourselves with people who are only partly Pacific, but are more American, Atlantic and European. We may not have an identity that is not permitted, nor may we work together on the basis of that identity. Is this a foretaste of the new world order that we must submit to? Democracy and only democracy is legitimate and permissible now. No one really disputes this. In fact, speaking for Malaysia, we can think of no alternative but democracy in the context of our pluralistic society. We can also affirm that we have no intention of siding with despots or tyrants or those who deny their people their right to democratic government. But is there only one form of democracy or only one high priest to interpret it?”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“But than the five fell out and the East-West conflict divided the world into two antagonistic camps. The cold war that followed not only retarded modern civilisation but converted poor countries into pawns and proxies, devastating their territories and economies with confrontations and wars. That they were not fighting their own battles is clear from the outbreak of peace in every continent as soon as the East-West confrontation ended. With these experiences still fresh in our minds how can we be assured that a new world order formulated by any one country or group of countries will be good for everyone? We are already feeling heavy hands forcing us to do this and not to do that. In East Asia we are told that we may not call ourselves East Asians as Europeans call themselves Europeans and Americans call themselves Americans.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Without doubt these changes have opened new and historic opportunities to build a better world, anchored firmly in the rule of law, the sovereignty of nations and a collective commitment to social and economic justice for all. The world is ripe for a new world order but it is hoped that this new world order will not be one that is imposed upon the world by any particular beneficiary of the current revolution. All Members of this august body called the United Motions should participate in shaping the new world order if we are to avoid the return of a new colonial era. When the United Nations was formed after the Second World War, the allied victors assumed the right to create a world order in which each of the five major Powers could veto anything that did not serve them.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“That decision will serve to defuse some of the tension in North-East Asia and, it is hoped, lead to normalisation in their relations. As a friend of both, Malaysia welcomes such developments. May I also welcome as Members of the United Nations the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania, which have deservedly regained their sovereignty. I would also like to offer my felicitations to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Malaysia's Pacific neighbours, who have become Members of the United Nations. Malaysia extends a band of friendship and stands ready to cooperate with them. The world has witnessed in the last two years more revolutionary changes than in the preceding 100 years.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“It is with pleasure that I, on behalf of Malaysia, extend a very warm welcome to His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, President of the Supreme National Council and Head of the Cambodian delegation to the General Assembly. The United Nations, which has long missed the statesmanship and the ebullience of the Prince, will I am sure be happy to welcome the Prince back to the General Assembly. Malaysia is gratified to see at this session of the General Assembly members of the Supreme National Council representing Cambodia offering definite promise of a final solution to the Cambodian issue. This is also an occasion to join in extending felicitations to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea for their historic decision to become Members of the United Nations as separate States.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“Allow me at the outset to extend my congratulations to Mr. Shihabi upon his election as President of the United Nations General Assembly at its forty-sixth session. It gives me great pleasure as a close friend of Saudi Arabia to see the world community honour his country through his election to that high office. With his wisdom, experience and skill, I am confident that he will discharge his responsibilities successfully, guiding this Assembly session to a fruitful conclusion. I should also like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Guido de Marco, who has carried out his task with dedication and innovative seal, contributing towards efforts to revitalize and re-examine the functions of the General Assembly.”
1991-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 46 (1991)
“It should be our concerted purpose to ensure that the last decade before we enter into the next millennium will be one of peace and construction for the benefit of all.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The democracies of the West were hundreds of years in the making. Do not expect colonial territories ruled autocratically for several centuries by Western democracies to become perfect democracies overnight. I have every confidence that this forty-third session of the General Assembly will prove to be deliberative and fruitful. The time and circumstances have never been more propitious. Our multilateral institution is riding a strong wave of credibility. If we can be weary of war and strife and ready to beat our swords into ploughshares then we can devote our collective energies to our economic and social advancement. The next, more formidable, challenge will be to see whether this institution can grapple with the issue of international economic imbalances in the context of the need for equitable resources management.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Acting like fanatical religious proselytisers, the so-called champions of democracy are not averse to using undemocratic and coercive means to force their particular brand of democracy on the weak and the poor. Refusal to comply results in all kinds of economic and political arm-twisting. Democracy must confer a freedom of choice. No one has a monopoly on the type of democracy that everyone should have. Certainly no one should force his own choice and interpretation on someone else. While harsh and even violent methods may be used to force a dictatorship to yield to democratic forces, it would be ' tragic if a working, prosperous, democratic nation were destroyed because some self-appointed democrat felt it was not democratic enough. This holier-than-thou attitude is out of tune with modern mores.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“This civilization of ours will be condemned by posterity if we can put men on the Moon but we cannot,, at only a fraction of the cost, give enough help to the needy on earth. Inequality is the bane o£ human society. Democracy, purportedly cherished by all, is associated with equality and equitability. While Governments are urged to be democratic, in affairs between nations democracy is noticeably absent. In the community of nations, the strongest and the richest take advantage of the weak and the poor. There is no equality there. This does not harm only in the economic sense but also in the political sense. Ideologies and philosophies, as well as value systems, are forced upon weak nations in the name of democracy.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We see living children being literally devoured by flies we see skeletons hobbling around. We see people so ill that we wonder how they survive at all. Even if we have to spend billions on weapons, on preserving the beauty of nature, the trees and the forests, the rare insect species and other things that we claim will enhance the quality of our life, we have no excuse in this day and age to permit such misery to befall millions of fellow humans. . The response of millions of ordinary people to the appeals for aid to the suffering poor is laudable. But the task is too big for ad hoc charitable efforts. The answer would lie in a full-time and fully manned authority to fight against the scourge of poverty.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The momentum created by ICDAIT last year must be maintained. In this connection Malaysia welcomes the convening of the plenipotentiary conference at Vienna from November to December of this year to adopt the new convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, which will plug an important loophole and provide for further action against illicit-drug traffickers. We are always concerned when there is extreme disparity between rich and poor within any country, but in some countries there is no disparity - everyone is just poor. If asked to imagine what poverty is like in those poor nations, we should find it extremely difficult to visualize it accurately. But we need not imagine. Today, we see in colourful detail, accompanied by sound and motion, the extent and horror of human poverty.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (ICDAIT) held at Vienna in June 1987 brought Lomé to the 138 participating countries the extent and seriousness of the international drug problem. The seeming impotence of the international community to combat the drug threat brought the realization that without the manifest political will of nations to act, and to act in concert, to counter the drug problem there can be no effective solution. Thus, the adoption by the Conference of its political declaration and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities represents a collective struggle to eliminate drug abuse and illicit trafficking. Malaysia congratulates the United Nations and the Secretary-General for that success and important beginning.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Malaysia fully supports the United Nations efforts in this regard and endorses the recent recommendations by the Africa Recovery Review Committee substantially to increase financial flews to Africa to ensure reform and development. Two years ago, at the forty-first session of the Assembly, I spoke about the initiative of the developing countries to set up an independent South Commission. The Commission has since been set up to complement and supplement other efforts in making a fresh and objective analysis of the formidable economic, social and political challenges confronting the developing countries. It attempts to identify areas for practical and mutually beneficial South-South co-operation. It is heartening to note that since its inception in July last year the Commission has vigorously pursued the responsibilities entrusted to it.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The proposal by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for a 30 per cent cut in commercial bad debts owed by the 15 most heavily indebted countries merits serious consideration. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must engage more actively in the design and creation of a debt-reconstruction facility. Proposals abound, but the international community must quickly study various modalities to relieve those countries that are carrying impossible burdens. The United Nations has provided the forum for detailed discussion on the debt crisis and has participated in the search for solutions.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Aside from restraints on protectionist tendencies, the world's trading nations must also agree on a more realistic and broad-based action on their currency realignment. Agreements confined only to an exclusive group have proved disastrous to the poorer nations, whose currencies and small trade advantages have been seriously affected. The interests of the smaller nations are best served by their representation at such gatherings when issues that affect them are taken up. The debt crisis is debilitating for the countries affected, diverting attention and energies away from domestic political, economic and social needs. While the crisis has deepened in the past year, we see hope in the initiatives of some commercial banks to write off their loans and of Governments which have converted some of their official loans into outright grants.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“While the objective of the Uruguay Round is to retain an open international trading system and to promote increased trade liberalization, we are also concerned about the opposing trend of increasing integration, which brings about greater exclusion. It is our hope, therefore, that the intention of the European Economic Community to achieve an integrated internal market by 1992 does not obstruct efforts under United Nations auspices aimed at greater trade liberalization. To maintain effectively an open and liberal international trading environment the developed countries in particular must curb domestic pressures for protectionist policies that have historically proved to be myopic, leading to distortions in trade and stifling growth and expansion.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The economic issues before this Assembly may appear to be stale issues, for they have been debated repeatedly over the years but being stale does not make them any less relevant or less urgent. On the contrary, the resolution of these economic problems, such as the establishment of a fairer and more favourable international trading environment, a re-examination of the role and functions of , the multilateral financial institutions, a review and realignment of the international exchange rate regime and a resolution of the international debt problem would constitute positive beginnings in the United Nations work programme in the economic area. As a primary-commodities producer that is also heavily dependent on exports of manufactured goods, Malaysia attaches great importance to the Uruguay Round of the multilateral trade negotiations.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The resources released as a result of the successful achievement of the disarmament process would provide a source of much-needed funds for humanitarian work and productive investments in the economic development of the developing world Outer space, which, we reaffirm, is the common heritage of mankind, should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, and we urge that negotiations on the prevention of the militarization of outer space should begin in earnest. Malaysia would also like to lend its strong support to the early conclusion of a convention for the complete prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of all chemical weapons.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“While the two super-Powers with the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons must carry the primary responsibility for bringing about progress in nuclear disarmament, multilateral approaches should make an important contribution to the attainment of mankind's objective of a safer world through arms control and disarmament. We regret that the outcome of the General Assembly's third special session devoted to disarmament did not fulfil our highest expectations but we remain hopeful that the steady improvement in the international climate will generate the necessary political will for the success of such multilateral initiatives; which provide the best opportunity for a genuine harmonization and reconciliation of all interests.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Our efforts at arms control and disarmament must proceed on all fronts and a prerequisite for any success in this regard must be a general improvement in the climate of relations among States. An important start has been made with the signing of the Treaty on intermediate-range nuclear forces between the United States and the Soviet Union in May this year. This Treaty is an important breakthrough and should generate the necessary mutual confidence and trust to allow the concluding of negotiations on the reduction of strategic weapons and on the additional verification procedures required for a complete test-ban treaty.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We remain steadfast in our conviction that a regime for Antarctica built on such foundations will better reflect and respond to the needs of our age than one founded upon circumstances and considerations which are tainted with colonialist adventurism. The issue of disarmament must remain high on the agenda of this Organization and must continue to receive the urgent attention of the international community. Threats to mankind derive not only from the stockpiling and continuous development of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction but also from the growing arsenals of sophisticated conventional weapons. We are now beset also with the problem of nuclear and toxic wastes dumped in the developing countries.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We cannot understand the haste, because all the minerals that can possibly be found in Antarctica can be found in plentiful supply elsewhere. We also regret that the General Assembly's appeals for urgent measures to exclude the racist regime of South Africa at the earliest possible date from participating in the meetings of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties have not been acted upon. Antarctica represents to us a touchstone of the constancy of the adherence of the Consultative Parties to fundamental principles and norms which have evolved through common endeavours and have gained universal currency in the course of the democratizing process of international relations and institutions.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“In raising the issue of Antarctica at the United Nations, it was the intention of Malaysia and the other like-minded countries to draw attention to the considerable environmental, climatic and scientific significance of the continent to the world. We also earnestly seek an international instrument having universal validity and serving the interests of and for the benefit of mankind. It is most regrettable that a Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resources Activities has been concluded recently in total disregard for United Nations resolutions calling for a moratorium on all negotiations on a minerals regime until such time as all members of the international community can fully participate in such negotiations.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“We are happy to note that Viet Nam has agreed to participate in the preparatory meeting which Malaysia hopes to host to prepare for the International Conference on Indochina's Refugees, including the boat people. In Central America the high expectations raised by the regionally initiated Esquipalas peace agreement have not yet been fulfilled. The aspirations of the peoples of Central America for peace, freedom and justice remain in hostage to the dictates of international and external divisions in the region. Coercive measures from outside the area only compound the problems of the region and should not be allowed to continue. It is our hope that the peace process will be given renewed impetus by the very leaders whose vision and statesmanship led to the signing of the Esquipalas agreements.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“It is our hope that the peace that we long for will bring about a climate of regional stability and co-operation which can then make possible the early realization of the regional aspiration for a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality in South-East Asia- The Vietnamese invasion and occupation of Kampuchea have resulted in the displacement of a large number of, people. Furthermore, the influx of boat people from Viet Nam seeking better opportunities elsewhere has for several, years brought further serious problems to countries such as Malaysia and Thailand and .others. Recently Malaysia has reached an understanding with the Government of Viet Nam under which the latter will accept the repatriation of those boat people in Malaysia who are not qualified for resettlement in third countries and also prevent fresh bursts.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“This meeting was a regional initiative constituting an important milestone in the process of finding a comprehensive political solution to the Kampuchean problem. This initiative should be allowed to continue. The present international climate augurs well for allowing the parties concerned to come together in the near future to achieve agreement on the issues. Malaysia welcomes the efforts of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries to complement the regional efforts on Kampuchea. Peace in Kampuchea will contribute tremendously to regional peace and security. It will facilitate the achievement of more co-operative relations among the States of South-East and particularly between the members of ASEAN and Viet Nam.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The concerns of the international community and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to prevent the return of the universally condemned policies and practices of a recent past must be addressed. The Kampuchean people must be assured that they will be free from the horrors of the past. National reconciliation under the effective leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk will not only heal divisions between the various Kampuchean partners, but will also regain for that turbulent country its rightful sovereignty and independence. The constant search by the ASEAN countries for a solution yielded a significant measure of success with the convening of the Jakarta Informal Meeting in July.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The question of Kampuchea has been a subject for debate at every United Nations General Assembly session for the last nine years. With the support of a huge majority of its members, this Assembly has repeatedly called for the total withdrawal of Vietnamese forces, restoration and preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kampuchea, and reaffirmation of the right of its people to self-determination. The fundamental issues of the Kampuchean problem have to be clearly addressed. Vietnam's forces in Kampuchea must withdraw. Vietnam should not be allowed to continue to cloud this issue. There cannot be any conditionality.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“It is our hope that all parties to the agreement will enter into the spirit of the times and bring peace and freedom to the long-suffering people of Namibia. Familiar with the record of the Pretoria regime in exploiting every opportunity to permeate its iron grip on Namibia, we must continue to apply unrelenting international pressure on the equitable to honour its commitments. In the meantime, our support of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) must continue. We have seen how SWAPO's successes on the battlefields of Namibia have forced the hand of the Pretoria regime to agree reluctantly to a negotiated solution of the problem. Pressure must therefore be sustained on the ground to prevent South Africa from reneging on its promises.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Consistent with our stand, we have undertaken efforts to provide assistance to black South Africans and the front-line States to assist them in coping with the destabilisation caused by South Africa and to enable them to cope with the effects comprehensive sanctions could have on them. A total of $US 2 million has been pledged as Malaysia's contribution to the Africa Fund established for this purpose by the Non-Aligned Movement, tie wish to appeal for generous support by the international community for the Africa Fund, which must be seen as part of a universal battle to bring about the total elimination of the system of apartheid. The agreement on the comprehensive settlement for South western Africa offers Namibia the promise of realising its freedom and independence.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The only response of good men to this crime against humanity and affront to the universal conscience must be to seek the total destruction of the evil system of apartheid. It is a delusion for anyone to believe that we can effect an evolution of the system into something more human and humane. The hideous manifestations of apartheid are seen daily in the atrocities inflicted on black South Africans. Malaysia has never been persuaded by the arguments advanced by some that it is in the interest of the blacks of South Africa that comprehensive sanctions should not be imposed against the Pretoria regime. We therefore reiterate our call for decisive action in the form of comprehensive mandatory sanctions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The best hope for a durable and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian problem lies in the convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East, with the participation of all parties, including the PLO. Malaysia fully supports the convening of such a conference and calls upon those Powers that have been the strongest supporters of Israel to lend their influence to convince Israel that its vital interests are best served by dialogue and negotiations at a peace conference rather than by the mailed fiat. Indeed these supporters of Israel must share the moral responsibility for the injustice and inhumanity committed by Israel against the Palestinians. In South Africa we are confronted with the challenge of a regime that seeks to dehumanise human beings on the basis of colour.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“The Palestinian problem, the core of the Middle East conflict, remains unresolved due to the arrogant Israeli hubris and its continued refusal to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to an independent State. Israel cannot continue to believe that it can ensure its security and survival by adherence to policies which seek to consign the Palestinian people to either permanent diaspora or permanent oppressive Israeli rule. The Holocaust cannot be flaunted by Israel as an excuse for treating Arabs under their rule in like manner. Israel's policy of dictating to the Palestinians as to whom they should choose to speak for them has been an unmitigated failure. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) remains the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“Despite all efforts, the Middle East is still embroiled in an endless cycle of violence. Israel must beat responsibility for this tragic state of affairs as it remains the main stumbling-block to any peace attempts in the region. The United Nations has not been allowed to play its proper role in the search for a settlement primarily on account of Israel's intransigence. Israel is single-minded in the execution of its policies of aggression and expansion and brutal subjugation of the Palestinian people. It has defied the international community's call for a total withdrawal from all occupied territories.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“For full implementation of such assistance can be realized only under conditions of peace and stability in Afghanistan. The acceptance by Iran and Iraq of Security Council resolution 598 (1987) as the framework for the termination of the Iran-Iraq war is a source of satisfaction to us all. The world witnessed in horror and helplessness the terrible toll exacted by the conflict for eight long years. We are therefore thankful that the first crucial steps for a durable solution hove been taken. It is our hope and belief that the resolve of Iran and Iraq to embark on the path of peace is irrevocable and that they will now turn their full attention to making the creative energies and talents of their peoples to the urgent tasks of national reconstruction and development.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)
“At this juncture, may I pay tribute to the late President Zia Lil-Haq of Pakistan for his immense contribution towards the successful signing of the Geneva Accords. My country and many others will sadly miss the friendship" and wise counsel of the last President. The withdrawal of Soviet forces must continue and be completed within the agreed time-frame. It is our hope that the Accords will be fully implemented to enable the Afghan people to freely exercise their right to self-determination through the process of genuine reconciliation. Malaysia hopes that the United Nations humanitarian and economic assistance programmes relating to Afghanistan will be able to meet the immediate needs for relief and rehabilitation as well as the long-term requirements for reconstruction of the country.”
1988-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 43 (1988)