This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore.

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1 This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore. Title AMIC Annual Conference on Skyways, Highways and Corridors : Asia's Communication Challenges, Kuala Lumpur, June 19-21, 1997 (vol. 1) : [speech] Author(s) Anwar Ibrahim Citation Date 1997 URL Rights

2 Paper No. 12

3 SPEECH BY ANWAR IBRAHIM ACTING PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA AT THE AMIC ANNUAL CONFERENCE KUALA LUMPUR, JUNE 19,1997 This conference reflects the transformation in our thinking with regard to information and culture and how the imperative of technology has rendered old thinking irrelevant. Two decades ago, the South created a thunder when it confronted the North with its own blueprint for a New International Information Order. The bone of contention was the unequal, or even unidirectional, flow of hrfonnatiori, with the North as originator and the rest as consumers. The picture of the world that thus emerged inevitably came from the North's vantage point, reflecting its own cultural biases and political and economic interests. This information dominance victimized not only the South, but also the peoples of the North for they were forced to see things through the filters of these biases and interests, thus distorting their objectivity and reinforcing their prejudices. In essence, the South was saying that unless this inequality was corrected, the global understanding universally hoped for would remain a pipe dream. 1

4 However, the North protested that the so-called New Information Order was a contrivance by the establishments of the South to bolster their power over their own societies. It would become an instrument for these elites to legitimise, if not tighten, the control they had over the minds of their peoples and to stifle freedom. There are truths in both arguments. But the information revolution has changed the entire scenario. Technology has exploded away patterns and structures of dominance, be it the dominance of the North over the South or of the SouuYs elites over their societies. And the impact is devastating at both the international and domestic levels. In fact the distinction between what is domestic and what is foreign has blurred as every village becomes globalized. Chaos reigns, the centre cannot hold. The situation in the information sphere parallels that found in the political sphere. The Cold War global system has collapsed with the - 4 implosion of the Soviet empire and the death of Communism and a new global order has yet to emerge. Likewise, the revolution in communication technology has exploded the old information order, in place of which a new arrangement must be found. 1

5 I «The stage, as it were, is set for an intense cultural war with cyberspace as the theatre. The issue is no longer information flow, but the bombardment of cultural products, ranging from the profound to the banal and to the utterly prurient. The sacred is intermingled with the profane, the pious justapoxed with the blasphemous. It is therefore understandable that many Asians are gripped with fear over the prospect of being swamped in a deluge of images from cultures that have lost a sense of the sacred, that are marked by a confusion of values, that are undergoing moral decay and suffering from the collapse of the family institution. * But the situation is far from hopeless. On the contrary, the information revolution and the opening of the skies offer abundant opportunities if only we are ready to seize them. The readiness is all. We can in fact draw a parallel between the contest in cyberspace and the competition at the level of international trade. Several decades ago, most developing countries wanted their "infant" industries to be protected against competition from the mighty giants of the industrialized world. But it is that very protection that has been their bane; many industries in the Third World are frozen in perpetual infancy. On the other hand, East Asian economies decided to throw their baby industries into the heat of 3

6 the global competition, as it were, much like the way the Spartans raised their children by throwing them into the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. This forced them to grow to maturity, with enough strength to take on their mighty competitors on their own ground, so that the Western countries are now cowering for protection against invasion from the new Asia. We can repeat this Spartan upbringing in the cultural sphere. Asia's culture industry must now grow from infancy to maturity. Not only is censorship outmoded, but technology has made it virtually impossible for any government to exercise control over information dissemination. We produce, but let the consumer choose. The people cannot be blamed for preferring foreign cultural products because these materials are intellectually stimulating and culturally uplifting while ours continue to cater to banal, cheap and pedestrian tastes. We have managed to persuade our people to buy local goods not by appealing to their patriotic sentiments, but by ensuring that the quality of our products match or even surpass those of international competitors. It was the economic empowerment of Asia that tipped the balance in the global economic order and finally influenced the global political 4

7 arrangement. Likewise, the cultural re-empowerment of Asia will be a tremendous force in the shaping of the new global cultural order. But this possibility can be realized only if there is a genuine intellectual and cultural revival. Asia has drunk from the sap of Western culture and tasted the sweet and the bitter. But the rediscovery of our stupendously rich intellectual and cultural heritage has only just begun. The West has been pounding at Asia with great force and ^persuasion, and this it has been able to do because it has kept its intellectual and cultural torch burning, drawing fuel from both old and new traditions. It is not possible for us contribute significantly to the making of the new global culture if we remain asleep upon our treasure chest, which holds a rich store of wisdom, science and art, from which we can draw an infinite variety of ideas to give birth to new expressions, Fhe information revolution must serve us as a vehicle that brings about a great re-awakening. Thank you. 5