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Excerpts of the lecture delivered by Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Singapore under the theme `Towards a new Asian Identity' at Nanyang Technological University. Singaporean Foreign Minister Prof. S. Jayakumar presided the event.

A theme such as 'Asian Identity' has by its very nature a broader perspective and long-term vision, seemingly more relevant to historians and social scientists rather than to foreign ministers preoccupied as they are with day-to-day guidance of foreign affairs both in policy formulation and implementation.

I see the quest for a 'New Asian Identity' not merely as a philosophical pursuit but as a possible foundation for building and strengthening structures, frameworks and mechanisms to pursue dialogue, cooperation and integration across the continent in a broad range of fields.

Singapore as a meeting place of major Asian civilizations - an island nation open to the world at large integrated with the global economy - is an appropriate venue to reflect together and share our thoughts on the quest for a 'New Asian Identity'.

Geographically 'Asia' stretches over an immense area accounting for approximately 30% of the Earth's land mass and is home to over 3.72 billion people, more than half the world's population. The continent's sheer diversity in terms of political entities, their peoples, cultures, languages, religions, economic systems and development levels is quite striking.

Why is national or regional identity of concern to the world community? In the words of Ananda Coomaraswamy, a country which `substitutes for its own character a cosmopolitan veneer must come before the world empty handed'. It is identity that drives the aspirations of a people and defines the nature of socio economic development and socio economic environment they seek for themselves. Comprehension of the existence of different identities and thus different modes of seeking prosperity and development for a nation or region would lessen tension born of misconception and permit each to traverse a different path to the same summit. The right to differ and non rejection of those who differ is a pre-requisite for lowering the threshold for conflict and leads to peaceful co-existence.

As one ponders over the map of Asia with this definition in mind it becomes clear that Asians have varying cultures that give rise to varying identities whose boundaries do not necessarily coincide with neither political nor geographical boundaries. Yet is it not possible to discern 'Asian' characteristics, which goes beyond physical features in an individual from Asia as compared with someone from Africa, Europe or the Americas? The commonalities that make the individuals a part of Asia and the differences that sets them apart could, with a little imagination, be set out like the Activity Series of the Elements - those to the right of the series being more Asian and to left being less - but nonetheless Asian.

Asian values embraced concepts such as the community taking precedence over individuals and social and economic right, taking precedence over civil and political rights. It is to be noted that Hinduism, Confucianism Buddhism, Islam and Christianity originated in Asia and spread through this region and continue to influence the thinking and behaviour of the people of Asia. Therefore, it is only natural that these religious teachings and philosophies should contribute towards the core values that would impact an Asian identity. Subsequently these core values have been infused with other influences that came in the wake of the spread of colonisation and Communism. Even though these external factors modified the Asian identity, Asian culture and its people continued to retain distinctive Asian characteristics. Asia is, therefore, rich in spirit although the west may be rich in material wealth.

In recent years, South East Asian countries have been trying to determine what it means to be `Asian' and identify a set of values that are unique to Asia.

Countries like Singapore with its `shared values' and Malaysia with its policy of Rukun Negara for example, have begun to develop sets of core values along the lines of Indonesia's Pancaseela - a set of principles, but in place during the last 50 years since Independence, a developing state of ideology. They are: - believe in one God, Humanitarianism, National Unity, Democracy through consensus and Social justice.

Similarly, it has been argued that, `Singaporeans have a unique and time tested value system which they must uphold and impart to the younger generation. This would ensure that the country continued to have a well-disciplined and united people willing work hard with the government. They include: The determination of work hard for the family, a strong desire to give the best education to the children, the willingness to live with others to maintain peace harmony, respect for authority in preserving law and order. Readiness to support any efforts to promote social responsibility and enhance social discipline and the collective wisdom to elect a strong and good government successively and support government leaders and policies consistently.

Lee Kuan Yew, soon after the East Asian crisis explained Confucianist principle as, "the difference between being a trustee and being an owner is a fundamental one. You owe a duty to your family and loyalty to your friends, to help and support them. But you must do that from your private resources, not public resources. That's Confucianism. But this value is degraded when you use public resources through your official position to do your duty to your family and be loyal to your friends. That is wrong, and what we guard against".

In this context, it is relevant to cite humankind's greed driven over consumption of Earth's resources. The concern for development seems to blind us to the fact that we are consuming natural resources at a rate that does not keep pace with Earth's ability to replenish them. Water, a substance vital for the very existence of life, is in short supply due to callous consumption patterns and or climate change - again at least partly brought on by human interference in the ecology.

Sometimes the sources of water are polluted due to seepage of fertiliser. Alarming is the news of slow arsenic poisoning of the Bangladeshi population consuming water from deep wells. The air we breathe is polluted as the atmosphere has become the dumping ground for gases inimical to our well being. Depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere caused by gases that destruct it allows cancer causing UV rays to enter the atmosphere.

Short sightedness and selfishness precludes us from making adjustments for the common good and we hurtle towards disaster. Is this not where Asian concern for the community lead the world towards more responsible planning and action?

As Asia discovers its 'Asian Identity' it must also develop an Asian strategy to development and face the above challenges. To merely copy the Western theory of more and more consumption being the motive force for development and the force that leads to increased production will only spell disaster. Development must take into account more equitable distribution of resources and equilibrium in the utilisation of natural resources and their replenishment.

In its quest for equitable distribution of resources, Asia has an added responsibility, as poverty has been and continues to be a burden for the majority in Asia, where more than half the world's 6.14 billion population is living.

World Bank statistics reveal that 43.5% of the world's 1.2 billion people with an income level below a dollar a day lives in South Asia and 23.2% in East Asia and the Pacific region which totals to 65.7% for these regions alone - A grim picture indeed.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon us in Asia to alleviate poverty and search for modalities of development that will permit a more equitable distribution of wealth and not wait for mere trickle down economics to lift the poor out of poverty. In 1990 the 5th SAARC Summit set up the Independent Poverty Alleviation Commission to look into to the empowerment of the poor and their mobilization and involvement in development. Yet, poverty is an endemic scourge in the region. Women and children have been recognised to be the most vulnerable segments in South Asian society and two important regional conventions to ease their burdens were concluded at the last SAARC Summit in Kathmandu early this year.

In this regard I would like to cite a news item which I chanced upon recently in a Sri Lankan newspaper that states that in Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej in an attempt to find corrective measures to the 'Asian Economic crisis endorsed in 1998 the concept of 'Sufficiency Economics' based on Buddhist philosophical principles. The statement issued explained that "sufficiency means moderation and due consideration in all modes of conduct, as well as the need for protection from and external shocks".

It elaborated, "it is essential to strengthen the moral fibre of the nation, so that everyone, particularly political and public officials, technocrats, businessmen and financiers, adheres first and foremost to the principles of honesty and integrity". No doubt one would agree that these principles should be of universal value and should not confine itself to the domain of Buddhist philosophy. The King's 'Sufficiency Economics' according to Prof. Apichai Puntasan of Bangkok's Thammasat University envisages a reorientation of economic activities that permit full employment and economic security for all at grassroots level and foregoes rapid economic growth in the short term and accords with the concept of poverty alleviation and sustainable development. As Mahatma Gandhi has pointed out we have enough trouble satisfying our needs, so why burden ourselves with additional wants.

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