‘What kind of LI do we need?’

Text of the speech by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, MP Chair of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats at the Seminar for International Officers during the 2011 Liberal International Manila Congress

I am grateful to LI for having suggested this topic at the first Congress of Liberal International to take place in Asia. The efforts made by the LI Secretariat to internationalize LI over the last couple of decades are admirable, and I hope they will achieve even greater successes over the decade to come.

In expanding LI, we need of course to make sure that the core values of Liberalism are not diluted. I know there have been questions asked in the past of some of the parties within LI, and I believe this is a healthy practice. The Thai Democrats, the Sri Lankan Liberal Party, the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party, the Sam Rainsy Party, Gerakan in Malaysia, have all been asked about practices that suggest to our European friends that liberal principles might be in danger, and I believe we should welcome such questions, because it also helps us with our own thinking.

LI members

What is unfortunate is when doubts translate into motions that do not take into account the actual situation on the ground in our various countries. For instance, a year ago a motion was passed about Thailand at the Executive Committee meeting of LI, which had not been properly discussed with the Democrat Party. The LI President apologized for this, and I do not think LI itself will act in the same way again, but we need to make sure that all LI members accept the need for continuing consultation with fellow members before they leap to conclusions.

Conversely, we find few instances of such questioning with regard to what might seem aberrations on the part of European parties. I am sure there are good reasons for the way in which the Danish Liberals behave on immigration issues, for the Dutch Liberals to have an understanding with what seems to us an extremist party, for British Liberals to support what seems a successor to a terrorist group. But these are areas which Liberals on this side of the world find problematic, and I hope LI will recognize our concerns and ensure parity so that the questioning is not just one-way traffic.

Market principles

Two issues in particular should be highlighted here, in which we would welcome greater attention by LI to concerns that might seem parochial and irrelevant from a Western standpoint. One is to ensure emphasis also on the free movement of people, when we discuss free trade in goods and services and finance. As the distinguished Philippine Senator Pimentel once remarked, discussions as to free trade centre on what the West is good at and wants to send to us, whereas they should also appreciate what we are good at, namely labour, and promote market principles in that area too.

Second is the question of Israel, which as our debates in recent years have shown seems almost a sacred cow to some European Liberals. I can understand the reasons for this, given the appalling way in which not just some but several Europeans behaved with regard to the Jews, not just in Nazi times, but even before. Efforts to make up for that must be appreciated, and indeed encouraged.

United Nations

However, from the point of view of many people outside Europe, recompense was made largely at the expense of others who had not been responsible for the Holocaust. It was the Palestinians who suffered, first through sponsored immigration after the inequitable decision to hand Palestine over to the British as a mandate after the first World War, contrary to commitments made to the Arabs - and then through the decision to establish a State of Israel. Though it is argued that this was a decision of the United Nations, it must be remembered that the United Nations in those days was essentially a White Man’s Club.

Despite that, I believe almost all countries agree that that decision cannot now be changed, and we should work together to ensure that Israel continues to exist and flourish within those prescribed borders. But unfortunately we have a situation now where expansion is not just permitted, but apparently encouraged, by those who will not stand firm on principles with regard to preventing the expropriation of the land of Palestinian peasants.

Ultimately we realize that politicians need to respond to their electorates. But as Liberals we believe that there are certain principles that must transcend both prejudice and electoral popularity. I believe we need in LI to explore this question thoroughly, and devise a programme that will ensure justice for the Palestinians whilst ensuring security for Israel. LI is the only international political grouping that can claim to be reasonably representative of the world at large. I hope it will take a lead in helping the world to settle an issue that has caused so much resentment, that will continue to fuel extremism on all sides, unless it is settled through universally agreed and universally applicable principles, based on the equal weight of all individuals, not preferences based on guilt as well as greed.