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World peace: Man's greatest challenge
Over the course of history, humans have ascended heights unknown to any other species on the planet. We have tamed fire, learned to fly, left earth's orbit. These achievements illustrate the best side of human nature: our ability to work together, to learn and to progress. But there is another side to human behavior.Despite the coming of civilization and modernity, we have yet to turn our backs on the most primitive pastime of all. Despite millennia of progress, the technology that distinguishes our species is used not just to advance our shared ambitions, but also to destroy them.
Throughout our history, humans have resorted to war. Whether in the name of plunder, conquest or religion; whether motivated by anger, fear or greed, we have continued to kill and maim at ever greater scale. And all the knowledge we have gained over centuries – the achievements of our remarkable species – come to naught if we cannot live in peace as a people of one world.
All nations have a common responsibility to break with our past and create a better future; to secure a just, equitable and durable peace. Here the international community faces, perhaps, its greatest challenge: peace not just during our time but peace for all times.This challenge must be met collectively. It is imperative that we achieve a peace premised upon a covenant of the willing and not one enforced by hegemony or secured through coercion. Peace can only be achieved if we are willing to constructively engage each other and embrace dialogue in place of conflict.
It is this spirit that inspires Malaysia's former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad who has always stood solidly against war.
Speaking at conferences across the world Tun Dr Mahathir has worked hard to deliver a simple message: that war will never create the kind of world that we all seek.
It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to endorse the Mahathir Award For Global Peace and to congratulate its inaugural recipient. By drawing attention to the cause of world peace, it is my hope that this award will inspire many more to work towards creating a more peaceful future.
YAB Dato' Sri Dr Mohd Najib Tun Razak Prime Minister Malaysia
Turning the tide from war to peace
The world is not at peace. We can only dream that such a world will come into being in the future because our past and the present has seen violence escalate. Peace can only happen if we invest our efforts today to make it the possibility of tomorrow. But so long as we wage war against each other the possibility shrinks with every new technology to boost its power.But war is a global business. It has become profitable to promote conflict, kill and maim innocent people, overturn functional families and make them refugees. War contributes to escalate poverty. The biggest beneficiaries are those nations that profit from it and these are usually from the developed world.Violence escalates as warmongers manipulate politics and media
Conflicts around the world continue to rage, pitting people and nations against each other, escalating mistrust and misunderstanding. War is being used to force peace but peace can never be gained at the barrel of a gun. Despite the great advancements we have made as a people of one world, the noble values that we share as common to all religions, such as compassion and tolerance are being drowned out by warmongers who seek the profits they gain from the sale of weapons. Warmongers continue to manipulate using every means that they possess from politics to media to intensify tensions between people and nations for their own commercial purposes. It is therefore critical that peace advocates, whether they are part of a religion or a non-government organization, must rally to overcome the actions of those who act for war. And peace is for everyone, that includes both the peace advocate as well as the warmonger.
Peace makes better business sense
Peace means different things to different people and many will pay top dollar for it. Peace means privacy to the rich and famous. It is about style and comfort. You need peace to create a conducive environment for the lifestyle of the wealthy. You need peace to set up industrial zones and commercial centres.
You need peace to build the human resource that will staff the factories, supermarkets, banks and all range of retail and non-retail businesses.You need peace for farmers to nurture the crops that feed us all. You need peace for fishermen to risk their lives out on the sea.You need peace for children to grow up strong and healthy, imbued with the right values and appreciative of their cultural heritage. You need peace to plan for the future.
Peace is fast becoming a rare commodity
Peace is a commodity that is becoming rare in a world rent apart by conflict on one hand and damaged by nature' s capriciousness on the other. Peace is the opposite of war. If war is everything that is negative, then peace is everything that is positive. The price for peace is goodwill, values, ethics, integrity, truth, honesty, sincerity, kindness, concern, care, morals, principles, compassion, benevolence and more of similar ilk.
Championing peace through dialogue and negotiation
A long-lasting durable peace can only be achieved through dialogue between rival parties. Negotiation is the way of the civilized and Mankind has reached that state of progress where we must show that we have discarded barbarism in favour of peaceful settlement of differences.
Honouring Nelson Mandela for his contribution to global peace
Former President of South Africa has clearly shown us that the long walk to global peace begins in our own hearts. We honour him with the Lifetime for Peace and Freedom recognition so he may serve as the role model for youths around the world.
Mahathir Award for Global Peace – inspired by a global icon for peace
The Mahathir Award for Global Peace has been established with the kind permission of Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad to be a catalyst for youths from around the world to share in his vision of a more just and peaceful world. It is only through their participation can we be more certain that we will be able to achieve our objectives.
Rallying youth support for peace to safeguard the future
Through youths we have a clear pathway into the future and by putting in place actions in the present time we will be able to build the momentum that will ensure peace is a sustainable feature of the future. There will be a concerted effort online to connect with all youths in all universities. Through them we can put into implementation programmes to eradicate poverty which is one of the major causes of conflict.
We must drown out the voices that seek war by building a global momentum for peace.
Hon.Tan Sri Dato' Sri Paduka Limkokwing Initiator and Chairman, Board of Trustees Mahathir Global Peace Foundation
Tan Sri Dato' Sri Paduka Limkokwing