Promoting a Culture of Peace
Six-point 'Taiping Recipe' centres on soul, society and soil
By Marina Emmanuel
The News Straits Times, 22 April 2001
Let there be peace on Earth
And let it begin with me
Let there be peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on Earth
And let it begin with me
This traditional Christmas song – unlike the more familiar Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Joy to the World, heard at retail outlets, eateries and hotel lobbies during the festive season – is not one commonly sung at churches or festive carol performances these days.
In a day and age when the need for global and local harmony has become even more pronounced, perhaps consideration should be given to extending the “currency” to this Bill Jackson and Sy Miller song to seasons other than Advent – a time when peace and forgiveness is emphasised in seeking unity.
And peace, according to Taiping Peace Initiative (TPI) steering committee chairman, Dato’ (Dr.) Anwar Fazal, is a commodity needed everywhere around the globe.
“Whether it is Cincinnati, Ohio, Bradford in England or Kampung Medan in Kuala Lumpur, we needed to begin promoting a culture of peace.”
The prescription for peace at local, national and global levels is dispensed by this pioneer of Malaysia’s consumer movement through a six-point “Taiping Peace Recipe”.
Respect All Life – Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice;
Reject Violence – Practice active non-violence, rejecting violence e is all its forms, physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable, such as children and adolescents
Share With Others – Share time and material resources in the spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression
Listen to Understand – Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and rejection of others.
Preserve the Planet – Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet.
Rediscover Solidarity – Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.
These winning “ingredients” for peace which are essentially centred on Soul, Society and Soil are further expended through 99 simple and practical ideas once can practise in daily living to attain peace with ourselves, our fellow-beings and coping with the environment.
“Tensions” says Anwar, “will continue to be a natural part of our lives … but managing them constructively and creatively is key to developing an inner peace with ourselves, the rest of the world and coping with the environment.”
His practical examples for living under the value of respecting all life is to respect ourselves as human beings by giving ourselves some moments of peace.
“Having a positive thought about yourself for at least a minute daily, reducing waste and negative thoughts about others, being truthful about others are some examples we could practise”
In rediscovering solidarity, especially in a country like Malaysia which has proven over years that living under this value is possible, one can:
Encourage harmony and unity in a community through sharing care, good news and wishes
Support community leaders in projects
Accept each other’s faith, customs and practices with love and understanding and
Taking the lead to do something proactive and not simply blame others.
Drawing from a reference an Iraqi academician at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) once made to Malaysia in calling the country “the Switzerland of Asia” (owing to its relatively small population and peaceful environment enjoyed by its people), the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak has this to say:
“We are fortunate to be living in a peaceful environment, which sometimes may be taken for granted. As peace has become part and parcel of our lives and become so intangible – just like the environment – we may not know its value until it is lost and cannot be recovered.”
The Penang based USM, therefore aims to make the quest for peace more tangible, which Dzulkifli wants his student population and society at large to “see, touch and feel”.
The Taiping Peace Initiative is one vehicle, he says, which can server as a constant reminder to everyone that peace needs to be preserved and even re-created.
The TPI is an effort of Taiping’s residents – through the Taiping Tourist Association – to make it their own town’s duty to effect peace and harmony and the rest of the world. Lending their support to this crusade are the United Nations, Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Taiping Municipal Council.
Apart from its relevance as an educational institution in imparting the message of peace to people, Dzulkifli’s blueprint for USM in this effort is to demonstrate to others that “peace is universal and can be shared”.
We want to tell our students at the end of the day that we may each be different and yet, it is possible to live together and celebrate our differences”.
This emphasis given to the topic of peace by USM is being translated in study and research areas such as race relations and globalising peace via networking activities carried out by the university’s peace unit.
“In seeking a new dimension to peace, we seem to be caught in our own rhetoric and jargon,” says Dzulkifli, using race relations as an example. “Race problems are viewed as a political problem and, therefore, becomes one-dimensional.”
Academicians and politicians, he adds are not articulating the issues well enough and this calls for a need to explore different solutions. It also calls for an expanded mindset where the search for peace should not only be geopolitical.
“We must be at peace with our Creator and Mother Nature,” notes Dzulkifli and points to resources like water, oil and even climatic changes which have served as sources of conflicts between countries.
Perhaps a saying borrowed from North America’s Oglala Sioux tribe best encapsulates the need to make peace a project and not a mere dream:
“There can never be peace between nations, until it is first known that true peace is within the souls of men.”