Sowing seeds of peace and tolerance
Towards everlasting peace
By T. Selva
The Star, Star 2, 8 January 2003
The Taiping peace Initiative, a unique Malaysian move to promote peace and harmony in the country and around the world, was launched in April 2001. Idros Ismail finds out what has transpired since the launch of the initiative.
In the post- Sept 11 era, the clamour for war seems to have throttled the voices for peace, reason and sanity. The hawks seem to be having their way, judging from the threats of death and destruction against “recalcitrant” countries that are now making the headlines.
In the midst of such gloom a call for peace has emerged from Malaysia – Taiping, to me more specific. Called the Taiping Peace initiative (TPI), it propounds three main goals:
To promote the triple culture of peace; inner peace (within oneself), societal Peace and peace with the environment;
To bring together government, civil society and business to work closely in a constructive, sustainable way and;
To make Taiping a model for sustainable and peaceful living.
The TPI is a joint initiative between the municipality of Taiping, the United Nations, University Sains Malaysia and the Taping Tourism Association.
The project is eminently sustainable due to its low cost and high level of volunteer participation.
In fact, its greatest strength has been its ability to harness the voluntary spirit of the locals and the diverse skills available therein. As a result there is a renewed community spirit and an “enlightened” municipality that are committed to protecting the environment and the promotion of peace.
For such a movement to take off, it has to be initiated by a person who not only believes in ideals of peace but must be a person of peace himself. Such a person is Dato’ (Dr.) Anwar Fazal.
The TPI is the brainchild of Anwar, currently senior regional advisor with the Urban Governance Initiative (TUGI) of the United Nations Development Programme and chairman of the initiative.
He is one Malaysia’s leading social activists and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (popularly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize”) and former president of Consumers International.
In a recent interview he related the events that have taken place since the launch and shares his vision of TPI:
Q: What is the key message of the TPI?
A: The key message is that peace has three dimensions – inner peace, peace with others, and peace with the environment. Taiping is a model for all three. The important thing is that everyone can do something about it personally, with their family, with the schools, in the workplace and in the community at large.
We promote practical ideas in a booklet called 99 Ways to Make Peace which preaches sex credos: respect all life, reject violence, share with others, listen to understand, preserve the planet and rediscover solidarity.
Q: Why Taiping?
A: Taiping is a unique and meaningful place. Its name is Chinese and translates into “everlasting peace”. The name also marks the peace between warring tin mining groups towards the end of the 19th century.
And it has been a wonderfully peaceful place ever since. It has a beautiful setting – the Lake gardens, the Larut Hills, and a historical downtown with the longest old style market of immense heritage value.
I grew up in Taiping and it gave me 17 wonderful years of a beautiful warm and caring environment. Good schools, facilities, parks, rivers and a cosmopolitan population made it more interesting.
There were major military camps which brought soldiers from all parts of the commonwealth. There is also one of the most beautifully maintained war memorials and cemetery to remind us of the ugliness of war.
Q: What has been done so far?
A: The initiative has taken a multi pronged approach that involves both physical abd social programmes. We have launched a dedicated Peace Park and Peace Promenade in the Lake Gardens where you can find these words “May peace prevail on earth” in all the major Malaysian and international languages.
We have also launched the “peace pole” that is dedicated as a monument to peace. It is part of a global movement which has seen more then 200,000 such poles planted in 180 countries.
A workshop on “doing peace” involving many schools and community organizations has been held, as was a “Peace Art” programme where over 100 art students from the universities painted their interpretations of peace in the town – the popular scene being the historic rain trees at the lake gardens.
The “Peace Research Awards” have been given to university students to undertake research about Taiping, peace heritage, places, people and its past. The “Annual Peace Lecture” this year was delivered by Tan Sri Razali Ismail, former President of the UN General Assembly.
A lake education project was developed with Wetlands International. The Taiping lake is especially dear and meaningful to the town’s residents.
Q: What are the future plans?
A: We are developing a Peace Centre, taking over one of the historical buildings in town. It will have a library and exhibits including a multimedia history of the town, art shows and a resource centre.
The peace park at the Lake Gardens will also be specially landscaped. A transparent geodesic dome is being considered. Several books on peace issues will be written and a book on great peace quotations called “Peace Speaks” is being edited.
We are working with USM on a series of Sculptures to give special character to the town.
Q: Has the TPI made an impact?
A: It will take time but already schools, and young people particularly, find it exciting. Already, three international conferences have been held in Taiping, from which a “Taiping Declaration of Peace” was issued. The declaration called for a World Commission on Peace and Justice to be set up to look at the root causes of terrorism in the world.
Terrorism is threatening to spin out of control and violence is breeding more violence. Injustice fosters more hatred. It is a growing vicious cycle that can only be stopped if the great powers set the tone for peace by promoting the culture of peace and justice.
The TPI has also been presented at several international conferences. In December we plan to work with the Konrad Adenaeur Foundation for a national inter-faith dialogue called “Common values, common actions.”
Next year, we have been invited to host an Asean-wide training programme on “peace journalism”. The wonderful thing about the initiative is that it is both community and global-centred.
Q: What is the significance of the UN International Day of Tolerance?
A: It was started by the UN in 1966 and is celebrated worldwide on Nov 16. We should do more in Malaysia as we are an outstanding example of tolerance and understanding to the world.
The day reminds us that tolerance is about respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our cultures. It’s about the way of being human and the way we live and express it.
Such tolerance contributes to peace and with that comes economic and social advancement. It does not mean tolerating injustice; it’s respecting human rights, pluralism, democracy and the rule of law.
The TPI hopes to be a stronger champion of these ideals both locally and globally. We invite others to join us in this venture to make a world that is just and peaceful.
Further information about the TPI can be found at http://www.everlastingpeace.net or contact anwar.fazal@undp.org