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President’s Message會長的話
United Nations can be better
In this issue, our theme is to promote the idea of a peaceful world so that the people can built on what the relatively peaceful world has achieved over last 30 years or so. We published the
special “Address to the 67th General Assembly general debate” on 25 September 2012 by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon. He summed up very well what we as a human family has
achieved and failed to achieved so far. He outlined what we can do to help the world developed into a better place for all global citizens. It is always a ‘big ask’ as we know there are so many
mountains to climb and so many rivers to cross. There are human weaknesses to overcome etc.
The successful nations in this century have many things in common. First and fore most, as an independent nation, Governments of various persuasion, have to overcome many obstacles and strike for
a peaceful environment which enables them to create jobs, development and security for its citizens. Domestically a nation must set up democratic institutions to ensure good governance applies
to all the citizens and their leaders. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Individual with unchecked military power can upsurge a peaceful and successful nation overnight. It can
also create war with other nation. That will affect the economy and lives of many citizens around the world. We see that time and time again in history.
Ban Ki-moon pointed out in his address the following ingredients for good governance and government, without them there will be no successful developed nations.
- Just as there can be no peace without development, there can be no development without peace.
- We shall have neither peace nor development without respect for human rights and the rule of law.
- Freedom of speech and assembly are fundamental. But neither of these freedoms is a license to incite or commit violence. The moderate majority should not be a silent majority. It must empower
itself, and say to bigots and extremists alike: “you do not speak for us”.
- Responsible political and community leaders; have always put people first, and challenges at the centre; have worked together for solutions to the problems that matter to people by day – and that
keep them up at night.
United Nations must be bold to set up international rule of law and model of good governance and government for all its nations to emulate. UN must also be bold enough through the concerted effort
of all the successful developed nations, to help the governments and peoples of the failed state to right their wrongs through the international rule of law and not rule of force. Hence we have to
restrict the use and the expansion of military power of all nations and channel their resources to peace, sustainable development and security through the rule of universal civilized rule of laws.
Let the rule of law take care of incompetent leaders of failed state so that their peoples will not suffer but can flourish and help themselves.
That is my wish list for UNITED NATIONS in the 21st Century.
Dr Ka Sing Chua
President, World Huaren Federation
www.huaren.org
27 September 2012
联合国可以做得更好
2012年9月27日
在本期期刊中,我们的主题是促进一个和平世界的理念,
基于这一理念人们便能在过去30多年来相对和平的世界中所取得成就的基础上继往开来。我们刊登了联合国秘书长潘基文在2012年9月25日67届联合国大会一般性辩论时的专门发言,他总结得很好,他说:我们作为一个人类的大家庭至今为止已经取得了不少成就但也有失败之处,他概括说我们可以帮助世界发展成为对所有全球公民来说一个更好居住的地方。这始终是一个很高的要求,因为我们知道有许多高山峻岭需要攀登,有许多湍急的河流需要涉过,也有人类的弱点等需要克服。
成功的国家在本世纪有许多共同之处。首先,作为一个独立的国家,持有不同理念的政府必须克服许多障碍并努力争取一个和平的环境为其公民创造就业机会,提供发展和安全的保障。在国内,一个国家必须建立民主体制以确保适用于其公民和领导人的良好的管理。权力腐化人和绝对权力绝对腐化。具有未受控制和节制军权的政客个人能在昼夜之间便可颠覆一个和平和成功的国家,也能制造与他国的战争。这就会影响世界各地许多公民的经济和生活。我们反复目睹这样的历史重现。
潘基文在发言中指出以下几点是良好治理和好政府的要素,没有这些要素不可能有成功发达的国家。
1. 正如没有发展就不可能有和平,没有和平也不可能有发展。
2. 如果我们不尊重人权和法治我们既没有和平也没有发展。
3. 言论和集会自由是基本要素。但是这两者的自由绝不是为鼓励和行使暴力开绿灯。温和的大多数不应当是默不着声的大多数,而应当对持有偏见和极端分子之类说:你不代表我们说话。
4. 有关的政治和社区领导人应当始终把人民放在首位,把挑战作为自己的中心,共同致力于及时解决人民日思夜想,夜不能眠的问题。
联合国必须勇于建立一个有效和良好的国际法治以及为其所有成员国树立可以仿效的良好管理和好政府的楷模。联合国也必须勇于凝集所有成功发达国家的经验,具体努力去帮助那些不成功国家的政府和人民.并通过有效可行的国际法治而不是通过武力,去纠正他们的错误。我们因此必须限制所有国家使用和扩充军事力量并通过世界文明法治鼓厉所有国家把资源用于和平、稳定发展和安全社会的道路上。用国际法治来管制那些不成功国家和不称职的领导人从而使他们的人民不再受人祸的痛苦,而能和平发展,并能自己帮助自己。
这是我在21世纪对联合国的愿望。
蔡家声医生, 世界华人联络会主席
www.huaren.org
Editorial
Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands?
Situated between the Ryukyu Kingdom and Qing Empire, the Diaoyu Islands (pronounced in two syllabus [diào yú], mot to be pronounced as “di – a – yu”) became the focus of recent flare up between
China and Japan in recent days.
Inevitably nationalism and patriotism were high in both countries.
An opinion poll in Japan indicated that 92% of the population supported their government’s decision to buy over the disputed islands, which sparked the present crisis.
In China there were massive demonstrations, called to boycott Japanese goods and threats to further limit sales of rare earth to Japan, so as to “make the Japanese suffer economically”.
Japanese auto companies suspended their production in China. Throughout the world, many ethnic Chinese demonstrate in front of Japanese embassies / consulates to stage their protest.
From a historical perspective, as early as 1534, CHEN Kan 陈侃, a Chinese envoy recorded the island as he passed them, marking them on his map. The Chinese have effectively located these
islands and named them as “fishing islands” [diaoyudao] 钓鱼岛, since the 16th century.
The hand written records of a maritime cartographer and traveler ZHUANG Tingfu 庄廷敷(1728—1800) is of particular interests. Written during the reign of Jia Qing清代嘉庆 (Qing dynasty), is
the “pearls of record” 记事珠. According to the dairy records on May 13th 1808 the Chinese Ambassador to Japan QI Kun 齐鲲 and his deputy FEI Xizhang 费锡章 paid a visit to
CEFUNG to the rulers of Rukyu Kigdom. The records indicated it was only after they pass the Chinese territory of Gumi mountains 姑米山 and Heishuigou黑水沟 that they would reach Rukyu Islands.
Situated before the Gumi Mountains, the Diaoyu Islands clearly belonged to the Chinese territory.
Indeed a 1785 Japanese map, the Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (三国通覧図説) by Hayashi Shihei adopted the Chinese kanji (釣魚臺 Diaoyutai) to
these islands, which were painted in the same colour as China.
About 80 years later the Meiji government formally annexed the Ryukyu Kingdoms as Okinawa Prefecture in 1879.
The first Japanese record of the “discovery” of the islands was made in 1884.
In 1885 the governor of Okinawa Prefecture Nishimura Sutezo petitioned the Meiji government (central government of Japan) for formal control of the islands. It is relevant to note that Inoue
Kaoru, Japanese Foreign Minister, commented that these islands lay nearer to the border area with Qing Empire. Taking this into consideration the Minister of the Interior Yamagata Aritomo
turned down the request to incorporate the islands into Japanese territory.
As Japan acquired technology from the West, they were able to defeat the Chinese in military actions. On 14th January 1895 (during the first Sino-Japanese War), Japan incorporated
these islands under the administration of Okinawa porefecture, stating that it conducted surveys since their “discovery” in 1884 and found that the islands were “terra nullius”, and that there
were no evidence that the islands had been under Qing Empire control.
As we know the first Sino-Japanese War (known in Chinese as甲午战争) war ended with Japan as the victor, and the Chinese were forced to sign the “Treaty of Shimonoseki”, also known as “Ma guan treaty”
马关条约. In addition to paying 200,000,000 taels of silver, China had to cede to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty of
Taiwan, the Penghu group, and the eastern portion of the bay of Liaodong Peninsula.
Theoretically this treaty would be superseded in 1945 when Japan lost the Second World War with the Treaty of San Francisco, in which Japan relinquished the control of Taiwan together with all
islands appertaining or belong to it. The dispute stems from the interpretation of whether Diaoyu Islands belong to the Island of Taiwan.
In 1972 the United States ended its occupation of Okinawa and the Ryuku Island chains.
Whether the islands are part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki or San Francisco Treaty, the traditional hatred of Japanese in China is still palpable. People in their 70s or older would be the
generation who suffered under Japanese atrocities and remember vividly events such as the “Rape of Nanking”; their children and grandchildren would have learned hundreds of bitter experiences in the
hands of the Japanese, including rape and various forms of torture. The lack of official apology or even an acknowledgement of the extent of war crimes and atrocities indicates that this
chapter of history does not end, and the scourge of “not admittance” will haunt the Japanese for generations to come. The earlier the Japanese population is taught through their education
system and the media the truth of the extent of these atrocities, the earlier the relationship between the second and third biggest economies in the world would return to a more normal
level.
It is unlikely that the dispute would escalate into a full scale war. The present leaders in China place tremendous emphasis and importance on peace. The Japanese and Chinese economies
are more and more mutually beneficial. Bilateral trade now stands at more than $340 billion; China is now Japan’s major export market; massive Japanese investment in China provides thousands of
jobs for Chinese workers and professionals.
The Diaoyu islands episode is a stark reminder that when you are weak and down, you are likely to be bullied, even by your closest neighbour, who have learned from you in the past, who have
incorporated your language, culture, and philosophy into their mindset and psyche.
E-Magazine September 2012
E-Magazine May 2012
E-Magazine January 2012
Chinese Ethical Beliefs
One World, One Dream
China’s 56 Ethnic Groups - Understanding China
A civilization state
New Paradigm of 21st Century Higher Education in East Asia : Governance, Accountability , Autonomy and Globalization
Speech about Governance, Accountability and Autonomy in Higher Education at Macau University International Forum
The U. S .Founders and China
Archive-Press-Oct-2008
Previous Huaren E-Magazine
E-Magazine September 2011
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E-Magazine January 2011
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E-Magazine - September, 2009
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E-Magazine - Sep 2008
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E-Magazine - January 2008
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E-Magazine - May 2007
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E-Magazine May 2005
E-Magazine January 2005
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