Date: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Time: 08.00 - 10.00 GMT+7
Platform: Zoom Meetings & Youtube Livestream
Speaker: H.E. José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Laureate and President of Timor Lester (2007-2012)
Moderator: Dr. Razwana Begum, Singapore University of Social Sciences
There are some of the preliminary problems Asian leaders have to urgently look at: on how to rescue our extremely damaged environments impacting on forest areas and impacting on freshwater resources, the nuclearization of Asia, the territorial disputes, and the real challenge to the so-called ASEAN way of mediation, resolving conflicts, and the ASEAN centrality. It’s not possible for individual countries to resolve the problems of the entire region. There has to be an increasing strengthening of ASEAN partnerships, or greater dialogue within ASEAN and between ASEAN and Northeast Asia.
We would see an extraordinary new century for Asia, but what are the secrets or the ingredients and the key elements in successful leadership and in successful regional partnerships in handling tensions and conflicts?
Well, obviously there is no substitute for one, and that is leadership. One quality is leaders who are gifted. The second one is humility and accessibility to stay connected with their people. Reach out to them, because that’s the only way for ASEAN and other regional countries and blocks to thrive and together address security, political, economic, and social challenges.
A humble leader easily understands the connectivity with the people, easily understands that a leader has to have compassion that comes from the heart, because only humility and compassion leads you to inspire you or to resolve differences in the country. We also talk about church, congressional, and mosque leaders. Also, so much of the successful peacebuilding depends on the role of youth leaders. You have a great role in that, to build peace in your communities, in your country.