OPENING ADDRESS BY

HIS MAJESTY SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH MU’IZZADDIN WADDAULAH IBNI AL-MARHUM SULTAN HAJI OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIEN SA’ADUL KHAIRI WADDIEN

THE SULTAN AND YANG DI-PERTUAN OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

AT THE OPENING OF THE SEVENTH CONFERENCE OF THE ASEAN MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMATION (AMRI)

THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

FRIDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2002

ASSALAMUAKAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUH.

BISMILLAH HIRRAHMAN NIRRAHIM.

ALHAMDULILLAHI RABBIL ‘ALAMEEN, WABIHEE NASTA’EENU ‘ALAA UMMURIDDUNYA WADDEEN, WASSALAATU WASSALAAMU ‘ALAA ASYRAFIL MURSALEEN, SAYYIDINAA MUHAMMADIN, WA’ALAA AAIHEE WASAHBIHEE AJMAAEEN, WABA’DU.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

A VERY GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL. I AM DELIGHTED TO WELCOME YOU TO BRUNEI DARUSSALAM. WE ARE COMING TOWARDS THE END OF A LONG VERY BUSY ASEAN YEAR FOR US IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM.  IT BEGAN WHEN WE HOSTED THE LEADERS’ SUMMIT AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE RECEIVED MINISTERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES AND COLLEAGUES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE THROUGHOUT OUR REGION.

IT HAS BEEN FAR MORE THAN A DUTY. IT HAS BEEN AN HONOUR, A PRIVILEGE AND A VERY GREAT PLEASURE. AS WE LOOK BACK ON IT, ONE THING STRIKES US ABOVE ALL ELSE. IT HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUS LEARNING EXPERIENCE. IT HAS TAUGHT MANY THINGS. BUT PERHAPS THE MOST COMFORTING IS THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE. WE HAVE COLLEAGUES, NEIGHBOURS, PARTNERS IN WHOM WE CAN TRUST AND WHOM WE CAN CONFIDENTLY WORK TOGETHER. THESE ARE NOT FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS, EITHER. THEY ARE WITH US IN GOOD AND BAD TIMES. WE HAVE LEARNED TO APPRECIATE THEM INDEED. WE HAVE GAINED A VALUABLE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW IMPORTANT OUR ASSOCIATION IS TO THE LIVES OF EVERY COMMUNITY AND EVERY FAMILY IN OUR COUNTRY.

FOR THOSE OF US IN GOVERNMENT, THERE HAVE BEEN VITAL LESSONS ALSO. WE HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT ANY SUCCESS WE MAY HAVE IN OUR WORK GREATLY DEPENDS ON THE RELATIONS WE ESTABLISHED WITH OUR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS IN THE REST OF SOUTH EAST ASIA. SO, IF THERE IS ONE MESSAGE WE WOULD LIKE TO PASS ON TO ALL OF OUR FELLOW MEMBERS OF ASEAN, IT IS A CLEAR AND SIMPLE ONE.

SOUTHEAST ASIA IS NO LONGER A GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION NO LONGER A RANDOM COLLECTION OF STATES. IT IS ASEAN. WE ARE NOW AN ASSOCIATION IN THE FULLEST SENSE OF THE WORD, STANDING FOR UNITY OF VISION, UNITED OF DIRECTION,AND UNITY OF PURPOSE. OUR MINISTERS HAVE CLEARLY STATED THIS. WE AS LEADERS HAVE STRONGLY ENDORSED THIS. OUR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS HAVE BRAVELY COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO THIS. PERHAPS, EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WE REPRESENT ARE BEGINNING

TO SENSE THIS. IT IS WHAT HAS HELPED US WEATHER MAJOR ECONOMIC STORMS. IT IS WHAT HAS STRENGTHENED OUR RESOLVE TO BUILD LASTING REGIONAL SECURITY. IT IS SHIELDING US FROM THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF GLOBALISATION. AND IT IS ENABLING US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROMISE OFFERED BY THE NEW TECHNOLOGY.

THIS IS THE SUM OF ASEAN’S LONG AND DISTINGUISHED RECORD. IN MANY WAYS IT IS THE FULFILLMENT OF AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE VISIONS OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS OVER 30 YEARS AGO. IT REPRESENTS, OF COURSE, ONLY ONE PART OF THAT VISION. IT CAN NEVERTHELESS BE REGARDED AS A TAKING-OFF POINTS FOR OUR EFFORTS TO REALIZE ALL THAT STILL REMAINS TO BE DONE. FOR THAT TO BE ACCOMPLISHED, HOWEVER, ONE ESSENTIAL THING IS STILL NEEDED. OUR PEOPLE MUST BE DRAWN EVEN CLOSER INTO THE ASEAN PROCESS. I MENTION THIS IN MY ADDRESS TO OUR ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING IN JULY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT IT HERE. IF ASEAN “INTEGRATION” IS TO HAVE LASTING MEANING, ALL THE CITIZENS IN OUR REGION MUST BE CONVINCED THAT THEY HAVE A REAL STAKE IN THE ASSOCIATION’S SUCCESS…A FULL STAKE….. IN A VITAL PARTNERSHIP. I SAY THIS, BECAUSE I AM NOW ADDRESSING THE VERY PEOPLE WHO CAN DO THIS IS OUR MINISTERS OF INFORMATION AND YOUR STAFF. YOUR ARE THE ONES WHO CAN ARTICULATE AND EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT THAT STAKE IS. NOT JUST IN COLD, BARE FACTS. BUT IN WAYS THAT CAN EXCITE AND INSPIRE OUR PEOPLE. IT IS THROUGH YOU, THAT THEY CAN FEEL CONFIDENT IN THE FUTURE. IT IS THROUGH YOU, THAT THEY CAN LEARN TO WORK TOGETHER AS FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS AND COLLEAGUES AND NO MATTER WHAT THEIR BACKGROUND, CULTURE OR RELIGION, BECOME TRUE CITIZENS OF ASEAN.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES

IN YOUR EXCELLENT AND FORWARD-THINKING MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, YOU HAVE SET UP A FRAMEWORK FOR POSITIVE ACTION. THERE ARE NOW INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED LOCAL PRINT AND VISUAL MEDIA RAPIDLY EMERGING ALL OVER THE REGION. EXCITING NEW TECHNOLOGY IS OPENING UP AROUND US. SO, YOU HAVE THE TOOLS YOU NEED. THERE IS A RICH ABUNDANCE OF TALENTS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. SO, YOU ALSO HAVE THE MEANS TO USE THESE TOOLS. ADDED TO THIS IS YOUR OWN SENSITIVITY, YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE AND YOUR AWARENESS OF THE SPECIAL WAYS OF WORKING THAT KEPT US TOGETHER FOR SO LONG. THIS WILL PROVIDE THE WISE DIRECTION THAT WILL BE CALLED FOR. FINALLY, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT YOU HAVE THE FULL SUPPORT OF YOUR NATIONAL LEADERS.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES,

THERE ARE NOW MANY ASEAN MINISTERIAL GATHERINGS. EACH ONE IS A SEPARATE STRAND IN A PATTERN OF SUCCESS WE ARE WEAVING. BUT EACH ONE ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE WHOLE. IN YOUR CASE, IT IS A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION. IT IS YOU WHO BIND EVERYTHING ELSE TOGETHER. IT IS YOU WHO PRESENT OUR WORK IN THE MARKET OF REGIONAL OPINION AND IN THE GREAT SHOWROOM OF INTERNATIONAL JUDGEMENT.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES,

IF OUR CITIZENS ARE NOT MADE CONSISTENTLY AWARE OF ASEAN’S RELEVANCE IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, ALL OUR WORKS WILL FOUNDER. IF THE WORLD IS NOT CONVINCED OF OUR ABILITY TO REALIZE ASEAN VISION, WE WILL AT BEST BE CONSIGNED TO THE MARGINS OF GLOBAL INTEREST. AT WORST, WE COULD EVEN BE WRITTEN OFF COMPLETELY. SO, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS INDEED HIGH. THE WAY ASEAN IS REGARDED AT HOME AND ABROAD IS NOW LARGELY IN YOUR HANDS. YOU HAVE ALREADY PROVED THAT YOUR ARE PREPARED TO ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOUR ARE UNDERTAKING IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT AREA. I WISH YOU ENORMOUS SUCCESS BOTH HERE AND IN ALL YOUR FUTURE EFFORTS.

AND WITH THE KALIMAH “BISMILLAAH HIRRAHMAAN NIRRAHEEM”, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO DECLARE OPEN THE SEVENTH CONFERENCE OF ASEAN MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMATION.

WABILLAHIT TAUFEK WAL-HIDAYAH, WASSALAMU ‘ALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUH.