Boosting moderation in Asean
COMMON VALUE: GMMF to host 2nd roundtable discussion in Laos on Wednesday
IN conjunction with Laos’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year, the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF), with the support of the Laos’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, is organising a second roundtable discussion in Vientiane on Wednesday.
GMMF executive chairman and chief executive officer Dr Nasharudin Mat Isa said this was part of GMMF’s efforts to gauge the understanding of moderation in Asean countries following the signing of the Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates at the 26th Asean Summit last year.
“The roundtable discussion will give participants the opportunity to enhance their understanding of moderation in Laos and seek ways to explore possible collaborations between different sectors in promoting moderation as a common value throughout Asean,” he said.
The first roundtable was co-organised with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore on July 29 last year.
He said a seminar titled “Global Movement of Moderates and 50th Malaysia-Laos Relations” would be held at the National University of Laos on Thursday.
“More than 100 participants from Asean comprising government officials, academicians and diplomatic officials are expected to attend the roundtable discussion,” he added.
Nasharudin will deliver the welcoming speech at the discussion. This will be followed by a speech by Laos’s Institute of Foreign Affairs director-general Ambassador Yong Chanthalangsy and the Malaysian Ambassador to Laos Datuk Than Tai Hing, who will deliver the opening remarks.
He said Panel One, titled “The Lessons and Experience of Moderation in Asean”, would seek to explore the experience of moderation and resilience in Asean’s rich history.
“It will look at how the education system in Asean plays a part in cultivating moderation as a common Asean value, while promoting moderation in the region to enhance Asean’s common agenda,” he said.
The panelists are Archbishop of Davao Fernando R. Capalla, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies founding director Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin and Majlis Ulema Indonesia’s secretary Dr Robi Nurhadi.
“Panel Two, titled ‘Moderation as Common Agenda towards Peace, Security and Development’, will explore how values, beliefs and customs can be leveraged to achieve peace, stability and prosperity within an extremely diverse cultural landscape,” he said.
To be moderated by GMMF’s senior fellow Datuk Hussein Haniff, panelists include Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace chairman Prince Norodom Sirivudh, the Philippines Institute for Peace Violence and Terrorism Research board chairman and executive director Professor Rommel C. Banlaoi and Thailand’s Wasatiyah Institute for Peace and Development deputy executive director Dr Ilyas Yahprung.
Nasharudin said the university seminar was to be held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-Laos bilateral relations, with the support of the Malaysian embassy.
“The Malaysian embassy in Laos will give a special presentation on the ‘50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary of Malaysia-Lao PDR Bilateral Relations’ to 150 undergraduates,” he said.
Dr Nasharudin will present a talk titled “Countering Extremism and The Concept of Moderation” as part of the GMMF’s efforts to promote moderation and prevent extremism among Asean youths.
GMMF was mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the 65th United Nations General Assembly on Sept 27, 2010.
It gained much traction a year later at the 18th Asean Summit in Jakarta in 2011, leading to the adoption of Asean Concept Paper on the Global Movement of Moderates at the 20th Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2012.