LID  

Consolidating smart partnership with new proposals

LANGKAWI Nov 21 - In line with the desire of seeing less rhetoric and "make visions happen" leaders and delegates at the three-day Langkawi International Dialogue 2000 which ended today have agreed on several tangible proposals for implementation.


Top on the smart partnership proposals to face some of the negative influences of globalisation and Information Technolgy (IT) was a call for a direct and alternatine news source to provide accurate, balanced and objective reports from a local perspective.
The media link - not aimed at competing with existing sources and channels - will see a website being set up allowing access to all members. In addition to the print media, it can be extended
to include audio and visual media.
Extending this media-link further, the participants agreed to cooperate in the training of journalists through attachments in various countries.
In a related move, it was also decided to establish a media arm in each national hub to facilitate and optimise the benefits of webbing with other hubs.
Also endorsed were the establishment of a smart partnership news website and encouraging national hubs to set up individual web sites as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad put it when summing up the proceedings:
"We need to get the real news, otherwise we will make wrong conclusions about our fellow members. So there is no harm in having another source for comparison purposes. We should at least have another source of news."
The meeting also decided that next year's Southern Africa International Dialogue (SAID) 2001 to be held in Kampala, Uganda, will focus on attracting direct foreign investment in developing countries.
This year's LID focused mainly on how to manage globalisation and find ways for developing countries to adapt and prepare for the New Economy.
It was also decided there should be more communication between the heads of government and senior officials and the setting up of "hubs" among participating countries.
The meeting decided on certain matters on the setting up of 'hubs'in each country, financing the 'hubs'and their structure.
The Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management Ltd (CPTM), a co-organiser of LID, proposed the setting up of 'hubs' in each participating country to be the instrument where the government and private sector as well as labour unions, media and social groups will interact among each other and share their experiences in resolving various issues.
The participants agreed that some of the issues discussed in Langkawi such as globalisation, non-tariff barriers and intellectual property rights would be followed up through the national 'hubs' of each country.
"We have decided on this issue. We should have some common stand so that when we participate in the various international fora, we will put forward similar views," said Dr Mahathir.
Several matters on the management of globalisation were discussed and the participants understand the issues better.
Social issues also gained prominence at this LID with discussions on killer diseases, including malaria which was rampant in some African countries