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A Malaysian to head Commonwealth Secretariat?
Note: This article was written using some points from the speech of The Rt Hon Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative Foreign Affairs spokesperson in the House of Lords) and the writings of Richard Bourne (Associate Fellow, CPSU).
Kofi Annan completes his second and final term as Secretary General of the United Nation on 31 December 2006. Replacing him is Ban Ki-moon, a South Korean with some 37 years experience working in national and international politics. We wish him well. He is taking over a very difficult job. Kofi Annan once said “I am expected to be the world’s chief diplomat, and to run a large and complex organisation in my spare time”.
As Kofi Annan leaves office and Ban Ki-moon takes over, one wonders if there will be any significant changes in the United Nations. Ask anyone who works in international politics and they will tell you that the United Nations needs a serious shake-up. Its bureaucracy is huge and its responsibilities are aplenty. But its finances are small.
To illustrate, the budget for the UN’s core functions is around USD$1.25bn per annum. This is almost USD$1bn less than the cost of running Tokyo’s Fire Department and USD$3.7bn less than the annual budget of New York’s State University system!
There are many other problems besetting this bureaucratic behemoth. It talks about promoting global democracy yet its Security Council is more like a dictatorship of five than a democracy. It talks about appreciating diversity yet the big powers in the UN hardly tolerate diversity of opinion. It advocates rule of law yet it is controlled by countries who shamelessly flout international law.
But, as a Malaysian, I despair not. For we have an institution whose potentials are not yet fully realized – the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth is a unique network of fifty three sovereign states. Its members are all regarded as equals. The Commonwealth does not use force to coerce or threaten another member state – persuasion, peer group pressure and non-confrontational negotiations are its trademark. Unlike the United Nations or the World Trade Organisation, the Commonwealth provides member countries with a comfortable space to negotiate and to air concerns.
More importantly, within the Commonwealth, countries rich or poor, developed or developing, big or small, all share a common heritage such as the legal framework, administrative system and education system. The majority of Commonwealth countries use English on regular basis. The Commonwealth Business Council estimates that it is 15% cheaper for companies in one Commonwealth country to do business in another Commonwealth country due to these similarities. All these provide for easier transfer of knowledge and technology between nations.
It is unfortunate that today the Commonwealth’s potentials are not fully realized. Many of its members are key players in various international organisations. Some of the most important emerging economic powerhouses are located within the Commonwealth. Thirty percent of the world’s population – Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, and others – lives in the Commonwealth. And, even countries that have never been part of the British Empire – like Rwanda and Algeria – have shown interest to become a member.
As a network of equals, the Commonwealth does not have a ‘lead’ country. However, its main intergovernmental agency is the Commonwealth Secretariat, based in London. The Commonwealth Secretariat facilitates consultations and co-operation among member states. The head of the Secretariat is the Secretary-General – currently The Rt Hon Donald McKinnon, former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. However, he is about to retire at the end of 2007.
Before Donald McKinnon, previous Secretary-Generals were from Canada, Guyana and Nigeria. It is about time that the next one comes from South East Asia. In fact, the next Commonwealth Secretary General should be Malaysian.
At a time when the world is faced with dire conflicts and serious developmental needs, there is a lot that Malaysia can offer. Religious intolerance, racial discord, income inequalities, social exclusion, problematic delivery of education, the need for economic development, inefficient healthcare, and many more, are problems frequently encountered in many Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries. And these are problems that we in Malaysia have had to deal, or are dealing, with. A Malaysian leading the Commonwealth Secretariat will be able to bring in the wealth of experience for the benefit of the wider Commonwealth family.
The challenges waiting the next Secretary General is vast and diverse. The Commonwealth needs to set itself as an international power capable of balancing United States’ domination of global politics. It needs to act as the bridge between East and West. It also needs to utilize its diverse membership such that it can be the bridge between the Muslim world and others – we should remember that twelve of the fifty seven OIC members are also members of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth should also make itself a beacon of decentralised power – showing how it is possible to respect national sovereignty and allowing each country to follow its own path, while recognising the imperatives of interdependence. And it should use its diverse membership to show how free trade between countries can catalyse economic development, social progress and technological advancement throughout its network.
Let us not be fooled into thinking that the next Commonwealth Secretary-General should simply transpose all that has been done in Malaysia into the Commonwealth. On the contrary, we need someone who is able to admit that, despite all that Malaysia has achieved, we have at times made mistakes and we have had some failures too. We need someone who is not afraid to say “it was a mistake to have done so and so, and therefore the lessons are such and such”. We need a statesman who can show the world what Malaysian leadership is.
Malaysia is certainly not short of towering figures. We have individuals who have played important roles within our country and also internationally, be it in ASEAN, the Muslim world, or the global scene. One name that immediately comes to mind is Tun Musa Hitam. But, whoever it is, our government needs to act quickly and start lobbying hard, now.
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