Well, I was reading the 15th November 2009 Straits Times Papers and I came across one of the articles regarding the speeches given by Japanese President Hatoyama Yukio at the APEC 2009 Singapore.
I managed to find the article link here.
I will copy and paste the article below just in case it is deleted in the future. However, please note that all copyrights belongs to the Straits Times Holding.
Straits Times (15 November 2009) – Shaping the future
Nov 15, 2009
Shaping the future
How about a ship of mercy?
On the second day of the Apec CEO Summit, world and business leaders continued to trade ideas on resisting protectionism and how the Asia-Pacific region can be better integrated. A look at some of the key issues:
By Goh Sui Noi
Apec can keep itself relevant by expanding beyond economics to the area of human security, Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said yesterday.
‘We need to build the future Apec with human security in mind,’ he told business leaders at the close of the CEO Summit, pointing to the natural disasters that hit the region from time to time.
He suggested the creation of a ship of fraternity that would travel to areas of disaster in the region to render medical and other aid. He added that non-governmental organisations could be brought into this project, as well as young people.
Such a ship could be part of an endeavour to encourage cooperation among young people of the region. ‘The future of Apec is in young people cooperating with each other beyond borders,’ he noted.
Another area of cooperation, he suggested, was in sustainable economic growth. ‘We need to regard the environment importantly and we need to regard the environment as industry as well,’ he said, giving examples such as electric cars and smart energy grids.
‘These (new ideas) should be shared broadly in this region and be built into a new growth strategy,’ he urged.
Importantly, Apec should continue to work towards the realisation of a free trade area. ‘We need to create a system that will advance regional economic integration that will also put in place a seamless business environment,’ he said.
In building such a system, it could show the way for the Group of 20 (G-20) international economic forum and the world.
‘I believe that Apec should put in place firmly desirable regional economic cooperation and advocate that on the world stage at G-20 and lead the world,’ he said.
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I personally liked the idea that President Yukio Hatoyama proposed and I seriously hoped that it will be put to action.
Advantages
- Imagine that if immediate help can be dispatched to the natural disasters zones at the quickest time possible with the approval of all respective countries, it will make a huge difference to all affected victims who can received help like clean water, food and temporary shelter. It will also reduce the number of people who are injured and the number of deaths.
- It can help in the sea patrol to prevent sea pirates from attacking oil tanker ships, cruise ships etc.
- It will encourage cooperation among young people of the countries in APEC and since young people are the future leaders of the countries, having friendship as the basis of the relationships will reduce unnecessary tensions and beneficial to all.
The link to watch the speech made by Japanese President Hatoyama Yukio at APEC 2009 Singapore is here.
