Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	ISTANBUL, THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	15/06/97 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE SUMMIT LEVEL MEETING ON 
			"COOPERATION FOR 
			DEVELOPMENT" OR D-8 



   1.   I wish at the outset to thank President Demirel for
  the  warm words of welcome and for the gracious  Turkish
  hospitality   extended  to  me   and   members   of   my
  delegation.   May  I  also express  my  appreciation  to
  Prime  Minister Erbakan for the excellent  work  he  has
  done to move the D-8 initiative forward.
  
  2.    We  meet  here in Istanbul, a historic city  which
  has  been  the seat of Empires.  The Ottoman Empire  has
  now  been  replaced by modern Turkey, a dynamic  country
  which  I'm  sure  will   reclaim its  past  glory.   The
  vision for that has already been set by its founder  and
  it  remains only for the successor Governments to strive
  towards  it.  I am sure that the people and the  leaders
  of   Turkey  will  not  fail  in  their  duty  to  their
  motherland.
  
  3.    We are glad to be associated with Turkey and other
  nations,  in  the  long struggle to achieve  our  common
  visions.   The  members of the D 8 have  two  things  in
  common.   We  are  all developing countries  wanting  to
  lift  our  countries and peoples to a  higher  stage  of
  development.
  
  4.    We  are,  secondly, countries  with  large  Muslim
  populations.  Other countries could also fall into  this
  category  but  we  are conscious that large  memberships
  tend  to  slow  down  the  process  of  cooperation.  So
  Malaysia subscribes to the initial small membership.  It
  is  not,  I  am sure, a desire to be exclusive.   It  is
  merely  the  need  to be manageable.  Once  progress  or
  success  has been achieved we should open our membership
  to  others.   By confining ourselves to the 8  countries
  we   are  not  doing  anyone  any  disservice.    I   am
  stressing  this  because  I would  not  like  to  create
  misunderstanding or to offend anyone.
  
  
  5.    Cooperation between countries is now the  accepted
  formula for accelerating progress and development.  Even
  the  developed countries are forming unions in order  to
  grow  their economy.  It is now recognised that the most
  important  thing  to any Government or  country  is  the
  well-being  of its own people.  And economic development
  would contribute much to that well-being.
  
  6.    Certainly  for  developing  countries  like  ours,
  cooperation  for  economic  development  is  even   more
  important.   Our  people are in need  not  so  much  for
  affluence  as  they need just the basic  necessities  of
  life  in order to live with dignity as befitting members
  of the human race.
  
  7.    It is true that there is strength in numbers.  But
  numbers  can also weigh us down.  In the 8 countries  of
  this  group there are almost 800 million people. Whether
  they  will  contribute to strengthening  us  or  whether
  they  will weigh us down depends very much on  us,  i.e.
  the  Governments  responsible  for  the  development  or
  otherwise of our countries.
  
  8.    Malaysia with a population of only 20  million  is
  the  smallest  member.  We have succeeded in  overcoming
  some of our problems because our numbers are small.   We
  cannot  claim  to  know how to handle large  populations
  especially   now  when we are expected  to  become  more
  democratic  and to give voice and power to  our  people.
  More  people  must mean more different views  which  may
  become  difficult  to  reconcile.  Our  experience  with
  such  a  system is not long enough.  Yet unless  we  can
  handle  the  democratic  system  and  achieve  political
  stability, economic progress will evade us.
  
  9.    I  am not suggesting for one moment that we should
  discard democracy.  But I do want to suggest that  since
  we  cannot wait for years of experience to teach us  and
  our  people  how  to  make democracy  work,   we  should
  really  hold  crash  courses in  order  to  educate  our
  people  on  how to make democracy work and to understand
  the  limitations of democracy.  A system is as  good  as
  the  practitioners.  A good system does not work  simply
  because  it  is good.  Good people are still  needed  in
  order to make a good system work.
  
  10.   In  many of our countries the freedom of democracy
  simply  leads  to  irresponsibility.   Governments   are
  elected  which are not given a chance to govern.   Newly
  elected  Governments are brought down through democratic
  strikes   and   democratic   demonstrations    and   new
  Governments put in place, only to suffer the same  fate.
  And  so  despite the virtues of democracy  what  we  get
  from  it  is  anarchy.  And anarchy cannot  help  us  to
  develop.   Developed countries may not need  Governments
  for  them  to  advance.  But developing countries  in  a
  state  of permanent turmoil cannot be expected  to  lift
  themselves out of the economic morass they are in.
  
  11.   We are being harassed into accepting democracy  as
  interpreted by those who are mature and strong  and  can
  survive  perpetual crises.  We have a need to  formulate
  our  own  form  of democracy, a democracy in  which  the
  most  important thing is that Governments can be brought
  down  through  the ballot box and not  by  other  means.
  Between  each election the Governments must  be  allowed
  to  govern.   If they fail to satisfy the  people,  then
  they   should  be  voted  out  of  office  at  the  next
  election.   Everyone of us must accept that  our  office
  is  not permanent.  The important thing is public  good,
  not our political survival.
  
  12.   We,  the  D-8  have  come  together  in  order  to
  cooperate.  The first thing that we should cooperate  on
  is  the defence of our system of democracy.  We must  be
  democratic  but  democratic in our own  mould.   Liberal
  democracy  may  be good for some, but not for  everyone.
  And  I  don't  think from what I have observed  it  will
  work  for everyone of us.  The welfare of our people  is
  more  important than the right of a few to disrupt peace
  in  order to promote themselves.  We have seen time  and
  time  again  how  their accession to power  accomplishes
  nothing.   Our  countries continue  to  slide  backwards
  despite the changes in Government.
  
  13.   The democratic system is not divine law.    It  is
  concocted by very human and fallible people.  We  cannot
  be  accused of heresy if we disagree and reject some  of
  the interpretations of the new prophets.
  
  14.    We,  the  developing  countries,  need  political
  stability  more  than ever before.   Empires  may  be  a
  thing  of the past.  But political and economic hegemony
  is  very  much  alive.  If we don't put  our  houses  in
  order,  if we remain weak politically we will all revert
  to being colonies, in fact if not in name.
  
  15.   Without  political stability even the economically
  strong  will  become weak.  Certainly  the  economically
  weak  will  become  totally  paralysed.    And  we   are
  economically weak and often politically unstable.
  
  16.   I  would like once again to make it clear  and  to
  emphasise  that I am not advocating authoritarian  rule.
  I  am  advocating democracy as it was practised  by  the
  Western democrats during their democratic infancy.  When
  they  were  less liberal democratically no one condemned
  them  or  threatened them.  We are  asking  that  we  be
  allowed  to evolve our democracy at our own pace without
  harassment and threats.  That is all.
  
  17.   Once  we are politically stable then only  can  we
  focus  seriously on economic growth and the  welfare  of
  our  people.  We can probably manage to grow on our own.
  But  growth would be made easier if we cooperate, if  we
  exchange  information and learn  from  each  other.   No
  country is so capable that it can know everything  about
  the  management  of its own self.  Malaysia  has  copied
  openly and unashamedly from others.  We copied from  the
  West  and  when the East did well we initiated our  Look
  East  policy.  We even learn from the failures of others
  for  then  we would  know what to avoid.  And  still  we
  are looking around in order to learn from others.
  
  18.   That is why we welcome membership in the D-8.   We
  hope  to  learn from the other members and to  cooperate
  and   trade  with  them.   It  is  believed  that   poor
  countries are not good trading partners.  But what is  a
  fact  is that the rich have always traded with the poor.
  Obviously they benefited from this trade.  If  they  can
  extract  some benefit from the poor, we should  be  able
  to  do  the  same  from each other.  Only  with  us  the
  extraction and benefits should be mutual.
  
  19.   Since  we  launched  South-South  Cooperation  for
  example,  the trade between the members of the G-15  and
  with  other developing countries has grown by leaps  and
  bounds.    Similarly   trade  between   the   developing
  countries  of South East Asia has trebled in  just  five
  years.
  
  20.   The D-8 countries can increase trade between  them
  as  well  if  we put in place the necessary  policy  and
  legal   framework.   For  this  we  need   to   exchange
  information.   I  am  glad that various  working  groups
  have  been  set  up to look into these  matters.   There
  will   be  delays  and  obstruction  but  if  there   is
  political will,  I am sure, we can overcome them.  Again
  I  would  like  to  stress  here  the  need  for  strong
  political  leadership.  Political will is  going  to  be
  very  necessary if we are going to make any progress  at
  all.
  
  21.    As  I  have  said  just  now,  apart  from  being
  developing   countries,  we  all   have   large   Muslim
  population.  Islam has been blamed by Muslims  and  non-
  Muslims alike, for the backwardness of our countries.  I
  happen  to think that this is not true.  Islam  had  not
  only  inspired  the  feuding primitive  Arab  tribes  to
  unite  and  build the greatest empire in history but  it
  has  also enriched materially, spiritually and in  terms
  of  human  knowledge all those who accepted  the  faith.
  If  today's  Muslims are backward it cannot  be  due  to
  Islam.   It  is  most  likely to  be  due  to  erroneous
  interpretation of Islamic teachings.
  
  22.  There are in our countries many who are learned  in
  Islam.   The majority of them wish to see the return  of
  past  greatness.  We should call upon them to  sincerely
  study  and  interpret the teachings of   Islam.  In  the
  first  100  years of the Hijrah Islam changed  primitive
  tribes, united them and built a great civilisation.   It
  is  illogical  to  think  that a religion  that  brought
  greatness to such people could be the cause for a  great
  civilisation  to  decline and fall .  It  is  not  Islam
  which  is  wrong.  It is the ummah who have  failed  the
  religion.   How  else can we explain  the  quarrels  and
  wars  between  Muslims  when  Islam  enjoins  us  to  be
  brothers?   Yet  there are many among us  who  blatantly
  preach  enmity between us and not brotherhood. Is  Islam
  wrong or are those who interpret the religion wrong?
  
  23.   The D-8 must serve as a purposeful forum of  like-
  minded  countries to exchange views and devise  specific
  programme  of  action  for effective  cooperation  among
  themselves.   At  the  initial  stages,  we  should  not
  become  overly  ambitious.  It is  more  prudent  to  be
  cautious  and  to  plan our moves.  But  we  must  move,
  deliberately  and positively.  Development doesn't  just
  happen.  It has to be made to happen.
  
  24.   If  the D-8 is going to gain credibility, we  must
  show  results,  results  which  are  irrefutable,  on  a
  yearly  basis.   If we fail then we should  not  make  a
  pretence  of  being useful.  We should  fold  up  rather
  than  hold  meaningless meetings.  That is the challenge
  that we have to face.
  
  25.   May Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate  give
  us guidance, so we may not fail in our quest.