PM’S SPEECH AT THE
SEVENTH MEETING OF THE ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN
RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS
Following is the
text of the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech
at the Seventh Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of the National
Human Rights Institutions here today:
"I am pleased to
be with all of you at this seventh meeting of the Asia Pacific
Forum of the National Human Rights Institutions. A warm welcome
to our foreign guests. I hope that you will have a pleasant stay
in our country.
The concept of human
rights is deeply rooted in the core values of the great civilizations
and religions that Asia cradled in antiquity and has nurtured
over the centuries. These civilizations have stood the test of
time because human dignity, welfare and man’s all-round progress
have been their essential concerns.
India’s engagement
with the rest of Asia has helped enrich our shared outlook towards
life. Our national culture and ethos have always propagated human
rights in the broadest sense of the term. They have upheld the
values of peace, fraternity, balanced development and cooperation
among different communities as the surest way of promoting the
well being of all.
Long before globalisation
became a reality, requiring nations and communities to accept
certain common ethical principles for peaceful co-existence, our
ancestors proclaimed the ideals of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"
(The whole world is one family) and "Sarvepi Sukhinah Santu,
Sarve Santu Niramayah (May all people be happy, May all people
be healthy).
Thus, India’s understanding
and advocacy of human rights are as universal as they are ancient.
In modern times, this was manifested in our Freedom Struggle under
the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
In the Constitution
of India, human rights have been enshrined in the chapters on
Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy.
We have a vibrant parliamentary democracy, whose institutions
closely scrutinize the functioning of the executive. We have a
strong and independent judiciary. We are proud of our National
Human Rights Commission, which we established in 1993 with requisite
independence. Most States have also established State-level Human
Rights Commissions.
These institutions,
combined with a vigilant civil society and a fiercely free press,
have complemented the good work being done by our superior courts
to uphold the rights of our people.
Distinguished
participants, the end of World War II has begun an era marked
by the worldwide growth of three seminal ideas – Democracy, Development
and Human Rights. The contemporary world, including the Asia-Pacific
region, is driven by the complex interplay of these three powerful
ideas. Under the force of these inter-related ideas, old mindsets
are changing. New national, regional and international institutions
have been created. Exchange of views and experiences has been
taking place at an unprecedented level among governmental, semi-governmental
and non-governmental agencies.
As a result, a strong
awareness is taking root that we need to promote democracy, development
and human rights in an integral and comprehensive manner.
Experience has also
taught us that only genuine democracy and equitable development
can ensure the fullest protection of human rights. Democratic
societies are sensitive to popular aspirations. They have parliamentary
institutions, media groups and non-governmental organizations,
which jealously guard the liberties of citizens and mercilessly
expose any shortcomings. Self-corrective mechanisms and remedial
measures are automatically launched in the event of any human
rights violations in these societies. Undemocratic regimes are
less transparent and therefore far more prone to human rights
abuses.
The quality of human
rights is also gravely affected by stark imbalances and distortions
in global development, both within and, especially, between rich
and not-so-rich countries of the world. These imbalances deny
equal opportunities, which is an essential condition for the fulfillment
of human rights, for a large section of the world’s population.
In their worst manifestation, these condemn hundreds of millions
of the poorest people on earth to live in conditions of extreme
want, devoid of any human dignity. For example,
- Is it surprising that the largest
number of disabled persons in the world are poor?
- Isn’t it a fact that the largest
number of people affected by the disastrous spread of HIV/AIDS
are poor?
- Is it difficult to know why almost
all the trafficking in women and children is targeted at poor
families?
These instances show
that poverty is a major denier of human rights. It should, therefore,
be our endeavour to deny poverty continued existence in the 21st
century. For this, the deep developmental divide at the global
and national levels must be bridged. This no doubt places definite
responsibilities on individual governments in our region and elsewhere
in the developing world. However, a far bigger responsibility
for bridging the developmental divide rests on the industrialized
nations of the world.
Unfortunately, the
debate on human rights is often distorted by those who take a
narrow and non-historical view of the matter. There are some who
think that the idea of human rights is a foreign import into the
Asia-Pacific region. They, therefore, arrogate to themselves the
task of lecturing to developing countries on how we should promote
human rights. Sometimes, this takes the form of interference in
the internal affairs of sovereign nations.
It can also take
the form of patronizing advice on how we need to make cultural
adjustments to conform to world human rights standards. The recent
debates on ‘Asian values’ illustrate an assumption that the cultural
heritage of oriental civilizations is incompatible with today’s
accepted code of human rights practices. We should reject such
motivated theories.
There are also those
who view human rights in the narrow sense of the functioning –
or rather, individual instances of malfunctioning -- of certain
organs of the state in relation to individual citizens or groups.
In a civilized and law-governed society, there cannot be any justification
for excesses and injustice perpetrated by the very State machinery
whose duty it is to uphold justice. Without accountability, agencies
of the State can misuse their authority and infringe the rights
of citizens, especially those who are poor and weak.
Incidents of this
nature must be checked and the guilty brought to book. As I have
already mentioned, democracies have in-built systems to ensure
this.
By the very nature
of their transparency, violations of human rights are also more
easily detected and highlighted in democratic polities. Human
rights activists and institutions have to remain far more alert
about the abuses -- and even atrocities – which are committed
in undemocratic or superficially democratic societies.
However, the domain
of human rights does not begin and end with such incidents. It
covers a whole range of issues of social and economic development,
political rights, entitlement to clean environment, and preservation
of cultural identities.
Friends, the
debate on human rights either in the global context, or in the
context of the Asia-Pacific region, would be grievously incomplete
without serious consideration of the threat posed by terrorism.
All forms of terrorism are dangerous, but the one that is inspired
by religious extremism is especially lethal.
Both the world and
our region have witnessed a spurt in terrorist attacks in recent
times. Our hearts go out to the nearly 200 innocent persons who
died in the bomb blasts in the tranquil island of Bali in Indonesia.
I have just returned
from a summit meeting with ASEAN countries in Cambodia. Terrorism
was one of the main subjects of discussion at the summit.
Perhaps no country
in the world has suffered the depredations of international terrorism
as much as India has, and for so long a time as we have. In the
past two decades, nearly 60,000 people have been killed in acts
of terrorism in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and elsewhere in our
country. It baffles us when the killing of innocent men, women
and children is justified in some quarters as "freedom struggle".
I do not need to
elaborate on the resolutions of the United Nations, which have
called all "acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations" as "activities aimed at the destruction
of human rights." They have rejected justification of terrorism
for whatever consideration – political, philosophical, ideological,
racial, ethnic or religious. Further, they have specifically prohibited
any member country to allow its territory to be used for terrorist
activities in another country, through financing, training, organizing,
sending men and weapons for executing such attacks.
We have to recognize
the truth that the single greatest enemy of human rights today
is terrorism fueled by religious extremism. It strikes at innocent
lives. It targets the symbols of our freedoms. As we have seen
in Jammu & Kashmir, Northern Ireland, and other troubled spots,
it has deprived entire generations of their birthright of normal
existence, peaceful development, and economic progress.
Terrorist groups
have international connections. They use the advances of technology
and the openness of democratic societies to penetrate into ever
newer areas. The battle against terrorism has to be fought with
grit and determination.
We have sometimes
to take tough decisions -- even infringing some of our freedoms
and abridging some of our human rights temporarily -- to firmly
counter terrorism, so that our future generations can live in
peace and harmony.
It is incumbent on
all the nations in our region and around the world to join hands
to fight the menace of international terrorism. Respect for all
faiths and protection of pluralism should be recognized as an
obligation for all countries in the world. This obligation cannot
be fulfilled merely by proclamations, declarations and acceptance
of UN resolutions. Our actions at the national level, and our
cooperation at the regional and global levels, must match the
threat posed by international terrorism and religious extremism.
In summing up, I
would say this. Human rights are no doubt a lofty concept. Their
fulfillment for all the people in all societies is the ideal that
we should aspire – and actively strive -- for. At the same time,
all of us should be aware of the imperfect world we live in. The
nature of imperfections may differ, but they exist in all countries
of the world without any exception. This reality imposes practical
difficulties in living by the ideal standards of human rights.
However, we could
move closer to the ideal if our commitment to human rights is
genuine -- not a mere rhetoric – and if governments and civil
societies work together to create a new culture of respect for
human rights worldwide.
With these words,
I am pleased to inaugurate your conference and wish it success.
Thank you".