The First Asia-Europe Young Urban Leaders’ Dialogue in Madrid, Spain was a much-needed respite from my daily responsibilities. I felt more energized and revitalized to continue with my own duties, especially after having listened to many of the thought-provoking speeches and meeting so many inspiring young leaders from both Asia and Europe.
Before this dialogue, I never really understood why the government and police allow Bangkok’s sidewalks to be full of people selling things, making it extremely difficult for pedestrians. I know that corruption is one explanation, but I was always thinking from the perspective of a pedestrian and an average citizen, never from that of a hawker. Dr. Goh Ban Lee’s presentation gave me the answer: non-compliance. He explained that if people were to comply with the rules and regulations set-forth by the government, the poor would suffer as they do not have sufficient funds to eat in air-conditioned restaurants or to buy Gucci or Prada handbangs. Prior to this dialogue, I had always wanted to vent my anger and vowed to myself that, if I were Bangkok governor, I would remove all street vendors and “illegal” businesses and make Bangkok’s sidewalks pleasant to walk on and to look at. Having gained a clearer picture of the rationale behind these people’s “non-compliance,” I feel more empowered and more open-minded to accept the fact that certain rules must be allowed to be broken as realities of modern Third-world cities are different from those in picturesque and clean cities from the North.
Another speaker, Mr. Antonio Garrigues Walker, really motivated me to think more globally. He asserts that we should all have “global minds” and see the world as one, or as “global humanity.” He also stressed the importance of learning languages and said that knowing English is a “pre-condition” which everyone must know, but we must know other languages as well, primarily Spanish and Arabic, because this is the only way to penetrate a culture. Furthermore, I found his comment that “happiness is only connected with knowledge” quite appropriate given the fact that many selfish and unscrupulous people, both in the developed and developing world, are focused intently on accumulating wealth, fame and fortune that they do not care whether it affects others or the entire country. This is connected to Mr. Walker’s third point: “we need ethical and honest people because we have plenty or more than enough corrupted people.” He explained how important it is to combat corruption and shared his experience as head of the Spanish chapter of Transparency International. He also encouraged those whose countries do not yet have a chapter of this organization to set one up, with his help if necessary. Finally, he told participants to be optimistic and reminded us that everything impossible will gradually become possible, citing the case of President-elect Barack Obama in the United States.
Moreover, I was particularly touched by two participants, a deaf man and a visually impaired man. In Thailand and many other Third-World countries, we hardly ever see such individuals take an active role in society, except as beggars. After having seen and spoken to my new friends, I have a greater respect for and understanding of those with a physical handicap. I ask myself why the deaf and the blind in Thailand cannot also lead independent lives and be fully integrated in Thai society? There needs to be a change of mind-set and people need to be more accepting of differences which would allow all citizens to be included. For example, we must do our utmost to facilitate people’s movement from one place to another. In Bangkok, although there are elevators installed in our subway systems, they are locked and can only be accessed with the help of one of the officials. I have never really thought about related to the disabled; however, given my new exposure to these two gentlemen, I will start to share what I have seen with others in my country in hopes of bringing about some positive change.
These are only some examples of speakers and individuals who have influenced me, but in fact everyone who took the time to share their ideas and thoughts have left a mark in my mind and have helped to reshape my perspectives. They have shown me that despite the physically and external differences, we all are after the same things in life – peace and happiness.
Although the dialogue was only for one week, the memories and new ways of thinking that I have gained will last a lifetime. I also plan to keep in touch and stay connected with many of my new friends and hopefully we can help to bring about positive change for everyone and to be more of a global citizen.
Posted in 2008-04: First Asia-Europe Young Urban Leaders Dialogue | 16.11.2008
By: Bruce Avasadanond
