ADDRESS OF HIS EXCELLENCY MARC RAVALOMANANA

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR

 

President Yudhoyono,

President Mbeki,

Heads of State and Government,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Mr President, I am very happy to be here in Indonesia. To us Malagasy people, it is a  homecoming to the land of our ancestors. They are still in our genes, they are still in our culture.

 

We also have ancestors from Africa. For this reason, Madagascar is very proud to be the only real Afro-Asian country in the world. This, ladies and gentlemen is the basis of our solidarity with all of you.

 

From this unique position, we are very much in favour of this summit on a new Afro-Asian dialogue and look forward to playing a bridging role in the process.

 

This strategic partnership needs to be strong and structured. It should help us to build our capacities, address health care, family planning, education and infrastructure. Self-help programs need to be set up and promoted. 

 

One crucial condition to achieve this objective is an optimized technical network to facilitate communication.

All countries in this room  and all areas in these countries should be efficiently connected via fibre optic cables and satellites. The ties between Asian and African countries should not be looser than our ties with Europe and America.  If we really want to grow together we need a strong backbone.

 

This merely tackles technical issues. It is even more important that all people, especially those in poor and deprived positions have equal access to universal knowledge. Access to universal knowledge should be considered a basic human right. I have a vision of Malagasy students following Tokyo, Harvard, Beijing, Cape Town or Sorbonne lectures in “real time”, on a screen in our Universities. They must have access to virtual libraries. The transfer of knowledge from industrialized countries to developing countries is, at least, as important as the transfer of money. I call on an improved transfer of knowledge between all Asian and African countries. Madagascar has gained substantially from Vietnamese expertise on rice production.

 

I strongly believe that faster and more sustainable development in poor African countries, should be a key aspect of this New Strategic Partnership. I’m once again calling for a Marshall plan for Africa. After World War II the Marshall plan for Europe had great success. Such a plan can also work for Africa.

 

 

This Marshall plan should include the financial and technical assistance from all donors. It should include improved communication and access to universal knowledge. It should improve trading rules and opening of markets. In this way we will create new momentum in development.

 

For any of this to succeed we need to develop strong country ownership. We need:

-        a change in mentality

-        a change in behaviour

-        a change in ambitions.

 

Africa should stop suffering from low self-esteem. We should be proud and self-confident, ready to shape our future. It is up to us to lead our countries to prosperity. Africa should stand up to meet the challenge.

 

We cannot do this without women, they need to be empowered and given equal opportunities. We cannot continue to ignore the plight of such a large part of our people.

 

With increasing international support, increasing Afro-Asian cooperation and increasing country ownership, Africa can compete. A new Africa can become a dynamic and competitive continent for public and private sectors, national and international entities to achieve growth and eradicate poverty.

 

Asian countries should welcome and assist in the rise of African economies. At the end of the day, African and Asian countries should benefit from the cooperation:

 

 

- Economic growth will create new markets for all of us.

- Rising economies will gain political importance and lead to

  enhanced pluralism.

- The gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” will

   shrink, creating more stability. There will be less pressure on

   the environment, and we can enjoy equitably the vast wealth of this planet.

 

Finally, it should be in the common interest of Asian and African countries to re-structure international organizations, like the UN, in such a way that the legitimate interests of the Asian and African continents are more effectively represented, and all nations feel free to stand up in the interest of their people.

 

 

I thank you.