The Hindu : Ramphal, an internationalist: Kalam

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Thursday, Nov 20, 2003

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Ramphal, an internationalist: Kalam

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI NOV. 19. The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Sridath Ramphal, was today conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Development and Disarmament for 2002 by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in the presence of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, and a host of other dignitaries and guests.

Hailing Mr. Ramphal as an "internationalist who has been striving for improved global governance," Dr. Kalam said he was an architect of a global ethic that could guide our actions in the world at a time when the issue of survival of the human race had come into sharp focus. And while globalisation was here to stay, removal of disparities between and among nations, as advocated by Mr. Ramphal, was the need of the hour, the President felt. "Humanity must collectively make an endeavour to transform the process of globalisation into a positive phenomenon."

Recalling that it was during his tenure as the Commonwealth Secretary-General that the world body began its campaign against racism, which ultimately led to the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, the Prime Minister said Mr. Ramphal combined in himself a harmonious blending of national origin and world citizenship. "The country today faces complex challenges of development and security," he said, pointing out that India can learn a great deal from the vast experience of Mr. Ramphal.

Acknowledging the honour bestowed on him, Mr. Ramphal, in his characteristic style, said peace was much more than absence of war. "Development on a global basis is a precondition of a world at peace," he said. "The ambition of world domination has ever been a global curse. But the triumph of unilateralism may yet prove illusive."

Mincing no words and paying tributes to Indira Gandhi for her bold approach, Mr. Ramphal said "if those in our world who disagree stand together, righteous unity will prevail over imperious threats."

In her speech, Ms. Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, said Mr. Ramphal had put the Commonwealth at the vanguard of the international campaign against racism and had worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the North and the South and within the South itself.

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