DAY ONE

23 September 2002, Manila

Welcome by the Organisers and Sponsoring Institution

Messages of Solidarity

Introduction of Participants and their Organisations

Each of the participants was made to choose partners that they introduced before the group. Below is a summary of the participants’ responses to two queries of interest:

What made you become a Political Activist?

The participants cited three major reasons why they became political activists. First is their dissatisfaction over their respective countries’ system of governance. Second is a personal realisation of the need to deal with a socio-political upheaval in their respective countries. Lastly, it is because of their current occupation, which exposes them to various issues of the day.

What are your expectations?

The expectations of the participants can be grouped into three. First and foremost, in general, they expect to learn about liberalism and how it is manifested in other countries of the region. Specifically, they would like to learn from each other, their respective countries’ political atmosphere, as well its issues and concerns. Also, they would like get ideas from the participants on how to deal with these issues.

Secondly, they would like to build friendships and, importantly, establish networks with other like-minded individuals in the region, thus, share the responsibility of promoting liberalism not only in Asia but the world, in general (e.g. IFLRY).

Finally, believing that the youth play a key role in laying down the structures of political organisations in Asia, they would like to know ways by which the youth can participate in politics and thus, empower them to help spread the message of liberalism and political freedom.

What is liberalism? Brainstorming with Moderation Cards

By Dr. Ronald Meinardus

Dr. Meinardus began by emphasizing that the topic is important because it will serve as the foundation for the week long workshop. In general, the topic seeks to answer two questions:

1. What is liberalism?

2. What are its implications for liberals or liberal political parties?

He conjectured that to ease the task of answering question no. 1, it must be defined in the context of democracy. Thus, he asked, what is democracy? The following catch phrases were enumerated by the workshop and later synthesized to capture what democracy means:

1. People – Democracy or Democratia (dymocratia) in the original Greek, means government of the people;

2. Participation – in particular, through elections, which are free and fair, and importantly, with the possibility of change in government;

3. Human rights and equality before the law/Constitution, and;

4. Balance of Power/Separation of Power.

He pointed out that, if one does not agree with the above principles, one is not democratic. Democracy is a big umbrella with the liberals as a special case under it. There are other democrats like social democrats, Christian democrats, etc…

He, then, proceeded by presenting problems in characterising liberalism. First is the difficulty encountered when one discusses it in an international context. This is largely because of linguistic diversity. Liberalism varies from country to country. For example, liberals in America are associated with those who raise taxes while in Europe, they are libertarian and are not, in fact, pushing for more taxes.

Secondly, there is the matter of labels in politics. More often, political parties use the term liberal yet they are not liberal. This practice is indeed confusing. Thus, one must be careful in discerning what the nature of these political parties really are.

Aside from these, there are liberals outside liberal parties and worse, there are non-liberals within liberal parties.

Lastly, the liberals themselves are not unified. Some are more left. Others are more right. Still others simply espouse free market economics. This is actually not something new. For historically, there are really different kinds of liberals

Fortunately, there are unifying elements. Primary amongst these is the distinction that liberal parties have from their political opponents. Liberals try to be at the centre most of the time. Interestingly, there is a trend whereby the socialists and conservatives are moving toward the centre, even to the point of espousing liberal ideals, thus, taking the votes from the liberals. Moreover, there are also liberals in these other parties, even better than the ones who are in the liberal party. Furthermore, some members of the liberal party are not even liberals

Having said all of the above, Dr. Meinardus asked the participants to list down in a set of cards what they think are liberal convictions and principles as a way of defining liberalism. 

Below are the results of the referendum:

1. Almost half of the cards pointed to freedom, which is really at the centre of what is liberalism. Liberalism is really the idea of freedom. For liberals, however, it is not simply freedom but freedom of the individual.

This does not mean that liberals are against collective values. On other hand, liberals are against the idea of society turning on certain individuals and not protecting their rights in favour of some collective value that the populace generally do not care about.

It must be noted, however, that this freedom comes with responsibility.

Freedom as can be gleaned from the ideas that are enumerated is not an abstract concept to the participants. It includes freedom of expression, press and ideas, among others.

2. Second is the belief in Human Rights, which is really the invention of the Liberals, who believe that self-determination is a fundamental human right

3. Third is the idea of respect for diversity, which leads to establishment of a pluralist organisation of the state.

4. No. 3, in turn, leads to tolerance, which is a classic liberal principle. It becomes clear that liberalism is a way of life and should be practised in a daily basis.

5. Next is the acknowledgement of the Rule of Law. The Constitution and the laws should have general application and should not prejudice anyone. If this is not practised, society becomes inequitable, thus one will not have a clean politic nor a sense of justice.

6. Another is advocating a free market economy. This is primarily derived from the liberal belief that everyone has the right to own property, which is very much in the centre of liberalism. Moreover, empirical studies have shown that the progressive countries are those that have followed the market system.  On the other hand, one must be aware of the fact that development can best be achieved through freedom.

7. Last but not least, the practice of decentralization is important to liberals for it does not allow a majority to lord over the minority.

Dr. Meinardus concluded by saying that by putting together all the above principles, one can achieve civility. Liberals pride themselves in being progressive people and civility is certainly one important end goal.

Questions and Answers

A question on what’s the best way for Liberal Parties to address globalisation was raised.

One of the participants believes that globalisation and internationalisation are different and that one should meet globalisation through progressive liberalisation and be cognisant of internationalisation. Thus, though globalisation is inevitable, one should prepare industries, particularly, infant industries to meet the competition by affording them a temporary protection.

Another participant believes that globalisation is a tool to advance the interest of developed countries. Although, countries, like South Korea for example, progressed by dealing with businesses from these developed countries.

One must acknowledge, however, especially in the case of Asia, there are cases were successful industrialisation was undertaken through government intervention.

A query was made on whether a young economy which is developing from nowhere can survive competition?

One of the participants cites the case of Estonia, which has adopted liberal economic policies through a step by step process. This in turn led to the rapid development of the country. The participant stressed that those who are against globalisation are those that want to protect their hold in their respective countries for they feel that globalisation can undermine their power.

It was also pointed out that with free markets, one has better results. When one starts producing wealth, one can then begin to distribute it. 

One participant raised the possibility of cultural imperialism due to globalisation. Nations thus experience loss of identity and traditions. It was argued, however, that this is not a one way street. Everyone must be given the opportunity to choose. Identity, after all, is composed of so many layers. This should not be considered a threat but enrichment.

There is one participant, however, who believes that cultural globalisation has a bad effect, citing the problem of distribution. He points out that while it enriches society, one must be conscious of its distribution to those who have the capability to acquire them and not to acquire them.

Lastly, it was emphasized that globalisation harms industries that are not ready. This led to a discussion on the Philippines’ unilateral tariff reduction program.

Input: Political Parties in Asia – An Overview with Special Reference to Liberal and Democratic Parties

By Atty. Jose Luis M. C. Gascon

Atty. Gascon began by pointing out that politicians and political parties are not the most admired members of society. Some even scoff them as a necessary evil. Everyone recognizes that politicians are important yet the public psyche does not generally have a good opinion of them. Thus, it is no surprise that a few young people are interested in politics.

He defined political parties as institutions which articulate and aggregate interests in society. They have the following roles:

1. They function as intermediaries between the constituents and government by integrating the ideas of the populace into policy making, and;

2. They contest political power to get political power. This is primarily done through elections, although there are those who resort to armed struggle.

To achieve the objectives, parties undertake the following:

1. They recruit members that represent a good segment of the population. They train, nominate and campaign for these political leaders – from among its members, or from outside

2. They field candidates, participate in policy formulation and take positions on issues of the day.

In general, political parties help funnel issues towards decisions of government.

With regards to political parties’ role in a democracy, he put forward that parties must be democratic if they are to help strengthen democracy.

He then asked the question how parties consolidate democracy.

Citing from a book entitled, Political Party Systems and Democratic Development in East and South East Asia, he points out that there are many influences that affect political parties.

“Political parties are rooted in the political context within their country and the external environment of any society affects parties.” On the other hand, it is not accurate to say that parties are hostage to their external environment.

As such, it can be said that young people can affect political parties by joining the parties themselves, as well as by affecting the political environment, where the political party exists.

He cited historical antecedents of political parties in Asia. These are:

1. A colonial and oppressive past, which resulted in an independence movement with nationalism as its battle cry.

2. This was followed by the emergence of an authoritarian regime.

3. Finally, with some exceptions, this culminated in a democratic transition.

He also pointed out that political parties lack ideological cohesiveness.

He strongly put forward that reform must not happen within the external environment alone but importantly, within the parties themselves. Only meaningful reforms must come from the parties themselves

It was observed that the 40s and 50s witness the emergence of a liberal democratic tendency in the region, and in the 50s and 60s, the emergence of totalitarianism. The parliamentary system, however, was absent in the populace. As such, if one were to advocate such a system, the parties should have a regular dialogue with the populace. Those colonies that have been liberated and have experienced western forms of democracy did have elites that were exposed to liberal forms of governance, they did not, however, have any moral commitment to them.

One troubling development is that political parties have become personalized. Personalisation like in the case of the Philippines stresses the weakness of the political parties. It becomes very easy for the politicians to shift from one party to another. In turn, the weak parties are organised around strong political personalities, which operates following a patronage system, which is turn dependent on the popular politician, who wields money.

Under this background, parties must fight for reform. The Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP), for instance, with its mixed successes is an example. The LP attributes this to their commitment to the ideology, its organisation (which maintains a secretariat and a network of chapters from local to the national level, a youth arm, as well as international linkages) and a clear agenda.

Atty. Gascon concluded by saying that party politics is important. He stresses that getting people involved in politics on a regular basis is certainly a challenge and should be done on a continuous basis. It is hard to involve young people, for instance.

He recommended the following areas of reform for political parties:

1. Effective governance – government as a whole has not delivered on public governance, particularly, transparency and accountability. An improvement in this could lead to a change in the way the populace perceives political parties.

2. Move away from parties of the elite or rich and allow ordinary citizens to join. Thus, parties should imbibe the idea of Citizen Politics, making them more responsive to the needs of the people.

3. Promoting democracy in two levels: (1) internally, within in the party, (2) externally, through political, electoral and constitutional reforms.

4. Lastly, moral politics. He cites the from a book entitled, Soul of Politics, the 7 social sins identified by Gandhi and puts forward the idea that politicians should take a lead in transforming society. And young people should go beyond politics as usual.

Questions and Answers

One participant expressed his concern over the possibility that Fernando Poe, Jr., a Philippine movie star, would become the next President of the Philippines. To this, Atty. Gascon responded that parties need to get their act together to avoid a repeat of Estrada who was ousted in People Power II. The participant also suggested that no. 4 of the recommendations should be given importance to effectively implement no. 1.

Another participant inquired whether in the case of Asia, personality politics is simply a transition like in the case of Eastern Europe. Atty. Gascon replied that, in the case of Asia, this may be a permanent feature. As such, this should be tempered by political parties. A lot of work and attention must be poured into strengthening the parties such as constitutional reform and electoral reform. Institutional reforms, sensitive to the need of society, should be undertaken.

A participant inquired whether the Philippines should veer away from a multi-party system. Atty. Gascon retorted that it should be the rule. Although, as it is, the country has not yet experienced a multi-party system with all the politicians hopping from one party to another and the populace not yet ready to make informed public choices. Parties need to undertake civic education and present institutional change. He quoted that “real political leadership offers the people an opportunity where their best selves can go.”

DAY TWO

24 September 2002, Manila

Review of the First Seminar Day by Mr. Johnson Chong, Parti Rakyat Malaysia

Presentation of Working Groups’ Results and Discussion: Involvement of youth organisations and young people in party politics

Unifying themes of the Working Groups:

1. The special interests and concerns identified by the groups include, among others: education, employment, drug addiction, personal development, disenchantment over the system, graft and corruption, national unity and ethnic harmony, and restrictive laws on freedom of expression in schools.

2. In most of the countries represented, there are not only government agencies that deal with the youth but also political youth organisations, which serve as a medium by which they can express their political sentiments – be it a political party, an NGO or a government sanctioned agency. Others find alternative ways of doing it, i.e. through the internet.

3. The extent of this expression varies however from country to country depending on the liberty that the government allows each country.

4. For those political youth organisations that are linked with political parties, the extent by which they participate in the selection of candidates varies from country to country.  From one of consultation, such as in the case of Malaysia and Indonesia, to one where only the leaders of the Party decide.

5. Going back to the issues that the youth are concerned with, it is difficult to classify them as solely a youth issue or of general concern. As it is, anything that will affect the future of the country is most certainly an issue for the youth since this will affect them sooner or later.

6. Necessarily, however, youth organisations have to tackle issues that affect the youth to attract new members. This though should not prevent them from taking on key relevant issues of the day.

Input: The Youth and Liberal Politics in the Philippines – How the Liberal Party Promotes the Interest and Participation by the Young Generation

By Hon. Ma. Theresa T. Defensor, Representative (LP), 3^rd District of Quezon City

Congresswoman Defensor talked about the experiences of the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) and its youth wing KALIPI (Liberal Youth of the Philippines).

She mentioned that the LP, founded in 1946, about 6 months after World War 2, is one of the oldest liberal parties in the country. This year it is already in its 48^th year in Philippine politics. This, thus, makes it unique in the Philippine political landscape.

It has a long and proud history. Among its ranks come former Senate President Jovito Salonga, who was instrumental in the non-renewal of the US Military Bases in the country; Representative Butch Abad, who championed the redistribution land to the landless; Senator Kiko Pangilinan, a popular broadcast journalist; Representative Neric Acosta, who authored the Philippine Clean Air Act, the late Former President Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the current President of the Philippines and the late Senator Benigno Aquino, whose death led to the People Power, which liberated the Philippines from a dictatorship.

The LP’s uniqueness is further reinforced by its commitment to the principles of liberalism and democracy as manifested in its working agenda. This include, among others, free and open context of minds to distinguish from right and wrong, the removal of any obstacle to citizens to create a society of equality not privilege and the willingness to adapt to changes.

Moreover, the LP is the only political party in the Philippines that has a Youth wing, composed of students, as well as young professionals. This is of course in recognition of the pivotal role that the Youth play in Philippine history.

The Congresswoman cited 3 instances, which highlighted the importance of youth in Philippine politics. First is in the drive for independence of the Philippines from Spain. The country’s National Hero, Jose Rizal, was only in his 20s when his two books protesting Spanish rule in the country was published. Martyred at the age of 35, he became the Hero of the People. Also, Andres Bonifacio founded the Katipunan, the revolutionary group that led the Philippines to independence, at the age of 25. On the other hand, General Emilio Aguinaldo, a war hero, became the first President of the Philippines at the age of 29.

Second is the role that the youth played in EDSA Revolution, which toppled the Marcos dictatorship.

Third and last is the role of the youth in EDSA 2, which deplored corruption and cronyism in government and removed Estrada from government.

She concludes that the youth plays an important role in political process and that they should continue to take an active part in it.

Input: Youth in Politics, Challenges and Opportunities in a United Europe

By Mr. Emil Kirjas, IFLRY President

Mr. Kirjas began with a discussion of how Europe like Asia is also a very diverse continent. This difference does not come from language alone but also culture. Moreover, there are varying levels of development among the countries.

Until 12 years ago, Europe was divided due to ideological differences with the Eastern part mostly run by dictatorships. Now, however, there are more opportunities for youth exchanges among the countries.

Mr. Kirjas continued by enumerating the factors that reinforce the importance of Political Youth Organisations. These are:

1. To develop future democratic leaders

2. To develop democratic tendency traditions and structures

3. To involve young people in political discussions

4. To put young people’s problems in the election process and offer solutions

5. To establish a pluralistic society

He then presented Three (3) Models by which youth organisations are established in Europe. First is the case where the youth organisation is made part of the political party and it is therefore directly represented in the party. Second is a case where the youth organisation is somewhere in between. As such, the organisation is both working as member of the party but it also gets members from outside. The third is the case where the youth organisation is completely divorced from the political party, which, however, weakens its relationship with the party. This is normally the recourse when certain domestic laws prevent the youth from joining political parties before they reach the age of 18.

He pointed out that in the case of the Europe per statistics collected by the EU Commission, active participation of the youth is only about 5%. As such, work must be done inviting the youth to participate. The effective approach to recruitment, however, must be very specific.

Youth participation in political organisations can be classified into three: local, national and regional. In the national level, the youth organisations either launch their own separate political campaigns or simply involve themselves in the campaigns of their own parties.

In the regional level, in the case of Europe, a distinction can be made between that which pertains to the EU, which covers its 15 members, and the pan-EU, which covers some 46 European countries. Work on the EU level by youth organisations usually promoted the idea of unity in diversity, and helping the citizens identify with the EU political system. Work on the pan-European level, on the other hand, is on bigger issues that would affect Europe such as education and the possibility of allowing youth exchanges among the countries.

Mr. Kirjas ended by inviting the youth organisations represented to join the IFLRY, the international organisation of liberal youth groups.

Questions and Answers

One participant inquired whether Congresswoman Defensor has difficulty in Parliament since she is a woman and young at that. To this, she replied that they are all considered equals parliament and everyone respects one another. If there’s any form of bias, it would be in terms of seniority since neophyte representatives cannot be chairs of committees.

Another participant inquired whether Congresswoman Defensor is undertaking steps to address the education problem in the Philippines. She retorted that it is indeed a problem and that she is cognisant of its impact on society. At this point in time, however, she stressed a more troubling problem that of drug addiction, which prompted her to campaign for the passage of the recently passed Dangerous Drugs Act (2002). With this in place, she feels confident that the drug addiction problem in the country will be addressed.

A question on the bill to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth legislature) of the Philippines was also asked. To this, Congresswoman Defensor stressed that the issue of corruption among the youth should be dealt with the introduction of morals into these young leaders rather than the abolishment of the institution per se.

The question of successful young politicians was also asked. Congresswoman Defensor replied that unlike in the rural areas, the urban areas have shown that there is no complete transfer of votes from a relative who was an elected official to the one who is running for elections. In her case, she mentioned that it did help that her brother was a politician but at the same time, she had to do some campaigning on her own. Competition in her district was particularly intense.

Mr. Kirjas was asked on the nature of the support by the IFLRY to youth organisations. Mr. Kirjas replied citing the development of the South Eastern Europe liberal youth organisation. The IFLRY assisted them through dialogue by participation caucuses, as well as by helping them secure funding for their activities since they didn’t have experience in doing so. The IFLRY also provided expertise and support, training and education and consultancies in addressing specific political issues

A participant inquired on how Congresswoman Defensor got into politics. She replied by recounting how her brother was appointed into the Cabinet and that the constituents wanted someone from the family to replace him. With regards to advocating for the youth in Congress, she responded that ultimately all issues are youth issues and that by participating in discussions whether they are not necessarily youth concerns, she is already representing the youth. With regards to the inquiry on whether there is an Organisation of Young Parliamentarians in the region, she answered that there is one in Asia, world-wide and a special one for Japan and the Philippines

Terrorism: The Challenges and the Responses in Selected Countries

Short Presentations by three participants

The tragedy of Sept. 11 has affected countries all over the world including Asia. This event certainly puts to the test the ability of political parties to react to the issue quickly. As such, this plenary has involved participants, who will present how their countries in general and parties in particular, dealt with this issue.

• Mr. DM Thilakasiri, Liberal Party of Sri Lanka

Mr. Thilakasiri gave a presentation of the terrorism wrought by the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. Rooted in ethnic conflict and exacerbated by policies of discrimination, the problem is, fortunately, slowly and finally being addressed by an MOU signed by the present administration and the LTTE. He concluded by pointing out that only by paying close attention to the root causes of the problem, a solution to terrorism can be found.

• Mr. Hendra Kusumah, PDI-Perjuangan Party

Mr. Kusumah started his presentation by saying that for a country like Indonesia, which is a large archipelago, very diverse and composed of many ethnic groups, the risk of ethnic conflict is not a surprising development. He pointed out that this conflict is growing as exemplified by the increasing manifestations of terrorist acts around the islands. He recommended that the following be undertaken to address the problem: (1) give the people hope, (2) begin negotiations with the marginalised groups and (3) improve law enforcement. He ended by highlighting Indonesia’s participation in international covenants, which he feels contributes greatly in their drive against terrorism.

• Atty. Ray Paolo Santiago, ASEAN Working Group on Human Rights

Atty. Santiago pointed out that the precautions instituted to deal with the September 11 attacks actually resulted in the erosion of Human Rights standards in the world. These standards are laid down by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant of Economic and Social Rights. The aftermath of the attacks, in particular, encouraged the establishment of Internal Security Acts, which were previously scoffed at. These acts endorsed Non-warrant arrests, as well as isolation or solitary confinement. As such, the abrogation of human rights is sanctioned by the need to protect the nation.

He stressed that the rule of law should not be violated. Specifically, he mentioned the case of the Philippines in its handling of the Abu Sayaf problem as an example. He advocated that a peaceful and local remedy for the problem would have avoided displacements in the areas where the US troops intervened in the fighting.

In his work at the ASEAN Working Group for Human Rights, they are establishing a way by which the peoples of ASEAN can have a regional recourse should there be no national recourse for the protection of their human rights.

He concluded that certainly a lot of work still needs to be done to promote the recognition of human rights in Asia.

Questions and Answers

A participant inquired whether the speakers felt that the terrorism acts occurring in the countries (Sri Lanka and Indonesia) could be stopped. Mr. Thilakasiri responded that in the case of Sri Lanka, once the root of the problem is addressed, terrorism will be put to an end. Mr. Kusumah, on the other hand, felt that the current Indonesian government is going to have a difficult time in addressing the problem. As such, it will take them some time before they could minimize terrorist acts in the country.

Two participants were struck by the suggestion of Atty. Santiago not to sanction a military solution to the Abu Sayaf problem and thus, challenged his thoughts on the matter. To this, he replied by stressing first hand that he is not pro-Abu Sayaf. He pointed out that the military solution, which the Philippines opted to take, clearly did not solve the problem. He felt that it should be coupled as well by the Philippine government’s sincerity to address the roots of the emergence of the Abu Sayaf.  

DAY THREE

25 September 2002, Manila

Review of the Second Seminar Day by Miss Vivian Chen, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan

Presentation of the Working Groups’ Results and Discussion: How to deal with terrorism? Striking a balance between security and civil liberties

The delegates were asked to contribute their views on terrorism. Though there was no consensus on the definition of “terrorism,” some characteristics were repeated in the presentations:

-          violent actions against innocent civilians

-          violation of human rights

-          the use of intimidation and fear to achieve political goals

-          creating chaos in society

Below are the salient points on terrorism raised by the three groups: 

1. The use of terror to achieve political ends is not new.  Many groups have used the same methodology in the past, but what is probably unique about the terrorism of today is the idea that it is linked with Muslim extremist groups.

2. Terrorism is not only done by individuals and groups, but by states as well. An example of this is the case of Israel and Palestine.  A remark was given that this may even be more dangerous than terrorist acts initiated groups because this means as nations they are undermining the use of diplomatic dialogue. 

3. The September 11 attack affected different countries in various ways. The Philippines was one of the first countries in Asia to express its support for the US in its “war against terrorism.”  There are many branded terrorist groups within the country, one of them, the Abu Sayaf Group, which was notorious for its kidnap for ransom activities in the southern islands of the country.  The fight against terrorism in the Philippines has opened a gateway for the US to bring its troops to Philippine soil, which many Filipinos criticized as a tactic of the US to establish bases again in the country.  Other groups, like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the National Democratic Front, were also branded by the US as terrorist groups. This action was condemned by many because these groups were political groups fighting for their ideology.  Muslims in the Philippines were also being discriminated as terrorists by fellow Filipinos.

4. In South Korea, there was a general disapproval of the statement made by US president Bush, including North Korea as part of the “axis of evil.”  This had a negative impact on the Sunshine policy of South Korea, which aims to engage the North for peace in the Korean Peninsula.

5. Japan raised funds of about US$9 billion to support the US activities in its war against terror.  It was also was willing to send Japanese troops to aid the US in its fight against terror.

6. Malaysia decided to impose stricter labour and immigration laws. Many illegal workers were ejected from the country because they were viewed as threats to national security.

Generally, countries in Asia became more aware of the existence of terror.  This heightened their sense of security, which in many cases, undermined certain civil liberties of people.  How to strike a balance between creating a sense of security and promoting human rights is a certainly challenge for many nations.  The war on terror has had a negative impact on the economies of the countries in the region, as well as strained foreign relations of a number of countries.

The US has been influential in the fight against terror of the countries in Asia. Some view the US action as positive, others negative.  The US has caused tensions between groups within nations, e.g. Philippines, as well as between nations, e.g. the Korean Peninsula.  It is acknowledged that though the US may be determined to fight terrorism worldwide, it also just protecting its own interests. 

The participants deemed that a liberal approach to address terrorism in Asia would require governments to take into account its root causes, which for many include poverty and underdevelopment.  Governments should strengthen the rule of law in their respective countries, but should be careful not to step on human rights in the process; to fight terrorism, while at the same time uphold human rights and ensure that the basic economic needs of people are met.

The issue of who will provide for these needs, however, comes to the fore. In the spirit of liberalism, there should be development through the free market system.  Development is not equality or plain redistribution of wealth, rather the equality of chances and opportunities for all people, such as opportunities to education, employment, and the like.  There should be tolerance, or the acceptance of different cultures.  People should be free to determine their future, not just as nations including minority groups.  All these entail intellectual openness.  Thus, education should also be emphasized.

Luncheon at the Senate

Hosted by Senator Francis Pangilinan

The good senator was introduced by Rep. Neric Acosta.  He was described as an active youth leader, and an advocate of youth participation in politics.

Senator Pangilinan gave a speech on terrorism, and how it has affected the youth in the world, and particularly in the Philippines.  He noted other forms of terrorism, like poverty, homelessness, crimes and lawlessness, the wide gap between the rich and the poor, corruption in government, decaying moral values, and general hopelessness among the people. 

He believes that politics is unfortunately getting negative publicity.  Though the allegations are not totally unfounded, it does not justify inaction.  That is precisely the reason why we have to be involved, so we can make sure that the situation changes for the better.

DAY FOUR

26 September 2002, Aquino Centre, Tarlac

Presentation by Dr. J.R. Nereus O. Acosta, International Officer of the Liberal & Member of the CALD Executive Committee

Rep. Neric Acosta welcomed all the delegates to the Aquino Centre, and talked a little about the history of the place. His presentation focused on three themes:

• Liberalism

• the future directions of the youth group

• the young leaders’ agenda

He emphasized that the road towards the creation an environment that fosters freedom and self actualization will not be easy.  Some countries will find it more difficult than others because of the varying levels of socio-political and economic developments. He concluded his talk by encouraging the creation of a structure that would enable participants to network and exchange ideas after the workshop is finished.

Presentation of the Workshop Groups’ Results and Discussions: Where do we go from here?

1. On the liberal youth agenda

The first working group proposed that the youth should be active in: (1) strengthening liberalism through political parties, (2) promoting democracy in their respective nations, (3) fighting against corruption, and (4) promoting the importance of education.

In strengthening liberalism through political parties, the youth should demand representation in political parties, and participation in the activities of these political parties. The youth members should be mobilized to actively participate in these activities, at the same time in recruiting new members for the party.  Recruiting new young members may be difficult in today’s time, but new strategies should be adapted to be able to strengthen the organization. Innovative ways to attract new members should be employed, such as those that are more entertaining to the youth.

In promoting democracy, the youth should not only be involved in their respective nations, but also help other nations. This promotion of democracy should be expanded to the regional level, especially to those countries that need help the most.

The youth should also be involved in the fight against corruption, as well as in strengthening the rule of law.  This can be done with the support of civic organizations.

Finally, education should be emphasized amongst the youth, not just in terms of access to education for those who really need it, but in terms of quality education as well.  Civic education programs which promote good citizenship and values can be organized.

All these things should be done not only by the youth that are part of the political party, but also by those who are non-partisan. This is because some young people, who may not be members or are not active in group activities, do espouse liberal ideas.

In creating a regional structure that would serve as an avenue for networking and the exchange of ideas among nations in Asia, a step by step process should be followed— strengthen individual organizations first, and then later on when the groups are prepared enough and strong enough, create a regional structure.  This is because the regional structure would depend on the strength of the individual organisations. If the individual organisations are weak, the regional group would also fail to meet its objectives. This does not mean though that there should be no communication amongst the groups in the interim. On the contrary, networking is encouraged.

2. On the creation of a structure

The task of the second working group was to discuss the creation of a regional structure that would serve as a youth network of liberals and democrats in Asia.  The group first presented the advantages of having such a regional cooperation, and then covered the nitty gritty of creating such a regional group.  It was later on decided that a regional structure be created, working under the name of Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia.  This group will not only be composed of CALD member parties, but other parties and organizations represented in the conference as well. This youth group will also be independent of the CALD structure. Three coordinators, working in the interim, are Jonathan Malaya of the Philippines (KALIPI), Linus Hsieh of Taiwan (DPP), and Jun Hee Park of Korea (FDLAP).  These three interim coordinators would be responsible for coordinating the communication between the delegates, as well as serving as the Secretariat for the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia.

3. Tackling the frustration of the youth with regards to party politics

The view of the youth that politics is necessarily dirty should be changed. This view may be attributable to their attitude — many of the youth of today do not prioritise politics as much as mundane, everyday concerns.  They also do not believe in themselves.  They believe that they would just do things when they are older.  But the youth is not only the future, but also the present. 

To achieve these, the youth should be educated on the importance of civic duty. At the same time, they should be encouraged to devote more of their time to politics rather than working on where they would get their food for the day. Thus, poverty and unemployment should also be addressed.

Young people should also encourage their peers to be more sensitive to social concerns.  The interests of the youth should be represented, thus they should lobby to be heard.  Party affiliation would be helpful in this regard because of the closeness to politicians who are also party members.  Lastly, technology should be used in furthering this goal of youth empowerment, not the other way around.

DAY FIVE

27 September 2002, Baguio City

Review of the 3^rd and 4^th sessions by Toshiro Ishii, Japan

Evaluation

The participants were given time fill up evaluation sheets on the workshop and were encouraged to include comments.

Other matters

Ms. Lim of the Singapore Democratic Party delivered a country report. She talked about the repressive laws of Singapore, citing the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial. Other laws include those that make way for financially ruinous lawsuits against the opposition, and those that stifle dissenting views like defamation charges and anti-assembly laws. Miss Lim also said that the media in Singapore is controlled by the government.  International news agencies like Asiaweek, Far Eastern Economic Review, International Herald Tribune, and others have had to practice heavy self-censorship when it comes to reporting on the Singaporean government. Otherwise, they would face expensive lawsuits for interfering with the domestic affairs of Singapore.  An independent elections commission does not exist in Singapore. Neither does an independent trade union.

Discussion on the resolution by the 2^nd working group on the creation of the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA)

Copies of the resolution was given to the delegates, and the delegates were given the time to comment on it.  Mr. Jonson Chong from Malaysia commented on the format of the resolution.&n