PEACE-MAKER
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Former Speaker of the House
When we conceived the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) here in Manila on September 2000, not many people believed that it would be possible to bring together political parties, governing and opposition and with different ideologies, under one roof in a common political house.
Yet the challenges we took did not deter us from pursuing our modest vision for Asia.
Our organization is a small step, a modest beginning of our dream of building one community and one union for Asians.
Today, the International Conference of Asian Political Parties is composed of some 350 ruling, opposition and independent political parties from 52 countries in Asia, including the major political parties in the Philippines.
Not only have we deepened our partnership in advancing the causes of peace, security, development, dialogue, understanding and cooperation among countries and peoples in Asia. We have also expanded our reach in other continents, with our working partnerships with the political parties of Latin America under the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), as well as various political parties in Europe. We had also begun exploring ways and means of cooperation with the US Democratic and Republican political parties.
We have established various subsidiary groups, namely the Youth Wing, Women’s Wing, Media Forum, Asia Europe Political Forum (AEPF), Asian-Latin American (ICAPP-COPPPAL) Business Council, Asian Cultural Council (ACC), ICAPP Program for Disasters Assistance (IPDA), and the Tourism Promotion and Inter-City Cooperation (TOPIC) Council.
Indeed, we the political parties in Asia have brought to our organization many disparate notions about the world we live in. There are those among us who are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, and there are those who advocate change in society and those who oppose it.
History teaches us that since the earliest days of democracy, political groups had existed that offered what could be described as “differing opinions” on how best to serve the interest of the citizenry.
We know from history, too, that civil wars had been fought over such differences. In our time, residual groups such as these exist, but we believe that we can differ in our politics without fostering so much hostility.
For the overarching sentiment that has brought us to ICAPP is our willingness to understand, our openness to listen amid the diversity of our views. Such differences do not obliterate but in fact create the need for dialogue.
For truly, “despite our differences, there are much more that unite us than divide us.” What brings us together is far greater than what may drive us apart.
We in ICAPP are united by our collective desire and capacity to meet humanity’s greatest challenges in the modern age. We are united by the goals that transcend national boundaries as well as interests that are embraced by all. And we can see a few that we will have to fight on a global scale in years to come.
We continue to struggle against global poverty, for while much of it has been wiped out, much, much more still have to be done to combat large-scale poverty in Asia, Latin America and Africa and even in the densely populated slums of the great Western cities.
We face continuing violence from extremist ideology and, across our continents, the unfinished wars and conflicts, so deep in their historical and cultural roots that they seem beyond any workable or acceptable solutions to the parties in conflict.
We must isolate and defeat those who espouse intolerance and hatred, those who advocate terrorism, extremism, and bloodshed in the name of ideology and religion.
Another most serious threat is climate change, which has become a clear and present danger to our fragile planet and to the longevity of the human race.
Against this threat, our organization can and must become a political force and a moral force for mobilizing peoples and nations and getting them to act together.
Then there’s the still raging deadly Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed millions of lives and devastated communities, economies and livelihoods around the world.
There will be a great need for transnational, transcultural groupings like ours since the problems that face us more and more transcend national, regional and even hemispheric boundaries.
We cannot turn away from the pursuit of peace because the alternative, which is war, would be immeasurably costly and make all of us losers.