GEORGE TOWN, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Former Indonesian president Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, has called on leaders and the people to strengthen mutual understanding, saying it is the foundation for lasting peace.
Opening the Penang Peace Dialogue alongside Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow here tonight, Jokowi said leaders must understand and respond to the concerns and aspirations of their people.
“In times like this, the role of leaders becomes really important. A leader is not only someone who understands strategy and power, but someone who truly understands their people, who listens to them, feels their concern, understands their problem, and works for their future,” he said.
However, he said responsibility for building peace did not rest with leaders alone, as the people must also understand the direction and challenges faced by their leaders.
Jokowi said a strong society was not one that merely made demands, but one that also understood the direction and challenges faced by its leaders.
Describing the dialogue as an opportunity to share ideas, learn from one another and work together for peace and a better future, he expressed hope that the gathering would lead to meaningful action.
Meanwhile, Chow said trust should be treated as an essential infrastructure for cooperation, as it was crucial for countries to remain connected amid increasing strategic rivalry and diverging interests.
He noted that global connectivity had brought economic opportunities to Penang through its manufacturing, semiconductor and technology sectors, but also exposed economies to disruptions when divisions deepened across borders and supply chains.
“In a more multipolar world, trust must also become an infrastructure of cooperation. Connectivity can bring countries together, but trust is what allows them to remain together when interests begin to diverge,” he said.
Chow said countries and societies did not need to agree on every issue, but they must understand differing interests, maintain open communication and identify areas where cooperation remained possible.
Themed ‘Bridging Civilisations in a Multipolar World’, the two-day dialogue is the centrepiece of the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns (CWC) Conference Series in Penang, bringing together about 200 delegates with Jokowi is scheduled to deliver his keynote address tomorrow.
The CWC is a project aimed at bringing Chinatowns around the world closer together, beginning with Penang and Singapore, while promoting exchanges beyond Chinese culture and traditions in areas such as art, culture, history, science, technology and research.
-- BERNAMA