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2024 January 24 - 30 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Dialogue essential in era of diversity

Akahata ‘Current’ column

The news coverage showing the heart-wrenching situations in Gaza and Ukraine casts a dark shadow over the world. Pessimistic views that wars will never cease to exist have been growing.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian President Putin stubbornly maintain a stance of refusing to respect others. This shows that they have a lack of empathy required in the era of diversity.

Dialogue is the product of diversity, said former Indonesian foreign minister in talks with the Japanese Communist Party delegation which visited ASEAN countries last December with the aim of learning from ASEAN’s wisdom to create an East Asia with genuine peace. The Indonesian diplomat also said that in the age of diversity, dialogue is everyday life, a way of life itself.

What the JCP delegation learned from its visit to ASEAN countries was that because of diversity, holding dialogue is essential and can avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations and that in order to promote dialogue, cooperation between governments and political parties and civil society is important.

Marx in the founding declaration of the International Working Men’s Association (or the First International) called for creating an international community with rules to be followed in international relations and advocated the establishment of the “simple laws of morals and justice, which ought to govern the relations of private individuals”, as rules paramount in the intercourse of nations.

Marx’s vision of the new world has developed and taken root in the modern-day world as evidenced by ASEAN describing itself as an organization which “accepts each other as family members, supporting and cooperating with each other.” The JCP seeks to expand this concept of community similar to ASEAN across the world.

Past related article:
> Shii in Jakarta meets with ASEAN deputy secretary-general [December 23, 2023]