Go Clinton!

World today more interdependent than ever, says Clinton

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 5, 2008): Former United States President Bill Clinton said the world today is more interdependent than ever and because of that, the definition of success must be changed.



Interdependence, he said, is an interesting idea and may be good or bad, or both.



“It simply means that divorce is not an option. We cannot get away from each other whether we like it or not,” he said, adding it has certain consequences, both positive and negative.



Speaking to a packed hall in the inaugural BC Sekhar memorial lecture here this evening, Clinton said among the negative aspects of global interdependence are the terrorist attacks and financial crisis.

Clinton said the world cannot play a zero-sum game and success must no “longer be measured in terms of being winners or losers”.



“Most of us were raised to believe we become successful by doing better than someone else - we run faster, we jump higher, we win contest or we know more. To see ourselves as winners, we must have someone to identify as a loser.



“But an interdependent world, we must change the definition of success. We must define success not in win-lose term but in win-win term. We must build a world in which we share the opportunities and responsibilities,” he said.



While acknowledging that it easier said than done, Clinton said an interdependent world requires people to embrace anyone whom they shared common values with.

The 42nd US president who came to Malaysia for the first time said he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier in the day and visited the KL Bird Park.

Clinton said he has visited some 100 countries in his life and was anxious to come to Malaysia as the country represents the hopes of the people as it has people of various ethnic and religion.

In the 40-minute talk titled “Embracing our Common Humanity”, he touched on various issues ranging from climate change, health matters, global interdependence and empowering people to take control of their lives.



He said sharing meant that conflicts would arise but conflict is good whereby disagreements or discussions only promote thinking.

“I know there are political conflicts here. That is a good thing. You cannot be right all the time,” Clinton said in reference to the current political situation in Malaysia.

"If you are thinking, then there will be disagreements. Hillary and I have disagreements all the time but this is healthy," he said, referring to his wife, who will become US Secretary of State in January.



He also said his wife has a personal assistant who is half Saudi and half Pakistani, a devoted Muslim, but her best friend is a Jewish and they constantly exchange views with each other.



In the US, he added, it is projected that by 2050, there will be no single ethnic majority.



He was later presented with the BC Sekhar Medal for Transformational Leadership by the late Tan Sri BC Sekhar’s widow Puan Sri Sukumari and his son Datuk Vinod Sekhar, president and group chief executive of The Petra Group and chairman of Sekhar Foundation.