RADICAL CHANGE NEEDED FOR NEW WORLD ORDER: DR MAHATHIR

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 (Bernama) -- There must be a radical change in values
and cultures if the people are to see a new world order enhanced by the advances
of the digital age or a digital age benefiting from a new world order, said Dr
Mahathir Mohamad.

The former prime minister said the world still believed in killing people to
solve problems and scientists were busy developing newer and more efficient ways
of killing people.

He said currently the world was facing a financial and economic crisis of
unprecedented proportions partly as a result of the abuse of the knowledge of
the digital age and unless governments restored their power to rule, the digital
age would bring frequent disasters to the world.

"Actually, the present-day human civilisations are quite unable to cope even
with the technological advances which we have already achieved.

"In envisioning the new world order, I wish I can be optimistic.
Unfortunately I cannot. We are really still a primitive people. Certainly our
superior knowledge of science and technology today has not created for us a
world order worthy of the human race, a world order of peace and prosperity," he
said at an international forum in South Korea.

Dr Mahathir was speaking on "Envisioning a new world order and its
implications on the digital age" at the Seoul Digital Forum Thursday. His
speech was made available here Friday.

In outlining the implication of the digital age on the new world order
itself, Dr Mahathir said that the rich and the powerful would be able to make
greater use of the knowledge of the digital age because money would be needed to
do research in the applications of the digital age knowledge.

"Digitisation has enabled greater precision to be achieved in every product
or application. Thus it is possible for satellites to be located in a
pre-designated location in outer space and for a shuttle to dock with it even as
the earth from where the shuttle-bearing rocket is fired moves in space."

Dr Mahathir said that cameras were now carried by satellites and with the
ability to take clear pictures from satellites, there would be no privacy for
anyone.

"The data collected on any person can be incriminating. The government or
the agency which collects these data will be in a position to blackmail," he
said.

Dr Mahathir said the digital age would mature, whatever the shape of the new
world order because this new age had been able to resist pressures from the
politically or militarily powerful.

However, the digital age was going to see an even more lopsided development
and greater disparity between rich and poor.

The former premier said that like it or not, the ethnic Europeans must
accept that if there was to be a new world order, the emergence of the new
powers in Asia must be given due consideration.

Ideally the world would like to see a smooth devolution into a new world
order without need for confrontation and violence.

"From what I think is the present situation and the trends, we can envision
a world that is slightly less Eurocentric but with European influence moderated
somewhat by the emergence of powerful economies, and therefore military clout in
Asia," he said.
-- BERNAMA