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Vision for development, and world peace

Published: 26 Jan. 2010, 20:25

APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India

New Delhi - APJ Abdul Kalam officially stepped away from the spotlight here when his term as India’s president ended in 2007.

But the 78-year-old - one of the country’s most celebrated leaders - still remains on the stage, as he continues to play a key role in shaping the nation for the future.

Kalam has laid out a series of long-term goals in what he calls “India Vision 2020,” which aims to help develop India into a knowledge superpower with a developed economy in the next 10 years. As part of that vision, he wants Korea and India to cooperate on resolving international issues related to inequality and fostering world peace.

Ahead of President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to India this week, Kalam met with the JoongAng Daily at his residence in the capital city of India, where he discussed his vision for India’s future, the country’s potential to link up with Korea and his view that world leaders should set forth national visions to inspire younger generations.

Kalam was the 11th president of India, serving from 2002 to 2007, and now ranks as the only living former president of the country.

Before taking office, he was a celebrated aeronautical engineer who was also popularly known as the “missile man of India” for his contributions to the country’s ballistic missile and space rocket development. He also played a key role in India’s nuclear test in 1998.

Following are Kalam’s thoughts about several different issues.

On India’s economic development and cooperation with Korea:

Kalam said India, which has the second-largest population in the world, is preparing to become a developed economy.

“Korea is growing very fast. It is already economically developed. India, on the other hand, is transforming to become a developed economy,” Kalam said. “Vision 2020 is about that transformation. It’s about improving the status of the people below the poverty line, improving literacy and improving employment stability.”

Kalam said Korea, as a developed country, should also have a broad vision beyond its borders. “Korea should work for prosperity and peace at home as well as in the region,” he said. “Korea and India also should work together to resolve inequalities.”

Kalam said he has visited Korea a number of times, calling it a “beautiful place.” He recalled Lee’s visit to India in April 2007, when the Korean was a presidential candidate. During Lee’s leadership exploration, Lee met with Kalam and discussed cooperation between India and Korea.

“We shared many thoughts [during Lee’s visit to India],” Kalam said. “I was impressed by his concerns for the people of Korea. He talked about peace and prosperity and also his concerns for youths. I completely agreed with his views, and that’s how our friendship developed.”

Kalam said he and Lee talked about the so-called Global Knowledge Platform project during their meeting. “The concept of the project is how we can bring the two nations together,” he said.

The project has made some progress since then, an example being the Korea-India Science and Technology Cooperation Center, which recently opened at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. The center’s Korean partners are the Korea Research Council of Fundamental Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

Kalam said the project will not only benefit Korea and India but also other countries around the world. “We bring together the best of the two nations, and that will bring about new products and new systems,” he said. “I have two initial missions for the Global Knowledge Platform project. The first is energy and the second is climate change.”

Noting that India produced about 1.3 billion tons of carbon gas emissions in 2006, Kalam stressed the two nations’ need to develop clean energy sources including solar, nuclear and biofuel technologies. “We should work together for energy independence from fossil fuel,” he said.

On India’s military spending and poverty issues:

While India is one of the world’s technology powerhouses, the country still struggles with poverty and lack of infrastructure, Kalam said. He stressed that India Vision 2020 will open a path to a developed India, differentiating the nation from China, another emerging titan.

“First of all, India is a democratic nation. We have a parliamentary system,” he said. “India also has Vision 2020. The vision is not to become a superpower, but to become an economically developed nation and to cement friendships to make a difference.”

Kalam also stressed that India promotes total disarmament. “We want our neighbors to prosper. I personally believe being a superpower is not important. You just have to make a nation and its people happy, prosperous and peaceful.”

Kalam defended his work on India’s nuclear weapons program as a way to help the country grow. Asked for his thoughts on why the government plans to spend at least $30 billion through 2012 to modernize the military rather than investing in economic development and subsidies for the poor, Kalam replied that investments in defense create the basic environment for economic growth.

“We spend the minimum amount possible of our GDP for nuclear power, and we have a strict policy of ‘no first-use,’” Kalam said. “Peace is required for the people to prosper. Our independence only came in 1947. We have had freedom for only 62 years. At the time of independence, 400 million people were below the poverty line, but last year, about 200 million were below the poverty line. By 2020 we want no poverty in this nation.”

On his dreams for youths:

Kalam said he is thrilled that some of his books were translated into Korean and became popular among youths. “When I visited Korea, I addressed the legislature, universities and scientific research institutions. The message I gave was ‘ignite the minds of the youth,’” he said. “Young people can be inspired only by vision,” he added, noting that he has toured India and met with more than a million children and teenagers to encourage them to follow their dreams. “Youths are a very powerful source that can be ignited by vision. We should provide them with a national vision for the next 10 years. That excites the youth.” He also said older people should help foster the younger generation. “Teachers should help students unleash creativity. If someone can do that, he or she is a great teacher.”

By Ser Myo-ja [[email protected]]