GEORGE TOWN, Sept 5 — Former Indonesian president Joko Widodo has called on global leaders and citizens to cultivate mutual understanding as the primary foundation for lasting peace.
Opening the Penang Peace Dialogue alongside Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow tonight, the former president—popularly known as Jokowi—emphasised that true leadership goes beyond strategy and power to genuinely addressing public concerns and aspirations.
“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.
Jokowi noted that peace-building remains a shared responsibility, adding that a resilient society must also comprehend the complex challenges and directional decisions faced by its leadership.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow highlighted that trust should serve as essential “infrastructure of cooperation,” particularly as global strategic rivalries and supply chain disruptions place pressure on technology, semiconductor, and manufacturing sectors.
“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,” Chow noted.
Themed ‘Bridging Civilisations in a Multipolar World’, the two-day dialogue brings together approximately 200 delegates as the centerpiece of the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns (CWC) Conference Series. Jokowi is scheduled to deliver his keynote address tomorrow.
–NMT
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