JOHAN JAAFAR
Global change icons inspire young by example

2009/11/21

NANDO Parrado was stunned. Five Indonesian youths ran up to him immediately after his talk, hugged him and started crying together. They had lost their parents in the recent earthquake. They saw in Parrado a man who came back from the dead. They wished their parents had been just as lucky. Parrado, better known as the 1972 Andes plane crash survivor who had to eat the flesh of his dead friends and made a superhuman effort to brave the unforgiving mountain range to seek help, consoled them with soothing words.

He would rather speak about the quality of life rather than the meaning of death. He has the credentials to do so. He and his friends were left for dead, high up in the Andes with nothing to eat. Yet they survived 72 days of unspeakable horror. He lost his mother and sister in the crash. His book, Miracles on the Andes, was made into the hit film Alive in 1993. He was portrayed by Ethan Hawke, then a struggling actor.

A lesser man would have succumbed to despair, but not him. The Andes survivor had one or two things to tell the Indonesians on the meaning of faith, fortitude and patience.

There were many such moving episodes at the Youth Engagement Summit 2009 (Yes 2009) last week at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).

Sir Bob Geldof was almost in tears upon receiving a standing ovation from the participants after his talk. He went up the stage without a note or a state-of-the art Powerpoint presentation to guide him. He needed neither for he spoke from his heart.

(From left) Nando Parrado is better known as the 1972 Andes plane crash survivor who ate the flesh of his dead friends; Sir Bob Geldof reminds the youth of today of their responsibilities to mankind; and Dr Mamphela Aleta Ramphele is known for her struggle against apartheid in South Africa

The youth met the living legend in person, hearing him talk about the great things he had done to fellow human beings. He reminded them of their responsibilities to mankind. He was awesome, to say the least.

Then there was Dr Mamphela Aleta Ramphele, the petite lady whose perseverance and conviction made her a towering figure in the African continent.

She was incarcerated for her struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Ramphele, a medical doctor, activist and the first black woman to be appointed a vice-chancellor in her country spoke about the crusade against injustice, prejudice and to uphold human rights.

Garry Kasparov, the unbeatable, the genius, the maestro in the world of chess, was at the top for almost two decades as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Kasparov, too, had proven to the world the power of the human mind in facing the multiple algorithms of a supercomputer when he was pitted against Deep Blue in a chess game.

Biz Stone was there, demonstrating the vision of a young man to change the way humans communicate. Twitter is not the new wheel in human civilisation, but it is equally ubiquitous in the cyber realm. Twitter is cool.

Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook co-founder Mark, was there, a natural speaker who found her way into the hearts of the youth present.

And our very own Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, the face of entrepreneurship in the country was there. He was a hit. He was witty and down-to-earth. The man who changed the region's aviation history and gave new meaning to the word "innovation" certainly has come a long way.

Not many of us have heard of Narain Karthikeyan, the new star of the Formula One circuit. He may be young and fast but certainly not reckless. The message he sent to the young was clear: one can live in the fast lane, but keep focused on the objective, for he believes when the dust settles, reality will set in.

Then there was David Magliano, director of marketing for the London Olympics 2012, from whom everyone is interested in knowing his plans and views on the year London will host another Olympic Games.

The organisers arranged for Donald Trump to talk to the youth via satellite feed from Trump Towers in New York. He did not utter the dreaded phrase "you are fired!" but he engaged them with incredible stories -- about his successes, failures and the ups and downs of the corporate world.

Last but not least, the programme was steered by Lorraine Hahn, one of Asia's best known presenters and talk show hosts, and certainly its most glamourous.

They were all there for a reason -- to inspire the young of Southeast Asia. Yes 2009 is about empowering the young and their hopes and aspirations, too. The mantra is change -- to mean a sea change of attitude in charting the course of the future. Change was the battle cry when Barrack Obama started his incredible journey to become the first black president of the United States.

Change is the mantra the current prime minister of this country, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has been harping on to move Malaysia to a different level -- one that discards the baggage of the past and lumbering ways of old. He is seeking a new way forward, powered by openness, tolerance and sheer hard work.

This initiative is not led by any government; it is an initiative by non-governmental organisations, private companies and individuals. It is the call of the young and a worthy cause for the youth. The idea was to unite the youth of Southeast Asia on the same platform. They were to meet very distinguished speakers and captains of industry, who shared their views and ideas under the theme "Leading A Better World" in Kuala Lumpur. These speakers are the change masters themselves, in fact they are rightly the global change icons the youth aspire to be.

They did not disappoint them. Other than the 1,000 young people attending, the organisers were able to collect more than 600,000 signatures from the youth of Southeast Asia as a mark of support for the initiative.

The event was sponsored by Sime Darby and powered by AirAsia with the helping hands of many organisations and companies. As Harmander Singh, chairman of the organising committee, reminded the audience on the final day, it was a journey of many challenges and minefields, punctuated by many doubts and headaches, but judging from the overwhelming response from the youth themselves, it was a resounding success.

zulujj@tm.net.my