第25代総長 松本 紘
Good Morning, Ladies and Gentleman,
First of all, I would like to express to you that it is my great pleasure this morning to make an opening speech for the 4th "Kyodai forum in Southeast Asia" titled "Water Resource Management in Indonesia". I am delighted that Kyoto University is able to organize the forum in Bogor, in collaboration with Institute of Agriculture in Bogor (IPB), Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, LIPI and Himpunan Alumni Kyoto University, or インドネシア京都大学同窓会 in Japanese.
I wished to personally attend the forum in order to meet our alumni and alumnae, and to listen to the discussions on one of the most important and urgent issues in tropical Indonesia, that is, water management. But, as some of you may have already heard, Kyoto University this morning has just held a commencement ceremony for the graduating students and I had to deliver an address to the future alumni and alumnae of Kyodai.
Bapak-bapak dan Ibu-ibu,
If we reflect on the past for a moment, we will get to know that Kyoto University has had a long history of academic exchange with Indonesia, just as with other Southeast Asian countries. The first concrete step in our relationship was taken in 1970 when we opened a liaison office in Jakarta, following the opening of our Bangkok liaison office in 1964. The current Jakarta liaison office is located in Jalan Kartanegara. It is equipped with varioud kinds of academic books on Indonesia, computers and other office equipments. It also has a couple of geustrooms for visiting Kyodai scholars. I want to stress to you that our liaison office is always open to our alumni and alumnae and also to those who are interested in knowing more about Kyodai.
Since 1970 we have developed continuous and harmonious academic exchanges with Indonesia by sending Japanese scholars and researchers to Indonesia and by receiving undergraduate, graduate students, and scholars from Indonesia. We also have signed many MoUs with Indonesian universities and institutes, including, of course, IPB and LIPI.
Bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu,
Kyoto University is well known for its commitment to "academic liberty (自由な学風)" and its emphasis on intellectual creativity and distinctiveness. I am sure that all the alumni and alumnae who gathered in this forum in Bogor today must have experienced this commitment and emphasis of Kyoto University in one way or another while studying in Kyoto.
It is this academic culture that has encouraged scholars and researchers of Kyoto University to carry out fieldwork in Asia and Africa, to find out things not yet recorded in books, and to rethink worn-out concepts and theories. Kyoto University researchers have also been instrumental in advancing new ideas and creating terminologies concerning hithertoo poorly understood or unexplained global phenomena, as is shown by two Kyodai-associated scholars receiving Nobel prizes last year. Perhaps this unique academic culture originates from the intellectual atmosphere of Kyoto city, the ancient capital of Japan, that has been sturdy yet viblant enough not to be swallowed up by ephemeral academic fashions and, instead, to sustain intellectual tenacity to pursue the essentials of things.
In order to promote the holistic integration of various academic disciplines, in 2001, that is, at the beginning of the 21st century, Kyoto University launced a new intellectual mission, namely, to aim "for the harmonious coexistence of humans and ecology on our planet". This mission is based on the conviction that our planetary community should comprise not only human society but also fauna and flora, and even inaninate matters such as rocks, creeks, and hills. Kyoto University firmly believes that this concept of harmonious coexistence, although it may have sounded peculiar a few decades ago, no longer seems strange or foreign once we consider that the excessively human-centered way of thinking has caused critical environmental problems we now face, such as global warming. I hope that Indonesian scholars and intellectuals, especially our alumni and alumnae, will endorse the concept.
Bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu,
"Fight for the harmonious coexistence of humans and ecology on our planet", it is this mission that has motivated the alumni and alumnae of Kyoto University to organize this forum on water resource management in Indonesia.
I am not a specialist on water and forestry management, but as a natural scientist who has a deep concern about global warming and emerging conflicts on water, I am curious to know how Indonesian people and government are seriously engaged in water resource management.
I would like to know, for example, about the privatization of water supply in Indonesia. According to the book, "Imperial Nature" by Michael Goldman, that was translated into Japanese and published by our university press, Indonesia privatized water supply under the influence of neo-liberalism. I want to know whether this privatization project goes on smoothly or it is now reevaluated with the seemingly approaching end of neo-liberalism.
Secondly, I wish to know more about flood problems in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. It is well known that Jakarta has been suffering from floods every year, especially in January and February. In fact I just heard that flood already attacked Jakarta this year, and that the roads and houses in Kelapa Gading area were water-soaked. This sad but routine occurrence of flood is partly caused by the deforestation of catchment areas around Puncak and Bogor where IPB is located. I am certain that our alumni and alumnae are trying to tackle these flood problems and to find some brilliant but feasible solutions to it. I may have be able to listen to discussions of these solutions if I were not in Kyoto but in Bogor with all of you.
Bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu sekalian,
This Kyodai forum in Southeast Asia is the 4th one. We have already organized three forums before, one in Jakarta and two in Bangkok. The memorable 1st Kyodai Forum in Southeast Asia was successfully held in LIPI last year. And the second and third forums were held in Bangkok. The third one has successfully finished last week in Bangkok with the number of around 200 participants. I am certain that Indonesian and Japanese scholars will be able to exchange new ideas and proposals on the harmonious coexistence of humans and ecology in this "4th Kyodai forum in Southeast Asia" and that the forum will be exceedingly meaningful not only for Indonesia and Japan but also for the global community.
Finally, on behalf of Kyoto University, I am deeply grateful to IPB, LIPI and HAKU for co-organizing this forum. By wishing you a great success of the forum, I would like to close this opening speech. Terima kasih banyak. Arigatou gozaimasu.