AJA compliments Biden, looks forward to a safer world, greater opportunities

Biden giving a speech while Harris looks on (Twitter)

SEOUL: Asia Journalists Association (President Ashraf Dali) has welcomed the election of Joe Biden as the46th president of the United States and said it looked forward to the implementation of his vision based on unity, respect and hope.

Biden who was finally elected as the president of the U.S. after overcoming difficulties related to personal misfortune and two major failures in his 50 years of political history pledged in speeches to be “a president who seeks not to divide, but unify”, and to be a president for all Americans – whether they voted for him or not. He also said “this is the time to heal” and will “make America respected around the world again”.

“We regard his words applicable not only to the U.S., but also to all democratic countries that value citizens’ happiness based on freedom and justice as the best virtue,” AJA, the association that brings together media professionals from more than 50 countries, said in a statement.

AJA stressed the significance of Biden’s emphasis on harmony and unity and on ending the grim era of demonization in America.

“It cannot be denied that during Trump’s presidency, the world was in agitation in the flood of too many ‘unpredictability’, ‘destruction of common sense and principle’, and ‘fake news’. We anticipate and support President Biden to break away from such nonsense, and ‘domination by the strong’, and recover the world order based on common sense and principle.”

In 2020, the whole world has unfortunately suffered from pandemic and confusion and crises have compounded the situation.

AJA said it looked forward to the Biden administration gathering the wisdom of medical professionals from all over the globe and taking strong actions against COVID-19 by developing vaccines and medicines.

The association added that it looked forward to the Biden administration to providing concrete and practical solutions to policies to issues in Asia that were neglected and distorted during the previous administration’s isolationist policy.

Calls for a better world include realistic measures regarding such issues as the U.S.-China trade war, nuclear threats, the sanctions against Iran and North Korea as well as inspiring and providing hope for girls and boys in the Middle East whose dreams were shattered and lost by conflicts and wars.

AJA expressed hope the new administration “will be equipped with wisdom and knowledge to solve the historical crisis surrounding Israel and Palestine including their neighbors.”

“We also ask the new Biden administration to actively build on positive legacies such as the establishment of diplomatic and détente relations between Israel and its neighbors and to correct foreign policies that had been distorted,” AJA said.

The pan-Asian association said it looked forward to President-elect Biden taking the lead in normalizing the world order based on truth and justice.

“We firmly believe that president-elect Biden will faithfully carry out the pledges he made as a candidate in relation to the improvement of the earth environment, including climate change, and refugee issues.”

AJA said it highlighted with special attention two points Biden made in his election speeches.

The first is “I will be honored to be serving with a fantastic vice president — Kamala Harris — who will make history as the first woman, first Black woman, first woman of South Asian descent, and first daughter of immigrants ever elected to national office in this country.”

The second is “Democrats, Republicans and independents. Progressives, moderates and conservatives. Young and old. Urban, suburban and rural. Gay, straight, transgender. White. Latino. Asian. Native American. I am proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse in history.”

“We sincerely wish that Joe Biden will be remembered as the president who cared about people and saved humanity during his presidency.”