The 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service

RESPONSE of Liang Congjie
Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 2000 Manila, Philippines

Your Excellency, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, First Lady, Dr. Luisa Ejercito Estrada, members of the Magsaysay family, distinguished guests, trustees, fellow awardees, ladies and gentlemen.

I feel greatly honored for being elected as one of the winners of the 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award.

I am a historian by training and have been working in education, academic and publishing circles for most of my early years. I am often asked why I particularly chose, at my retirement, environmental protection as a career to dedicate the rest of my life. The answer is simple: this is something really important to the future of my country, my people and my family, yet still neglected by most ordinary Chinese.

Environmental degradation happened long ago in many countries, but it is particularly serious, even fatal, now in China. In her thousands of years’ history, China’s population has never been so large, consequently the resources on a per capita level never been so little; the scope of her economy has never been so big, and the capability in changing nature with technological knowledge has never been so powerful. Furthermore, for hundreds of millions of ordinary Chinese, the excitement and impulse to seek material comforts and pleasure, or to become an “instant millionaire” have never been so strong. It is very difficult to imagine how our natural resources and environment can be sustainable and healthily maintained under all such pressures.
   
This was why a group of intellectuals with their profound sense of social responsibility, got together in 1993 to discuss what they could do to make a change. And that was the beginning of Friends of Nature, of which I am the leader.
   
Do we have a ready solution or recipe? No.
   
But we tried to make people aware of the danger ahead, the “iceberg in front of the Tatanic” and make them think of the steps we can take together to save our common future. This is why Friends of Nature sets public environmental education as its main mission. We know that this is a mass movement of enlightenment and there will be a long way ahead of us. Our mission is to sow “green seeds” into people’s minds patiently and persistently, like the farmers sowing in their field. Because this is what we believe, only when people’s heart’s are becoming “greener”, will there be a green future for China.
   
Seven years have passed since the four initiators of Friends of Nature had their first meeting. Now we have nearly one thousand individual members and more than 3000 corporate members all over the country. Maybe this is small Western standards, but Friends of Nature is growing steadily and becoming one of the most influential NGOs in China
Friends of Nature has brought to this country a truly independent voice, at least in the environment field. The Chinese government also found in us an ally. They awarded me several times, in my capacity as the President of Friends of Nature, and on the eve of the International Environment Day of year 2000 they formally gave me the title of “Environment Envoy”, which means a social inspector. Yet Friends of Nature and I never cease to alert watchers and critical observers on all environmental issues in China.

It is obvious that Friends of Nature and myself cannot gain any of the achievements without the warm and firm support from all our friends in China as well as in other countries and now, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. And this is equally true of my wife, and all my devoted and hardworking fellow members. This is why, on behalf of all our members, I invite Mrs. Zhang Jilian, Director of FON’s office, to come and share with me this extraordinary moment your distinguished foundation is now giving me to.

This award is surely a great encouragement to me as well as to Friends of Nature. It is also a reminder to me that the road ahead of us is still long and even more difficult. I will always bear in mind that a good environment and sustainable development will not only be crucial to the future of my motherland, but will also benefit our neighboring countries, as well as all peoples in the world.

Thank you.