Asian nations face a critical challenge in developing good governance structures, for which just and effective laws are a fundamental pre-requisite, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In a keynote address at the Agenda Asia Conference in Kuala Lumpur today, he cited "right values and norms" as also essential, alongside the building of healthy and functioning public institutions.

Abdullah said the state is the most important and influential of three actors in this process, the other two being the private sector and civil society.

"Despite the diminution of its role as a result of the empowerment of non-state actors and globalisation, the state remains....a force that has the greatest capacity to act for good as well as for bad," he said.

"There is no cookie-cutter approach...no common mould that every country can use. A system that works well for one country may fail miserably in another. Each country and its people must be allowed to find the path best suited to them."

Other elements of good governance include ensuring the welfare of citizens, efficient and responsive delivery systems, financial prudence, transparency and accountability, and a corruption-free government, business and society, he said.

Regional stability

Abdullah outlined the main challenges facing Asia today, a region that he described as going through a transitory phase.

He pointed out that satisfactory access is needed to good education and high literacy, adequate healthcare and clean water, in order to realise the targets of human development and poverty eradication.

Sharing his personal experience from his travels abroad, Abdullah said his observations of a country's human development status are based on two "good indicators".

He looks at the content and advertisements in local newspapers, as well as visits bazaars to determine if the food is locally sourced or imported.

Abdullah noted that sustaining regional peace and stability is another challenge for Asia, which is still vulnerable to ethnic and religious tensions, autonomy or separatist pressures, and militancy and terrorism.

"A lack of trust and confidence, a legacy of past wars and occupation as well as present disputes, still bedevil regional relationships in some parts of our continent," he added.

"We must work towards building trust and confidence, focusing on the future rather than dwelling on the past."

The conference, attended by 300 participants, was jointly organised by the Asia News Network (ANN) and Germany-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The Star and Sin Chew Daily are among the 14 ANN member-organisations.