Malaysia scouts movement makes pledge for peace with Prem Rawat

Prem Rawat at scouting peace pledge event.

As part of an initiative to help young people do more for a peaceful world, Prem Rawat and the Scouts Association of Malaysia signed a “Pledge to Peace” on 30th September 2014 at an event attended by 500 scouts and scout leaders.

The pledge represents an agreement between the Scouts Association of Malaysia and Prem Rawat to cooperate and assist each other in supporting the international scouts movement’s “Messenger of Peace” initiative in Malaysia. The project, which encourages scouts to support peaceful action in their communities for the betterment of mankind, was created by the World Organization of the Scouts Movement (WOSM) in 2011.

 

Prem Rawat speaking to young scouts, Malaysia, September 2014.

 

At the gathering, held in Putrajaya in Malaysia, Prem Rawat spoke about the importance of making the right choices in life and the impact this can have on both individuals and society. He urged the audience to practice those traits that will bring them peace, saying that if they truly want to succeed in improving society, they have to begin with themselves.

He said: “Every day in our life we have to face choices. To choose! And this is what I say to the whole world: ‘Choose clarity over doubt. Choose strength over weakness. Choose wisdom in your life.’ And then, I truly feel that this would be a different world.”

He also spoke about the futility of war and the pain it brings, and emphasized that choice is the weapon that can bring people together. He pointed out that, historically, civilizations that chose badly have crumbled, while those that chose wisely have withstood the test of time.

 

Prem Rawat with Malaysian scout leaders.

 

The Chief Scout of Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Hj. Shafie Mohd Salleh, welcomed Prem Rawat as a fellow scout by bestowing on him the “Scouts Award of Friendship” and “Messenger of Peace” scarf — a symbol representing brotherhood amongst all scouts. Describing him as an honoured friend of Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Shafie expressed his thanks to Prem Rawat for sharing his knowledge and wisdom. He went on to say that the scouting movement rededicates itself to the pursuit of peace and sends a message of peace across the world.

 

Scouts from the Scouts Association of Malaysia.

 

With over 40 million members globally, the scouts movement is booming, especially in Asia. In recent years, young Asians have enthusiastically embraced scouting — a fact not lost on the international scouts governing body, which moved its headquarters from Europe to Kuala Lumpur in June 2014.

With a million young people and volunteers involved in scouting in Malaysia and an estimated four million in Indonesia, the epicenter of this century-old organization, created in England in 1907, has now shifted eastward.

Today, over 36 million scouts around the world contribute hundreds of millions of hours of voluntary work helping those in need in their communities. Since adopting the “Messengers of Peace” initiative, scouts also attempt to contribute to global peace by encouraging peaceful actions to create a better world.

 

Prem Rawat and Tan Sri Dr. Hj. Shafie Mohd Salleh signing peace pledge