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Speech of Past Rotary International President Bhichai Rattakul D-3780 Installation Ceremonies 3 July 2011, Manila, Philippines

“Vocational Service and Integrity……the Bedrock of Rotary”

District Governor Jess Cifra, and my fellow Rotarians. If there is any one whose time has come and who is more than qualified to serve as district governor of district 3780….it is Jess Cifra! It was during 2002/03 that Jess Cifra served his club.

The Rotary Club of Loyola Heights as its president. It was also that particular year that we became “classmates”. During that year, Jess Cifra and the members of his club have gone out of their way in “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by undertaking the many commendable projects which have benefitted thousands of people. Those projects were not “top down” mandated ones, but initiated by the grassroots Rotarians… a “bottom-up” approach to the needs they saw and took action to remedy those ills. As a result of his untiring efforts, Jess Cifra was chosen as the most outstanding club president, and his club….the Rotary Club of Loyola Heights…was also chosen as the Most Outstanding Rotary Club of district 3780 for the year 2002-03! This is not easily achievable. It demands a lot of work, a lot of thinking, a lot of coordinating, and a lot of patience from the leadership of the club to be able to achieve what seems to be unachievable. But, Jess Cifra did it!

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My first opening remarks, therefore in not an exaggeration and I have no motive whatsoever to flatter him or to downgrade his predecessors or successors. All of them have served Rotary so well. But, truly, if there is anyone who deserves to serve you again in 2011-2012 now as district governor of district 3780…it is Jess Cifra! So to you District governor Jess Cifra, please accept my heartfelt congratulations as you commence to tackle the task that has been entrusted upon you. The Rotarians of district 3780 love you. They respect you, and they all have full confidence in you. Don’t ever fail them like you never did to your club members 10 years ago. I am sure that with the guidance of your predecessors, especially Past District Governor Bobby Viray, you and your team once again will end your year with flying colours. My fellow Rotarians, it was almost a year ago when I was approached by Past District Governor Bobby Viray, on behalf of Governor Jess, to attend this prestigious event…the 25th Anniversary of the founding of your district, the Induction of Clubs’ Officers, and most significant of all….the Installation of Jess Cifra as district governor of district 3780! I did not hesitate to accept this invitation for the mere reason that past District Governor Bobby Viray is no stranger to me. We have been working together hand in hand as classmate in 2002-2003, and hopefully for the many years to come. By accepting your invitation, I feel that you have accorded me such a great honour and privilege which I really don’t know whether I deserve it or not. But, I hope that my small contribution at this time will give you some food for thought for the good and future of our organization. So first of all, on behalf of Rotary International, I wish to extend to you my heartfelt congratulations as you celebrate tonight the Silver Jubilee of your district.

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It was during 1963-64, when I had the honour to serve my district as its governor, my counterpart in the Philippines was Governor Ponching Oboza of the Rotary Club of Davao, District 385…then the only district in the Philippines. Time flies. From only one district in 1963-64, and now 48 years later, the expansion of the Rotary movement in the Philippines has been so fantastic. Even the birth of your district on the 1st of July 1987, I had the honour of representing the President of RI to the district conference of district 380 in 1983 before it was bifurcated into three districts, and your district has been and is unique one-city Rotary district since then. There is no doubt that district 3780 is one of the most active districts in the Philippines. I am sure that all the Rotarians in district 3780 take great pride in the past achievements, particularly of the leadership and the long march all of you have undertaken to reach where you are now. My fellow Rotarians, the year which has just ended the presidency of Ray Klinginsmith, we were challenged to Building Communities and Bridging Continents with the hope to making Rotary Bigger,Better, and Bolder. But, as we look to the future I think our task becomes even bigger and bolder with the call from President Kalyan to….Reach Within to Embrace Humanity. This sounds quite simple. However, before exploring what could be done to…..Reach Within To Embrace Humanity we must first never forget what brings us to Rotary, and what really binds us to take up Rotary so seriously as a part of our lives. In the simplest term, what really has an impact on our lives as Rotarians is that the “Ideal of Service” arises from the selfishness that stems from the desire to serve.

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It is because of this fact the Rotary world has adopted what we called, “The Statement on Community Service”. The statement specifically gives a clear guidance of Rotarians and Rotary clubs to formulate a policy for Rotary toward community service activities. The principles in the Statement as appeared in the Manual of Procedure, indicate, among other things, two important principles which are the heart and soul of Rotary, and which we practice in our daily life. They are: “Fundamentally, Rotary is a philosophy of life that undertakes to reconcile the ever present conflict between the desire to profit for one’s self and the duty and the consequent impulse to serve others. This philosophy is the philosophy of service, “Service Above self”, and is based on the practical ethical principle that, “They Profit Most Who Serve Best”. And the second principle, in part, indicates very clearly that autonomy of the Rotary Club which says….. “Each individual club has absolute autonomy in the selection of such community service activities as appeal to it and as are suited to its community and RI should never prescribe nor proscribe any community service activity for any club”. Unfortunately, at the November 2007 Board meeting, in decision 50, the Board felt that there were aspects of the 1923 Statement that it believed no longer accurately described the principles of Rotary, and decided to delete the whole Statement all together, and recognized that the Statement has only its “Historical Value”! A few months later in January 2008 in decision 156, the Board reversed its November 2007 decision and agreed to put back the 1923 Statement in future editions of the Manual of Procedure, with a special indication that it is there now only as a “Historical Document”! After receiving many complaints from many parts of the Rotary world, especially from clubs and districts in Japan, the Board took another decision (a third one) at

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its January 2009 meeting, and once again changed its stance by agreeing to delete the phrase as a “Historical document”, but requested the general secretary to include a note in the Rotary Code of Policies stating that the 1923 Statement will continue to appear in the Manual of Procedure because of its “historical value”. Up to this point, I dare say that each of the Board has its own interpretation of this ideal of service, and I am afraid to say that many of the Board members did not really understand the value of this Statement. And perhaps did not even appreciate or understand the ideal of service. Yes, my fellow Rotarians, it was a very sad and confusing situation! Since then I have been following up the matter with the hope that the Board will one day see the value of this Statement, not as historical value, and not as historical document, but the heart and soul of our very existence. I am glad to report that after many meetings with many people concerned, the Board at its January 2010 meeting in decision X4, has finally agreed to…include the 1923 Statement on Community Service in future editions of the Rotary Code of Policies and the Manual of Procedure, and RESCINDS its previous decisions to the contrary. This means in short that the 1923 Statement on Community Service remains intact without the phrase “historical value” or “historical document” any more. Indeed many things have changed since 1923. This, all of us to have admit. The pace has also changed, and we have to accept this reality, but not the purpose or the principles. Yes, the world has changed. And for many, the change has been painful. Even the competition to recruit new members among many service organizations just to keep their organizations alive, is real, but this shouldn’t discourage us. It should challenge us! For all the hits we have taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline in membership, Rotary still has the largest qualified membership

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among the service organizations, and continue to enjoy the recognition of being an association with an ideal that has grown into a gigantic force for good. At stake is whether our ideal of service takes roots in the over 200 countries and geographical regions of the world. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made Rotary not just a place on a map, but the light to the world. To continue enjoying this status we must stand very firm on our principles and conviction! It is our duty, as Rotarians to shape, inspire and light the right way. Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister once said of conviction…

“Staying in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by traffic from both sides”.

Yes, this is the hard fact of life because moving away from the middle of the road to either side requires taking a position on an issue or topic. In this case, one has to believe in that position and stick with that belief amid challenges or criticism. We must not only be courageous, but daring. Daring is different from courage. Courage is the ability to endure danger, adversity, and suffering resolutely. Daring, on the other hand, is the willingness to take a chance, to engage in the unknown, to risk failure while pursuing success, and to undertake an adventure. An American writer, Eudora Welty, denounced complacency when she wrote: “All serious daring starts from within”. I believe she is right. For it is only by “Reaching Within” and with a belief in ourselves and in our ability to succeed that we can take chances necessary to lead a daring life. And because of this conviction to right the wrong , we have shown to the Rotary world that we won’t be deceived about flexibility as the fundamental principle.

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And we have shown to the Rotary world that we will not and cannot afford to be flexible on matter of principles. With the clear sign that we will uphold the principles of Rotary’s philosophy, the 2010 Council on Legislation has passed Resolution Nu, 10-182 by a large margin…444 against 66…which indicates that the first principle of the 1923 Statement on Community Service is still relevant for Rotarians today as ever, therefore, it must be kept permanently as the philosophy that embraces humanity. The Council also requests the Board to using this principle as a definition of the philosophy of service…. Service Above Self which is based on the practical ethical principle that They Profit Most Who serve Best. My fellow Rotarians, the ideal of Rotary…. the desire to Reach Within to Embrace Humanity is apparent everywhere where Rotary exists. Speaking on “water” alone, you are well aware that over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Somewhere in the world a child dies from water-related disease every 8 seconds. That’s over 10,000 innocent lives lost everyday. Water certainly is life! Those who have never been starved will never know the value of one grain of rice! Those who have never been poor will never understand the value of just a dime. Those who have never been short of drinking water will never realize the value of one drop of water. This is the story of Darm whom I have met and have played a small part in his life. Darm who has never seen his father, and was not raised by his mother who left him when he was only 7 months old.

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Darm was left with his grandmother. They lived in a broken wooden shack along the railway track. The grandmother being illiterate scraped a living by collecting and selling vegetables found in the nearby swamp. She could hardly earn a dollar for a full day work. By the time Darm was three years old, she had no more tears to shed, no more sweat to share. But she was determined…not only for her survival, but for the survival of the most precious thing she has ever had in her life…her very own blood! At the age of five, Darm was determined to go to school like other kids who lived nearby. He begged his grandmother, and she excitedly agreed to. And there they were on the first day at the new school year. An old woman, skinny and dark-complexioned, walked through the gates with a small scrawny, peculiar lad who had rashes and wounds all over his body. It was at the school that the teachers and other children noticed that Darm was often ill, afraid of strangers, and often missed school. Rumours were circulating that the child’s father had died of HIV/AIDS! Was the child also a victim of this disease? The teachers decided to find out by visiting his “home”. Inspecting the “shack” where the grandmother and her grandson lived, they discovered that there was no water supply. Apparently, the neighbours had told them that it was permissible to connect to their water supplies, but had left the poor woman to pay for both water bills. With no money the water supply from the neighbors was cut off. Water is life!

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The grandmother and the child were desperate! Somehow, they must find some source of water…..any source of water……any kind of water. They did find one! Water from the community sewage outlets! By using sandbags to “dam” the community water and sewage outlets, skimming off water for drinking when the silt and muck had settled… had prolonged their lives. But, drinking water from the community sewage outlets had caused Darm diarrhea , rash and wounds over the body, weight loss and skin diseases. The little boy was classified as being risk. His case was made known to the local Rotary clubs which immediately contacted the municipality, and the hospital. The installation of the water supply took place a few days later by Rotary, and Darm was tested for HIV/AIDS….the result of which proved negative. A happy ending for Darm and his grandmother who is now being employed by a Rotarian. But my fellow Rotarians, the story of darm did not end here. Because the hard fact of life for Darm, the Rotarians saw the need right in front of their door, and got into action. Yes, those who have never been short of drinking water will never realize the value of one drop of water! As a result of one little lad, ten of thousands of people in 50 villages, including thousand of school children are now able to have clean and safe water to drink through several Matching Grants of The Rotary Foundation. Yes, this Reaching Within to Embrace Humanity!

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I am sure the story of Darm is only one of many stories that you and I are familiar with. But there are many more…many, many more “Darms” in this world than you could imagine. “Darms” whose lives remained to be touched by our hands and felt by our hearts. “Darm” whose fate has brought him to Rotary and had awaken Rotary’s conscience to take action. My friends, if there is anyone who still doubts that Rotary is an organization where all things are possible…who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time… who still questions the power of Rotary’s service, the story of Darm and your presence here tonight in such a large number…is the answer! It is the answer told by Darm and his grandmother. It is the answer told by people whose lives have been touched by us. People from all walks of life…...from the richest to the poorest….from the cracking muddy walls to the broken wooden floors…from an unborn baby to the elderly…..all of whom believed that Rotary is indeed an organization where all things are possible. Rotary does indeed embrace the Heart of Service. That’s what Rotary has done for more than a century. We must, therefore, never forget that the things we have struggled for, fought for and worked for, live in the hearts of people everywhere. District Governor Jess may have differences in policy, in his administration, in his style of operating the affairs of Rotary in this district that differs from his predecessors, but we all believe in the same promise that says Rotary is a place where we can Reach Within to Embrace Humanity. Yes, we may have different backgrounds, but we believe in the same dream. That dream is the driving force for us to do good.

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A story is told about a Mr. Brandon who started a company in Berlin, Pennsylvania, that specializes in a new kind of drilling technology. And one day last summer, he saw the news that halfway across the world, 33 men were trapped in a Chilean mine and no one knew how to save them. But, Brandon thought his company could help. And so he designed a rescue that would come to be known as Plan B. His employees worked around the clock to manufacture the necessary drilling equipment. And Brandon left for Chile. Along with others, he began drilling a 2,000-foot hole into the ground, working three or four-hour…three or four days at a time without any sleep. Thirty seven days later, Plan B succeeded, and the miners were rescued. But, because he didn’t want all of the attention, Brandon wasn’t there when the miners emerged. He’d already gone back home, back to work on his next project. And later on, one of his employees said of the rescue. “We proved that Centre Rock is a little company, but we do big things”. Yes my fellow Rotarians, Rotary does big things. But we do not want to make name or fame. We want only to Reach Within to Embrace humanity. Brandon is one good example. And now as I turn on to the various avenues of service, I strongly feel that the most important aspect of Rotary’s ideal of service is Vocational Service. What is Vocational Service? In short, Vocational Service is integrity and trust. Vocational Service seeks to improve the standard of business and profession…not only among the public, but more importantly, amongst the Rotarian themselves. To me, ethical standards are part and parcel of our humanitarian service. Whenever, we pin a Rotary emblem in our lapel, we tell the world who we are: people who are honest, forthright and caring.

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It should be obvious then, that one of the greatest fields for our endeavour to reach within and uphold the ideal of service is…Vocational Service. Yet, it has been neglected at all levels! In the words of Past president John Kenny: “I have long believed that the bedrock of Rotary is our commitment to ethical behaviour. It has been putting what’s right above what’s convenient…and Service Above Self…that has made Rotary different from the rest…” Unfortunately, it has been said that “we begot it, and then forget it”. Yes, we forget this most important element of Rotary’s philosophy. Very often we see among Rotarians, and even senior Rotarians, and even some senior Rotarians, who deliberately ignored the application of ethics and integrity in our business and professional life. Yes, even in the operation of Rotary! Honesty and transparency. Fairness and openness in dealings with customers, partners, suppliers and employees are just hollow words! In a recent survey in my country, when asked whether it was acceptable to cheat in business, 84% of the respondents said “yes”. When asked whether it was all right to cheat in politics, 51% said it was okay if the politicians were able administrators. Obviously, many national structures have been corroded, particularly its morality and sense of right and wrong. The poll indicates that Thai society is guided by a faulty moral compass. Even though the poll might not tell the whole story, statistically the poll does show a certain section of Thai society is misguided. They did not realize that dishonesty and corruption are worse than cancer.

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I am afraid to say nowadays people have become obsessed with getting rich which resulted in greater hardship. We’re often taught to try to get rich first and get it quickly, regardless of the negative consequences. We don’t care that such a mentality can backfire, leading to hardship for ourselves or other people. To think that those who said it was alright to cheat in business they may not know that many ordinary American citizens, in the Enron case, saw their life savings disappear in an instant. Some have committed suicide because they see no future in living a destitute life in old age. To prevent this all sectors in the society must point out that cheating in all forms is unacceptable, is immoral and will corrode our society and destroy it. We cannot and must not accept such misguided attitude. In my private life as a businessman and as a politician, I have become convinced that Vocational Service is the area in which we, as Rotarians, can act best and contribute most to improve the society in which we live. I sincerely believe that Vocational Service is essential to the lives of the individual and is perhaps the best area through which each Rotarian can express his or her idealism and a real sense of usefulness as an individual, as a citizen, and as human being. In the early days of Rotary, when policies were not yet well formed, there was a trace of selfishness. Members of the first clubs were encouraged to do business with one another. One of the Vocational Service Committee was, “Business Methods”. Here a Rotarian was instructed techniques and taught how he could increase his ability to make more money by using efficient methods. This obviously improved his status in the community. But Rotary soon discarded the idea of exclusive business transactions as unworthy. The Business Methods Committee was also discarded. In their place as all know, a motto evolved which seemed to state our credo, “He Profits Most-

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Who Serves Best”, was introduced and widely accepted by Rotarians from the very beginning. However, there is no greater peril which confronts an individual or a business or a society than that of giving everything and receiving nothing. When the primary purpose of business is lost sight of, then most certainly the days of that business are numbered. Every business in order to exist is under the compelling necessity to make a profit. This we have to be realistic. Because it has an obligation to its owner or stockholders, its employees and even to the community. But, no business is under the compulsion of making profit in a manner that is socially harmful. No profit that demeans or degrades either the buyer or the seller is worth its high cost. Financial gain alone does not satisfy nor is it a proper motive. Undoubtedly, the Four-Way Test has been a guiding light to Rotarians the world over. The “test” was originally conceived to help make a bankrupt concern profitable. It did! If the “test” had not been applied the firm would have gone out of existence. The employees would have gone out of existence. The employees would have lost their means of livelihood. Many would have suffered loss because indebtedness was not discharged. So many people would sustain injury when a profit is not made. Of course, the Four-Way Test came into existence because of a particular moment. Since it was successful in restoring a profit, it accomplished something much more with far-reaching results. The “test” has become a factor interpreting the conscience of Rotarians in every area of their lives.

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I wish to add that Vocational Service is an activity of the Rotary programme for which you cannot simply give publicity or present in grandi-loquent but meaningless words. It can only be demonstrated through example that each of us can give through our own behavior and conviction that is the guiding principle in our lives. A Rotary Club in a rural area in my country many years ago once presented a humble postman with an award for his honesty and devotion to work after almost 40 years of service without missing one day work. When asked how he was able to maintain such a record, he replied simply, “I was aware that my work was important”. My fellow Rotarians, we must remain aware that work is important. We must always keep in mind that Vocational Service is a gift which has more values and honour than any gift that Rotary has given us. It is a gift to enriching and uplifting the dignity and integrity of mankind. It is the ideal of Rotary….indeed the heart and soul of Rotary! My dear friends, Rotary certainly is not a spectacular organization because it works from man to man, and its achievements are not always recognized by contemporaries. Rotary has made a business and professional man and woman an important person. And with compassion in all its undertaking it has brought the business and professional men and women together in a realization of their social responsibility. Yet, there could be someone here and elsewhere who would ask…after all these talks…who needs Rotary anyway? I wish you were with me at a district conference in Nashville, Tennessee, USA way back in 1985.

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I was invited to speak on Rotary Youth programme. The district sponsors a boys town housing and educating young boys from broken homes and it brings about ten of these young boys to the conference each year. The chairman introduced each boy to the delegates by asking him to give his name and age. One fine looking young boy boasting an engaging smile about nine years of age, with a broken home as his greatest obstacle to a better life, came to the podium. Obviously scared, he could not remember his name! He truly froze…he could not speak! With everyone waiting with sympathetic appreciation, he finally returned, ran from the stage to his seat in the back of the room, sat down and cried. After the meeting was over, I went to him, threw my arm around his shoulder, and tried to build his spirits. We talked of football, basketball and other sports. He loved basketball, I discovered. We talked of ways to shoot basketballs like professionals, and all at once he was bubbling with youthful enthusiasm. At that time, the chairman of the conference called me to the adjoining room where I was to deliver my speech. I said to my young friend: “I have to go now, but someday, I am coming to see you, and we’ll shoot basketball goals”. As I walked away, I heard him say something which I didn’t understand. I asked: “What did you say, son?” He replied, with tears in his eyes, “Thank you, Sir…for placing your arm around my shoulder”. My friends, would this explain, “Who needs Rotary?” Our arms around the shoulders without any words may be all that is necessary to……Reach Within to Embrace Humanity, and to embrace the Heart of Service!

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I have often been asked that at 85 how long will I be able to continue serving Rotary? Where did I get the energy from to do what I did all these 53 years? My response: “I have promises to keep…. And miles to go before I sleep”. You have promises to keep. Keep your promises, for you have more miles than I do to go before you sleep!