Manmohan Singh was a special person with ‘natural authority’: Former German chancellor Merkel

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday made a strong case for multilateralism and said no single country can solve any problem alone.

Delivering the inaugural Dr Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture in Delhi today, Merkel batted for regulation of social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying this is the first time in history that humankind is unable to rein in tech.

She flagged the risks of AI and social media, which make it difficult to sift truths from lies, and said regulation was a must.

Noting that the US, which is a global tech leader, was not keen on regulation, she said just because something seems difficult does not mean it should not be done.

Speaking in the presence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, late PM Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and his daughters, former Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra, and leading members of the political and diplomatic corps, Merkel said the world order was being shaken and it was time for nations to stand up for democratic values rather than give in to hate and incitement.

She said in these tough times Manmohan Singh’s legacy and work could lead the path.

“Currently we are talking of protectionism, wars, aggression of Russia. But what we are losing sight of is that life on earth is at peril. There’s climate change. That’s not making headlines. But if you read what’s happening at the poles, quantitative changes are becoming quantitative. Bottom line is we have to work on multilateral institutions. No one country can solve the problem alone,” she said, adding that Singh was a votary of multilateralism.

The former German chancellor rued that the US had pulled out of the Paris Agreement, and said there were multiple causes for international cooperation today.

She recalled her long association with Singh, describing him as a special person with “natural authority”.

Merkel said Singh had once remarked that the real test of democracy was not by what was said in the Constitution but by what functioned on the ground.

“Manmohan Singh showed with his policies like MNREGA how to pull people put of poverty and how to educate children. He believed in inclusive growth so that everyone can share the fruits of progress. He was a very special person,” said Merkel, hailing India’s economic growth and crediting policies laid down by Singh for “the ongoing uninterrupted economic growth of India”.

On US protectionism under President Donald Trump, Merkel said, “If the US, the largest economy is leaving the concept of multilateralism, we have a problem, but that shouldn’t prevent the rest of the world to come together.”

She said Manmohan Singh would cast a spell on almost anybody, and that she got a better understanding of nations from him.

“When Manmohan Singh assumed office as PM in 2004, the GDP per person was 924 US dollar. When he demitted, it was 1553 dollar, marking a 2.5-fold increase,” Merkel said.

The lecture by Merkel was preceded by introductory remarks on Singh’s life and legacy by his daughter Upinder Singh, who is associated with Ashoka University. The vote of thanks was proposed by Daman Singh, late former PM’s daughter.

Merkel’s speech, delivered in German, was simultaneously translated into English.