The idea of a level playing field between developed and developing countries is not historically just. Things were unfairly titled towards these rich countries in history. We need to re-tilt it back towards the rest of us.
The idea of a level playing field between developed and developing countries is not historically just. Things were unfairly titled towards these rich countries in history. We need to re-tilt it back towards the rest of us.
The reality of economic development is that, however we feel about them, elites exist and the elite bargain does matter. And an elite bargain that accelerates economic growth may not necessarily be the same bargain that maintains that growth.
But as the ESG movement grows, and as calls for transition become ever louder, we need to be clear about what is most appropriate for Malaysia and not simply follow a view or an ideology that was crafted and propagated by folks in richer, more advanced nations.
The release of the dinosaurs into the world is very much akin to the massive monetary expansion from quantitative easing in developed countries, particularly the US, the eurozone nations and Japan, since the global financial crisis.
We need to be comprehensive of the mountains of potential data that we have lying all around us. Researchers have used tomb epitaphs, folklore stories and naming conventions from the past — can we challenge ourselves to be as creative and, more so, to digitise our data accordingly?
“New blood” necessarily means going against the status quo. That status quo can be entrenched for a variety of reasons, among which are the types of bonds developed since teenage-hood, forged in boarding schools across the nation.
It is not enough for policymakers to announce important ambitions and policy promises, we need all of Malaysia’s collective brain — our institutions, our cultural norms — to want to change as well. And that can be difficult.
Power distance and our “VIP culture”, which may have worked in different instances in the past or indeed in the present for a given objective, is unlikely to be conducive to future economic development objectives
Technology need not be predestined, and technology policy is something policymakers can influence. Governments can and should shape the kinds of digital technology they believe their countries can adopt and deploy.
How many “Chosen Ones” have we missed simply because we do not provide them with the opportunities to maximise their potential?