Embracing science, technology and innovation in wider market
CHALLENGING: The country needs a firm and foresighted plan for industry 4.0
The live-streaming of the Paris police couple’s murder on June 13 would satisfy militants who want to serve death to unbelievers.
According to reports, Larossi Abballa, after killing the couple, began toying with the fate of his victims’ little son, who survived the ordeal. Abballa was shot dead by police.
One month later, as the French were celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel mowed down 84 revellers with a truck. He, too, was shot dead, but not before inflicting a major psychological toll on the country.
Heart-wrenching reports of relatives wailing at the hospital upon learning of the deaths of their loved ones, especially children, began filling the media.
And, four days later in Germany, teen refugee Muhammad Riyad carried out a knife-and-axe attack in a train. This was followed by David Ali Sonboly, who killed nine people in a mall because he was obsessed with a Norwegian mass killer, and the intended bombing of a music festival by an IS-inspired Syrian immigrant.
Videos of these incidents are widely circulated. Who knows if they have instilled boldness in Malaysian militants to make their moves.
Hatred doesn’t manifest overnight
Since 2012, the Black Lives Matter movement began to gain traction with the killing of Trayvon Martin.
This was aggravated by the 2014 killings of Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, 12, who was shot within two seconds of police arrival.
What frustrated those who subscribe to the movement is not because the shooters got away scotfree, but the justice system that let them down by acquitting or declining to charge the killers.
This raised ire over racial biasness that often led to fatal outcomes in law enforcement. It reinforced the perception among young black men in the US that their lives are cheap, and statistically, they have a higher chance of getting killed when encountering lawmen.
Much has also been said about the mental state of Aballa, LahouaiejBouhlel, Riyad, Sonboly and the Syrian migrant. What they shared is a deranged streak and self-infused anger that had reached a boiling point.
This newspaper did carry a report on the opinion of analysts, who say terror outfits like IS, which propagates violent videos, can serve as a conduit for psychos to commit mass murder.
Terrorists capitalise on avenging the frustration and suffering of a certain group of people, and are trying to create the same impression on youth and children.
They hope the younger generation will grow up relishing in the hatred they purvey.
Discrimination in its ugliest form
During chaos, many parties have come under the microscope — black men, white policemen, Middle East immigrants and Muslims.
They are divided along racial and religious lines.
According to reports, Johnson’s payback was chillingly specific. He didn’t just want to kill any policeman, but white policemen.
In Europe and the US presidential election, far-right politicians are having a field day debating immigrants and religious tolerance.
As the atmosphere of fear prevails, people begin to feel under siege and become suspicious of everybody who looks, talks and lives like the perpetrators of violence.
In response, those on the other side will feel threatened and harden their stance to reconciliation.
In the end, negative perceptions are reinforced and each side becomes synonymous with what they are labelled as — classic stereotyping and discrimination to the fullest.
All examples in this article occurred outside the borders of our country. But we must remember that Malaysia is not immune to the fallacies of the world. We must realise that similar situations may or have happened in the country.
For example, if we share videos of a roadside argument or spread the picture of a person whom we suspect hasn’t had his diphtheria shots, which we do so to seek “justice” from the masses, it can have far-reaching consequences.
The question is whether it is justice or oppression that has been served.
kennyg@nst.com.my
WE are more than halfway in this landmark, post-Asean Economic Community (AEC), post-Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement year, with so many changes taking place in the country’s economic landscape.
One thing that hasn’t changed, although has become more pressing, is the need to keep up with the global economy, which is more open and driven by science, technology and innovation (STI).
By being a party to TPP, we will have greater access to a market of 11 countries, 800 million people and a combined gross domestic product of US$27.5 trillion (RM118 trillion). AEC, of which we are also a member, gives us access to 633 million people and a GDP of more than US$2.5 trillion.
Some of us see the country’s participation in these trade arrangements as a great opportunity — new markets and lower entry barriers — but there are a few who feel that the trade benefits could have been overstated.
These less-than-optimistic groups perceive the costs and risks as greater than the benefits.
In the meantime, the evolution in STI has seen a pace that hasn’t been seen before.
Not only in real development and progress, but its popularity has also reached an unprecedented level, with consumers being more conscious and discerning of STI trends, especially those in consumer markets.
Uberisation, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, wearables, eCommerce, nanotech, Big Data analytics — these technologies are no longer exclusive to scientists and industry players as consumers, including in the Asean region, are also familiar with these terms.
In the meantime, industry 4.0, that is, the digital economy driven by these technologies, is shaping up in the private sector as big and small companies digitalise their businesses and products.
In this new age, there are people who view that our approach should leverage our strengths instead of going through the pain of developing new STI-based industries.
There are many more opportunities to be seized and explored in industries.
With TPP, access to resources, be they capital or labour, and to markets — services and goods — becomes wider.
These should make investments in STI more worthwhile as the market for digital goods and services expands.
On the other hand, with the economic landscape increasingly dependent on technology and innovation, the country needs a firm and foresighted plan.
Small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) deserve attention and assistance in facing industry 4.0.
As the playground becomes bigger, while our home pitch appears less green than that of others, we could lose out, not only in the product market but also in the labour market.
Brain drain could result as local talents search for greener pastures, depriving us of human capital required to create local champions.
In such a scenario, our SMEs are disadvantaged.
They are less capable of retaining talents in STI and competing with other players in the more advanced, more open and better-paying countries.
Not to mention the inability to meet uncertainties and differences in standards and compliance requirements across countries.
In facing challenges raised by new economic arrangements, strategic programmes and interventions need to focus on preparing local players.
Local firms and entrepreneurs need to be encouraged to explore opportunities in the services sector, which has greater tradability and can benefit from STI and industry 4.0.
Perhaps we can explore whether consolidation of small local players is beneficial to achieve economies of scale and to improve their visibility and competitiveness in a more challenging open market.
There is also greater pressure to ensure that education and training can produce human capital with hard and soft skills.
In short, freer markets offer a wider playground, bigger opportunities and more players to compete against.
However, without a strong gameplan, they could turn out to be Trojan horses that could kick us to the back of the race.
With TPP and AEC at their infancy, and the region adapting to the higher standards imposed by these two trade arrangements, stability and support are what our SMEs could benefit from, and these are the policy areas that deserve great attention.
The writer is
mazlenamazlan@gmail.com