Only recently, British Telecom – one of the main internet providers in the UK – announced its ‘ambitious’ plans as it has itself called it, to provide fast internet broad band to two-thirds of the British population. In practice this means that in the years to come two-thirds of all Britons can connect to the internet and watch videos on it also downloading large attachments faster and in real time.
To many in Britain this comes as welcome news. To us in Malta it makes us realise how many steps ahead we are when it comes to Information and Communication Technology. Faster broadband in Malta is available to 98 per cent of the country. Internet connections top a record high as do computer users. As can be seen at the last general election and no doubt at the next one in three years time, the internet has become a powerful communications tool. The faster and better the connection, the better one communicates.
This ICT revolution has also connected us to the world. Whereas traditionally size did matter, today small is beautiful and definitely more adapt to the new technologies. In a world where speed is everything, it is quicker to roll out technology in a small country when compared to a large. In effect this means that a country like Malta responds much quicker to innovations in the field rather than say the UK. This, in turn, has an effect on information dissemination on mobile phones as well as the internet. Penetration as can be well expected is one of the highest in Europe here.
This is the scene in Malta at the moment – a completely different scenario to the one our parents or even we lived through in our youth. Today, I often wonder what we used to do without our mobile phones or laptops and emails. Life has indeed become faster and in some cases not easier.
Maltese society has indeed adapted beautifully to the change in Information and Communication Technology. I distinctly remember our former President of the Republic Censu Tabone speaking of his discovery of computers and the internet. At 80 he too managed to work it out and in his days we did not even have telephones here in Malta!
The upsides to the new technologies are abundant. If we forget the economic value they have added for a second, we could also see much benefit for our country on a social level. The societal groups most prone to exclusion, especially the disabled and the aged have found in these new technologies a new form of expression and thus freedom. An elderly lady constituent of mine once told me after having been introduced to the internet, that she will never be alone again. For too long her friends were the TV presenters and talk show hosts on TV. But that was one way communication. The internet has provided a two-way active communication for these groups. More and more Maltese today use the internet also to reconnect with their relatives overseas. Many had not spoken to their relatives in Australia and Canada for decades – today they are just a touch of a button away.
While the advantages are obvious, the disadvantages are not always spoken of. Here in Malta we have made it our mission in government to ensure that the main problems that have emerged as a result of ICTs are turned into a strategic advantage. Here I am speaking directly of job security.
It is a well known fact that job security is a thing of the past. Guarantees of a job for life are not in tune with a fast changing economic scenario we are faced with. If we look back at the last year, with one of the worst recessions in recent history hitting the globe, one can begin to understand better how such concepts have evolved over time.
Many in our country would look to the security of a permanent job as was traditionally the case. Often enough the fact that this is no longer the norm has unnerved our citizens to no small degree. It is indeed difficult to change mindsets especially in a small island state such as ours. True, the concept of security of tenure is engrained in our mentality but slowly and surely this too is shifting.
Due to the advent of ICTs, Malta has managed to exploit the classical disadvantage of size and turn it into an advantage. We have also managed to shift the idea of job security to one of security of education and training. At all levels the Maltese are being educated, re-educated, trained and re-trained. The concept of education for life is slowly infiltrating our psyche and has made this shift possible. Again in a small country this is infinitely easier to implement.
Today, anyone can go to their local council office and follow computer courses free of charge among the many other courses on offer. One is also encouraged to ditch the queues and waiting times at government departments and use the online services instead. Indeed, we are top in e-government in Europe. Be it a birth certificate or an application for social services or paying a bill – all this and much more can be done online.
This strategy is working hand in hand with one of job creation in the ICT field. Taking full advantage of our small size and thus adaptability to the new technologies, Malta has put itself on the map when it comes to the development of application software for internet-based programmes such as Facebook, Twitter, Hi-5, i-Phone and now the i-Pad. The technology is not made in Malta but the applications are. Just like we have firms producing computer chips for anything from a phone to a car here in Malta we also have created a niche in the area of internet applications. This has undoubtedly created more traffic and thus more jobs for the highly-skilled Maltese.
The same can be said about i-gaming which today is the fastest contributor to our GDP. We have penetrated this niche intelligently yet responsibly. Whilst today we can boast up to 280 i-gaming companies resident in Malta we are also ensuring that this expansion does not come at the expense of the law.
The more companies open the more expats we attract to our shores and the better for business. The multilingual approach taken within the sector has created a cosmopolitan feel for Malta which we are welcoming.
This will only lead the way to one of the biggest developments in Malta for a decade which is Smart City. Based on a concept developed in Dubai, Smart City will act as a European hub for ICTs. Work on the project is ahead of schedule and will be opening up for business in the next few months.
The project will see the integration of years of forward planning when it comes to training and resourcing. Indeed, the last decade, also stimulated by this project, has seen a dramatic increase in students studying IT and related subjects.
As can be seen from my examples above we have turned a changing economic scenario to our full advantage. ICTs are a reality as is the changing job market. Although having compromised job security, ICTs have no doubt presented us with alternatives which are just as rewarding if not more. This brings me to the effect that these new technologies have had on our regional identity. How have ICTs and the lack of job security affected our regional identity?
If we look at our scenario we can say that on the one hand we have Malta and Gozo the island state whereas on the other we have a country which has over time fused passing cultures and waves that have crossed our path. This, together with a diaspora twice if not three times the population of our islands overseas has made for a rethinking of our regional identity.
Without doubt we are a region to ourselves. Our unique language and cultural heritage is testimony to this fact. On the other hand our circumstances have made us an adaptable people ready and able to change as necessary. Our membership of the European Union brought many a fear to the fore – one of which the loss of our identity. Today, we can safely say that not only have we not lost our identity, on the contrary it has been strengthened and enriched by this experience.
ICTs will no doubt do the same. They have connected us to the rest of the world and today we can safely say ‘the world is our oyster’. No doubt this government is ensuring that we maximise this fact to the full.
This article is based on a speech delivered by Mr Agius at a conference organised by the European Centre for Workers’ Questions (EZA) and the Academy for the Development of a Democratic Environment (AZAD). The conference was funded by the EU.
Mr Agius is the government whip.