It is a rhetorical question. We prefer the comfort of our small cocoon. Locally, last week all eyes and ears were focused on the resignation of former parliamentary secretary, Dr Michael Falzon. The report by the Auditor General tabled in the House of Representatives revealed that the former PS had failed in his assigned duties. The report deemed that the expropriation deal with Gaffarena highly inappropriate and in clear breach of the fundamental principles of good governance, transparency and fairness.The report left no room for interpretation.
However, lest we forget, as Dr Falzon tendered his resignation the rest of the world did not stop.
On the world stage last week, most of the influential leaders convened in the beautiful surrounding of Davos, Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum. The theme of this year’s conference was‘Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution’. This high-powered three-day conference attracted more than 2,500 participants, 40 world leaders and a thousandCEOs from worldwide leading companies.
This annual meeting in Davos is an opportunity for global stakeholders to share perspectives on the issues facing global business and beyond. This year, the World Economic Forum kicked off with delegates fretting about the economic slowdown in China, plunging oil prices and the turbulence infinancial markets.
The speakers’ list included Christine Lagarde -Head of the IMF, David Cameron - UK Prime Minister, Sharan Burrow - General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Guy Ryder - Director-General of the ILO, Mario Draghi- President of the European Central Bank, US Vice-President Joe Biden, BenjaminNetanyahu - Prime Minister of Israel and Joachim Gauck - President of Germany.
Malta was absent from this far-reaching annual meeting.But let’s put this aside for the moment.
A letter addressed to the World Economic Forum by Pope Francis appealed once more to “do not forget the poor! This is the primary challenge before you as leaders in the business world”. He went a step further:“In the face of profound and epochal changes, world leaders are challenged to ensure that the coming ‘fourth industrial revolution’, the result of robotics and scientific and technological innovations, does not lead to the destruction of the human person – to be replaced by a soulless machine – or to the transformation of our planet into an empty garden for the enjoyment of a chosen few”.
I am sure, Pope Francis did not have Malta in mind when he was drafting the letter to the leaders of the World Economic Forum, but on second thoughts, it seems he might have. The De La Rue restructuring process is leaving workers redundant for soulless machines. With sophisticated automation, companies may need fewer workers in future. This is a challenge which needs to be brought on the national agenda. Andthe threat to our environmenthas not abated, with yet more pristine land turned into a concrete jungle.
Other world leaders made other interesting and challenging speeches. I am taking the liberty to select what I consider the best three quotes, one from each day of the conference.
From “The Transformation of Tomorrow” session,I picked “The fourth industrial revolution should be a revolution of values”by Amira Yahyaoui. Yahyaoui is the Founder and Chair of Al Bawsala.Yahyaoui, is anactive player against Ben Ali's regime.Following the revolution in early 2011, she founded the Tunisian organization Al Bawsala, working for the promotion of human rights and good governance in Tunisia.
Joseph Stiglitz made a strong case to reinforce his line of thought with the statement “GDP is not a good measure of economic performance, it’s not a good measure of well-being”. He made this statement during the session which dealt on “How to Reboot the Global Economy?”Stiglitz is a world-renowned economist.In 2001, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for his analyses of markets with asymmetric information. Stiglitz's work has been widely recognized. Among his awards are more than 40 honorary doctorates, including those from Cambridge and Oxford universities.
During the session “Europe at a Tipping Point”,Federica Mogherini,Vice-President of the European Union Commission and the EU’s foreign policy chief stressed“We need to start sharing not the burden, but the responsibility”.Mogherini hardly needs an introduction, as she works closer to home.
Other world leaders delivered similar powerful statements, which are as meaningful, significant and forward-looking as the three I have identified. Coming back to our local socio/economic/political scenario, I dare you to pick a statement made by any of our leaders which is powerful, inspiring and generally credible.
Our leaders are duty-bound to walk the walk and talk the talk.
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