Denmark and Malaysia are good examples of innovation for Sri Lanka to emulate
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at a panel discussion.
If Sri Lanka is to prosper in line with the other developed countries in the world, this week’s innovation summit provided many examples – Denmark and Malaysia in particular where both countries are reflecting the ideas of the citizens in their policy planning. Further, three major corporates in Sri Lanka – Holcim Lanka, Jetwing and CBL Munchee – demonstrated how the private sector could be part of these development strategies in the area of foresight and innovation at the national innovation summit organised by the United Nations Development Programme last week in Colombo.
The Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, together with the Ministry of Science Technology and Research, Sarvodaya, LIRNeasia, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the summit partner, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd were also associated with the conference. Representatives from Armenia, Denmark, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Moldova, Singapore, and Thailand shared their experiences in the ‘Foresight and Innovation’ arena. In his preamble of the summit on the first day, Peter Taksoe Jensen, Ambassador of Denmark for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, gave the example of his country as to how it reached to become one of the most developed countries in the world amidst a happy people, highest industrialised and a good place to do business, etc.
He said that in Denmark the public sector spurred innovation to a ‘Mind Lab’ and noted that emergence of the newest ‘Industrial Revolution’ would radically transform all sectors of economic activity through the use of robust digital data and the Internet. This revolution, unlike the last would not create millions of jobs but would harness the right kind of skills, opportunities and jobs. The key to all this is foresight and innovation – the most important agendas of ‘Our Time’, he said. Mr Jensen said that an innovative society has been developed that embraces pioneering technological change. He remarked “Today Denmark is ranked on top in the EU Innovations Goals and we are innovation leaders in Europe.
Denmark is also on top of the rankings for happiness, is the least corrupt country in the world and best to do business”. Continuing his remarks he said the reasons for these achievements are: Government efficiency, transparency, efficient and comprehensive welfare scheme that provides high quality health and education for all citizens as well as benefits for the unemployed, the sick and the retired. He said that the public private collaboration provides high personal freedom to their citizens and a favourable business climate. A knowledge economy, he said, should generate demand for the expansion of production, parallel to the investments in the infrastructure.
The government plays a crucial role, he indicated, to develop green technology. Denmark is the most energy efficient in the EU and exports more than 50 per cent of its green technology. Knowledge and the know-how are the most important raw materials to compete and collaborate with the nations around the world, he stressed, adding that they have a strong political consensus on the importance of education to develop the society in Denmark where the government invests 8 per cent of the GDP on education. After the Second World War they embarked on an economic revolution transforming a nation of farmers to a modern high technology industrial nation with one of the world’s highest living standards and universal access to high quality university education for all citizens.
He said that 3 per cent of the GDP was allocated to science and technology and increased the funds for education to face the impact on globalisation. He said that increased public sector investments in human skills, science and technology would not accelerate the society into development and innovation, but competencies that generate innovation is a collective activity and provides, network access which initiate, import, modify the knowledge and new technologies. Rushdi Abdul Rahim, Director, MyForesight, MIGHT, Malaysia, sharing the experiences of his country, said that the world is changing in an accelerated pace and the newest revolution would disrupt almost every industry in every country and in turn would transform the entire system of how one produces and manage.
While foresight and innovation is nothing new to developed countries, countries like Denmark, UK, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have embarked on foresight initiatives, he pointed out, saying effective long term plans will help capitalise the opportunities. He said that foresight is the change of ‘mindset’ – thinking about the futures – alternatives with participatory engagement. “Foresight is the provocative for innovation which gives insight into potential future – what we want, we need and the futures that we want to avoid. Allow us to identify opportunities, risks and nullify the threats”, he stressed. In sharing a bit of the future of Malaysia and what they hope to achieve, he said that the ‘Vision 2020’ for Malaysia has been there for more than two decades and the challenges were identified. This vision is just four years away.
He pointed out that one of the keys to achieve this vision is the human development through a united, confidence, mature, tolerant, progressive, caring, economically just and prosperous Malaysia. The vision, he said, is complemented with their new economic model that puts citizens’ quality of life in the main agenda, with high income, inclusivity and sustainability goals. Malaysia wants the Gross National Income to be US$15,000 by 2020 enabling all communities to benefit from the wealth of the country, without compromising the future generations, he indicated.
He said “Malaysia poverty is now at 1 per cent and while the unemployment rate is below 3 per cent. So it is an indication that we are trying to be as inclusive as possible. However, a country cannot be run purely on working levels of capital economy. Growth is not measured by economic success alone. It is the well-being of the people and complemented to be inclusive and achieving sustainable growth are the necessary hallmarks of an advanced nation. The current five year development plan is anchoring on people’s growth.” He said Malaysia is expected to achieve the desired economic goals within ‘Vision 2020’.