A GEM: The burden of knowledge

Once in a while DESIDERASTA is delighted to read what I call a GEM of writing.
Last night I was drawn to a piece by a captain of Malaysian industry, TONG KOOI ONG.
The salient messages are summarised to convey what Desi feels is an important input to the present Malaysian society caught in interesting times of change and unsettling interacting forces. My EsteemedReaders are well advised to invest RM5 to get a copy of the weekly business and financial magazine to inform themselves, surely an incumbent duty of a community of potential Towering Malaysians?
I only reproduce the key points towards the end of a lengthy article titled:
The burden of knowledge
featured in THEEDGE MALAYSIA: THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27, 2006.


Key role of institutions

Tong used the analogy of viewing society's interests as a seesaw,
with the positive and negative forces at the opposite ends. The pressure from both forces will tilt society either way. The oproblem is that those who act for the positive forces generally lack direct and immediate gains. They also have little economic resources. The reverse is true of negative forces. These are always assertive, driven by large, direct and immediate gains.

Some societies have created institutions to underpin the negative end of the seesaw. These institutions help ensure that the negative forces do not hijack society to serve their narrow and self-serving ends. The institutions comprise: the elected members of legislative assemblies; the judiciary, the media and NGOs. The xecutive branch of the government and the public service. The public prosecutor and the security forces.

Responsibility

(This section is reproduced VERBATIM here as Desi feels only thus will do justice to the points that TONG has addressed.)

What then is the crux of the "burden of knowledge"? It is the knowledge that corruption and abuse of these key institutions will eventually lead to the destruction of the welfare of society.

The "burden of knowledge" calls on the knowledgeable to protect these institutions from those who seek to corrupt and abuse them. The responsib;e should also ensure that these institutions are represented by people who are just, fair and independent.

One cannot claim to (be) a leader of society or seek knowledge and be among the intelligentsia unless one is willing to protect the larger interests of society. A leader is a servant of the people -- serving the interests of society and humanity.

And the protection of society's interests begins with protecting the institutions of Parliament and elections, the judiciary, the media, the public prosecutors and the security forces. Each of these institutions must be free and fair, independent and responsible. And they must be subject to checks and balances.

It will also benefit society if those who claim their leadership understand that to gain dignity, one has to bestow it upon others.

To be free, one has to free others. And to be equal, one has to treat iothers equally.

Conclusion

TONG said the "average citizen" bears the burden of knowledge as a direct consequence of a country's institutions. He recognises that his values and lifestyle, his liberty and his well-being are dervived from the health of these institutions. This is the ultimate protection of society's interests!

"We must then ask ourselves whether we are truly wealthy if we can afford expensive cars but have to hide behind larger and higher walls. Are we wealthy because we can put our children in private schools but bemoan the problem of hiring good staff?

"What we need, therefore, is a more public-spirited and active citizenry so that we can create wealth and enjoy it in a world without fences and fear."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TONG KOOI ONG is deputy chairman
of Nexnews Bhd, publisher of The
Edge. He delivered his speech entited
The Burden of Knowledge
to The Perak Academy on Feb 17.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DESIDERATA:
If the majority of Malaysia's captains of industry can have the vision and commitment as illustrated by TONG, Desi believes our country could have a chance of arriving at Developed Nation Status by 2020. But the slew of financial scandals, corporate mismanagement and robber baronry over the past few decades -- requiring regular and constant Government bailouts amounting to billions of ringgit -- raises in the public mind whether the country is on the right track.
Is the state of our key institutions is in a state of health or decay?
...The answer to this key question will determine Our Country's future up the scale of progress and developed status OR down the slide of regression and ruin.

We'll just have to pray doubly hard each night that the good forces weigh in heavier at that end of the see-saw, won't we?
I:
S:
A: men.