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COUNTRIES VISITED
About me
This TIG site gives an interesting and encouraging view of the way that our ideas / concerns / challenges, between countries and continents, are often similar - or, at least, they inter-relate.
I am a lawyer ('solicitor') admitted in both England/Wales and Hong Kong SAR PRC, with considerable interest in East and South Asia, and Africa (mainly West Africa). I lived and worked for some time in HK and this has encouraged business travel, ever since, into China, regularly. In these three continents, I have managed to engage (in business, and socially) with successful, resilient, vibrant, and 'inner-contented' people. I am trying to expand my business interests in those regions, by helping with financial or skills investments, by way of joint venture. Perhaps you, reading this, would like to help/contribute - initially with your ideas/perspective, because I am learning all the time.
Lawyers are often, globally, cited as parasitic animals (!!) but, you know, with the impact of ICT, which encourages governments to even greater excessive efforts to micro-manage policy and regulations, globally, lawyers (if used creatively) can help analyse and dilute the impact of intrusive or unreasonable government. I firmly believe that governments are unaware how that very ICT-induced 'micro-management' saps initiative, morale, resilience and personal independence - and that those effects, themselves, create other (further) reactions and tensions that governments do not intend in citizens. Nor do I believe that such micro-management necessarily allocates resources more fairly or sustains natural resources any better. Instead, I believe that governments should set broader (macro) frameworks, and steward (and require) better quality of leadership and responsibility at the bottom of each national and international 'pyramid'. This is how bigger issues, like natural resource sustainability and climate change counter-steps, are likely to be handled more effectively.
After all, was it not the 19th century German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck who spoke of politics simply being 'the art of the possible' (i.e. governments, given their technological resources, cannot really help themselves - i.e. in the sense that IT enables and effectively encourages governments towards incrementally ever-greater intrusion into citizens' micro-lives - Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", indeed !). Without reasonable continuing vigilance, even in western 'democracies' with liberal instincts and history, there is some risk to freedom. Libertarian author, Sean Gabb, writes, tellingly, (2006):
"We are passing into the sort of world that existed in much of Europe before the French Revolution – a world of diverse and conflicting sources of authority, all equally unaccountable. The great simplification of authority that happened in Europe after 1789, and that had happened over two centuries earlier in England, was a product of nationalism; and simplification was followed by accountability and then by liberalism. This sort of reaction is in future to be made impossible by promoting movements of people so that nations in the old sense disappear, and are replaced by patchworks of nationalities more suspicious of each other than of any ruling class." Let us all think about the deeper meaning and attractions of "...simplification was followed by accountability and then by liberalism"!?
He writes from a current European perspective, but I think his thoughts are cautionary, for us all, whatever our stage of democratic/governmental development! Those are well crafted words - but worrying thoughts and trends, unless arrested ... or, at least, managed in a way which enables current (national, country) citizens to feel comfortable and valued by those "conflicting sources of authority"; otherwise, motivation + cultural and financial / material wealth may all be destabilised or threatened. Taking Africa as a whole, I have been reading alot in www.commissionforafrica.org. There is an interesting chapter at www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/thereport/english/11-03-05_cr_chapter_3.pdf . There's alot, in those few pages, to make a thinking 21st English lawyer try to work out what meaningful and fair (as well as, hopefully!, profitable) contribution he can make ...; I would be interested to know, from any of you born or living in Africa, how much of that document reads as accurate, i.e. to you ...
I have been watching increasingly authoritarian trends in criminal law codes (some of which rely upon incrementally sidestepping independent thinking and action by a protective judiciary, a judiciary independent of the Executive, as well as independent thinking and action by parliamentary representatives, elected by secret ballot, over the Executive). We also see trends in many governments’ continuously closer oversight and supervision of how citizens communicate (governmental ICT intrusion). Some of those developments are sometimes justified by immediate physical threats (terrorism) or misuse of financial channels (money laundering). But, in a manner that governments may think is unrecognised, or unopposed, these code and ICT changes are in fact, perhaps, geared towards what they perceive to be the future threat of social instability, when key resources – like oil – either run out or become controlled or replaced by resources under the control of hostile states or in situations in which the economic costs of key resources increase (for individuals) disproportionately, over time. The danger is that we all become increasingly sucked into more and more authoritarian systems of governance and control (aided and abetted by government controlled ICT) that ultimately does nothing to enhance those key resources, for the common good or common man and woman. Indeed, the irony is that those governments’ worries about social instability are (in many countries) a fear about their electability; but the very changes that are occurring are sometimes, in the medium/long term, diluting democracy (even in countries that trumpet democracy and democratic institutions and processes) and thus there could be an unnerving “slide” from democracy and democratic institutions towards greater authoritarianism and authoritarian institutions. If that happens within states that currently tend towards greater democracy, it will obviously certainly not help or encourage other states to understand, value or climb towards democratic processes, in the first place! In the end, wisdom and humility, amongst government executives worldwide, and fortitude and courage, amongst citizens worldwide, are going to be keys to collaboratively avoiding some of these worst excesses and scenarios of intrusion.
I have some interest in primary healthcare for children, internationally, and health-related basic education for them and their parents - and have pursued, 'hands on' some not-for-profit/NGO projects in China, in this field.
I am very happy, from a UK base, to try to help any TIG offshore members with their country-projects, although it will be my aim (and a bonus) to seek to make a strong mixed social, cultural and commercial contribution to the well-being of the UK, as well ! We have a developing multi-opportunity society in the UK, though some media sources (domestic and foreign) are quick to criticise when conditions elsewhere are no better, or worse!
We all need to look, at eachother, through different modern and informed 'prisms', that somehow understand how all countries are domestically changing (positively), and indeed the rate of change - fuelled by ICT - is often accelerating. Managing that 'accelerating change' requires considerable governmental and individual management skills - in all countries. This requires government (by politicians and permanent officers) that is decent - decent in motive as well as decent in impact/effect. In fact, motive is often more important. If we can all somehow share the pain (of change) better and more fairly, perhaps we can share the gain, better, too. In particular, given significant demographic changes (and demographics being different, country-by-country) we must all be careful and enthusiastic to combine age-groups in collective problem solving - and avoid ageism (in relation to the young, who are 'setting out', and the middle/older aged, who can and want to actively contribute to ideas and profits!). I think that these principles will prove profoundly important as ICT makes many physical boundaries and borders less and less important.
Family orientated pasttimes, and travel, both motivate and excite me the most - when I have any free time. My key interest in this TIG site is the way that especially younger insights (and quicker / broader ICT competence!) can help generate new ideas, for both business and social/educational cooperation, across different cultures - especially "clusters" of minds, and small-and-medium enterprises understanding not just common business goals but common methods of communication and how sustainable business-development dialogues are managed. I respect and value all of our global variety of languages, cultures and beliefs - but at the same time see how often we need methods and disciplines of communication to converge (comfortably, of course!) if we are to make best use of our limited joint time (and natural assets) on this earth, together !
It is strange how ICT impacts (and can divide) different generations. I once read of foreign companies investing in Thailand - a country like many developing countries that had a sudden depth of mobile phone usage, while land-line usage was still low density. Mobile communications have many creative flexible impacts; but those western companies found, at the same time, that many young Thai employees were unaccustomed to the ways of interacting and communicating by 'phone, notes, records and meetings' within a physical office environment i.e. an environment partially defined by fixed communication points/portals. So those skills had to be (re)taught too, or, in net effect, commercial communications within the organisation were not going to be effective or grow the business through those younger employees. This is just one example, in my mind, of the need to handle and steward ICT-impacts with greater care ! ...
Perhaps some of this sounds idealistic or sentimental, but I really believe that it's all true!
This TIG site gives an interesting and encouraging view of the way that our ideas / concerns / challenges, between countries and continents, are often similar - or, at least, they inter-relate.
I am a lawyer ('solicitor') admitted in both...
(more)
Languages
English, French, Mandarin
Age
65
This is a space for Jeff to share inspiration, information, and opportunities for involvement with global impact.
Jeff has engaged 1 people!
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Robert Masenamela |