No place for discrimination, says Tony Blair

SUBANG JAYA: Discrimination of any sort, such as against women or any particular group will impede a nation's chance to succeed in this age of globalisation, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.
Blair said the mentality of "us against them" does not work in this day and age anymore as the world gets more connected and people interact with others from different cultures and backgrounds.
"If human capital is your biggest resource then you can't afford to not allow equal rights for women; you can't afford to discriminate against others and you must have an open mind.
"You may get a round of applause from like-minded people now (when you discriminate), but it will be the death knell of your future," Blair said in his talk on "The Opportunities and Challenges of Globalisation" at Inti International University here.
Blair stressed on the importance of education and human capital development in an era where the world is getting increasingly connected due to the advancement of communication technology.
He said it is of utmost importance to provide the people with an education that opens their minds, which will help cultivate critical and creative thinking in their application of knowledge.
"I think it is very important to have an education for the open mind; there is a real difference between an open mind and a closed one because one will perceive diversity as an opportunity while the other will take it as a threat to their existence," Blair said.
He said an open mind will allow people to learn from all sorts of different cultures and it will help people to think of creative ways in applying the knowledge acquired.
Blair said all people want to live in a society that is understanding, tolerant, merit-based, and with the government below the people as these are universal values.