Embrace challenges of ICT revolution positively, unions told

KUALA LUMPUR: It is high time that stakeholders in trade unions find ways to manage positively the economic, social, and labour implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, says Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
As the revolution is driven by the advancement of information and technologies, he said the sector would have no choice but to adopt and adapt to the changes, using ICT strategically and rightly for economic improvement.
"This ICT revolution, in reality, continues at a breakneck pace that anyone or any economy is at peril should it be dismissed or be adopted in a lukewarm manner.
"As the world is now a highly connected place, so too would trade be; driven both digitally and physically. A society that doesn't adopt and adapt to these changes will lose its competitive capability leading to the economy being challenged by others," he said when opening the Fifth Uni Apro ICTS and Post & Logistics Conference, here, today.
The minister said these developments also led to a change in behaviour and lifestyle, such as perpetuating the increased risk for non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the population while presenting itself with higher morbidity of illness linked to the cardiovascular system.
"We can consider ourselves lucky or for some, unlucky that we live in an age where technology is impacting the way we live, work and play in such a short space of time," he said.
Salleh noted that with advancement in technologies, managing a society was becoming more challenging and with the rise in expectation resulting from better exposure to information, governments also had to transform itself to match the speed of demand and the weight of expectation whilst accepting that any approaches would have to be in a recursive mode.
He said in recognising this, the Malaysian government would continue to facilitate partnerships and investments, supporting activities, facilitating measures, and creating a right ecosystem towards a positive adoption of technology that would lead to social and economic stability.
On the conference, Salleh was confident that it would be the platform for intellectuals, practitioners, policy makers, public servants and regulators to expedite knowledge sharing so as to maximise the gains and minimise the pains when responding and adjusting to these technologies.
"With the collective experience and knowledge gathered at this conference we can certainly have that robust discussion and sharing of experiences on how best do we endeavour to implement the new ideas in our own respective ecosystem," he said.

Some 250 participants from the ICT, post and logistic sectors from 10 countries worldwide are attending the three-day conference with the theme, "Together, Determined and Prepared We Shall Race to the Top!". — Bernama