Rabat – Change is coming. For Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, there is no way to avoid the disruption carried by the world’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (“Industry 4.0”), and the Muslim world must prepare for the challenges of this new technological innovation.
The potential of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies is taking the world by storm. And according to Najib, it is the Muslim world that is receiving the heat of these disruptive changes.
The 13th World Economic Forum (WIEF), taking place from November 21 to 23 in Kuching, Malaysia, is diving into the “Disruptive Change: Impact and Challenges” of the Industry 4.0 and the measures to maintain the stability of the world economy, particularly in Muslim countries that have had trouble keeping up with the emergence of this new revolution.
The impact of this new technology is as important as it is quick. Speaking at the opening of the forum, Najib stressed that “We [the Muslim world] cannot avoid it. In fact, we must embrace it.”
As the world embarks into a new digital era, “governments and countries cannot just stand still and carry on doing things the old way,” warned Najib, who called on Muslim governments to change their policies as global circumstances change for the wellbeing of their people.
And the prime minister is aware that keeping up with this revolution is not always simple: “We should also recognize that periods of major change are not easy for everyone.” For Najib, the ideal solution is education. The official expressed hope that the new upcoming generations can keep up with the pace of disruptive change through a good education system.
“The education system should be revamped to prepare for what will swiftly be a very different world.” To do so, the official called for the equipment of “youth with higher order thinking skills, so that they are open-minded, creative, and innovative.” For Najib, this solution would help the youth to be ready to adapt to job opportunities “that aren’t yet even in existence.”
Najib added that the Muslim world sufferes from a lack of investment “in the right kind of quality education,” adding that “there are a vast amount of people who don’t even have access to basic necessities, like water, healthcare, even basic education.”
The forum is marked by the participation of Morocco, which is represented by Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani. The Moroccan official also delivered a speech during the opening of the forum, explaining that all Muslim countries need to adopt policies in order to maintain their stabilities with the rapid changes in the world technology.
