Une incursion en Sarkozie

"Désormais le monde des affaires sera au cœur du système politique français. Nous sommes face à un népotisme de nouveau riche." C'est ainsi que s'expriment deux sociologues, en l'occurence Monique Pinçon-Charlot et Michel Pinçon, dans le sillage de la cooptation avortée de Jean Sarkozy, "fils de", à la tête de l'Etablissement public d'aménagement de La Défense (EPAD).

Si, pour le constitutionnaliste Dominique Rousseau, "cet usage n’est pas symbolique de la Ve République, mais plutôt de la culture monarchiste française latente dans notre pratique politique et constitutionnelle depuis 1789", le sarkozysme, en revanche, incarne une nouveauté: il déballe son fonctionnement sans états d'âme.

Comme en témoigne d'ailleurs cette déclaration contradictoire devant des lycéens quasiment au même moment: "ce qui compte en France pour réussir, ce n'est pas d'être bien né, c'est de travailler dur et d'avoir fait la preuve, par ses études, par son travail, de sa valeur".

Mais les citoyens auront quand même l'opportunité de sanctionner un tel mépris aux prochaines élections. "Aujourd'hui, je suis d'avis qu'ils ne sanctionneront pas", rétorque Monique Pinçon-Charlot. Ainsi voguent les "valeurs républicaines", la "démocratie" et patati et patata.

Cette schizophrénie qui marque aussi une "amnésie collective" n'est malheureusement pas une tare française uniquement. En effet, le népotisme s'est infiltré et s'est installé confortablement dans beaucoup de systèmes à travers le monde. Bien que, de toute évidence, le degré varie selon les pays. N'est-ce pas?

You Say Green, We See Red

The latest blurb is about the "greening" of Mauritius. One is left wondering whether the disconnect between official discourse and what is actually being proposed and achieved could get any more depressing. I would rather believe that it is a feeling I share with the silent majority.

We may derive some comfort from being spared the echo chamber. We may also alleviate our desolation through the awareness of being taken for yet another ride. But the truth is that so long as civil society and the media remain helpless in deterring the outsourcing of policy-making to vested interests, we are stuck.

If the propaganda machine is to be trusted, Germans - widely hailed for their successful implementation of sustainable policies - would be flocking to Mauritius to learn from our mavericks. And, instead of initiating the Hangzhou-Singapore Eco-Park project in China, Singapore-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would be drooling to set up joint ventures in Mauritius to deploy their innovative green technologies.

In fact, far-sighted governments worldwide are mandating regulations and allowing tax rebates to reduce energy consumption and cut carbon emission. Anyone who has visited the Salon de la Maison this year would have been gutted by the shortage of green products and services on offer. Not that local SMEs are markingly risk-averse, it is simply because they do not get any incentive.

That is in sharp contrast with Reunion Island which is aiming at boosting with photovoltaics the 36% of electricity it already produces from renewables. Recently, with strong winds gusting in Spain, wind-generated plants supplied 53% of total electricity needs for several hours. Meanwhile, Mauritian governments do not feel least bothered for increasing our dependency on coal-generated electricity from 6.1% in 1998 to 44.1% in 2008.

This brand of watermelon environmentalism - a lifestyle at odds with green pretensions - is not only deceptive but not sustainable either. Green Mauritius cannot happen until leaders come to terms with the fact that planning a coherent green strategy will enable Mauritius to produce and consume less energy, which supports socio-economic development, because money is freed up for other projects, while promoting energy security and environmental sustainability.

De la jugeote pour éclairer la voie citoyenne

D'une manière générale, la dernière crise financière mondiale a été attribuée à une combinaison de défaillance du cadre régulateur, l'insuffisance des modèles mathématiques et la cupidité. Il semble que nous ayons occulté un autre facteur: la vision étroite des choses qui se traduit par la focalisation sur une seule idée, une seule opinion, une seule donnée etc., à l'exclusion des autres.

Peu importent les noms qu’on donne à un tel état d’esprit, ils se réfèrent tous à un processus mental tout aussi réducteur. Est-ce que le secteur financier a le monopole de cette vision étroite des choses? Absolument pas. Toute organisation qui empêche l'échange d'informations et réprime les opinions contradictoires se transforme en une caisse de résonance de la pensée unique, réduit l'efficacité et est vouée à l'effondrement à un moment donné.

La mondialisation met à rude épreuve notre niveau de conscience au travers duquel nous voyons tout en noir ou tout en blanc, ne laissant pas de place aux gris qui prédominent en fait. Le paradoxe est que la technologie ne se contente pas d'intégrer et de massifier le monde comme jamais auparavant, elle le fragmente simultanément et stimule la demande pour des métiers de plus en plus spécialisés et sophistiqués. Arboré l’étiquette d’expert n'est pas en soi une tare. Mais, quand l'«expert» devient nombriliste et se transforme en chouchou des médias, il perd souvent de sa pertinence et peut véhiculer les germes d'une chute collective tragique.

Un «expert» n'est pas forcément quelqu'un avec une vision étroite, il peut très bien être très perspicace mais a eu la malchance de s'être enfermé dans un milieu complètement déconnecté du monde extérieur. En conséquence, dans une même entreprise, un cabinet de conseil par exemple, les membres d'un même département peuvent être résolument "optimistes" alors que d'autres, dans un autre département, peuvent être tout aussi résolument "pessimistes" sur les perspectives économiques.

Trop souvent, on confond la connaissance avec l'intelligence. Un enfant de quatre ans, par exemple, peut apprendre à énoncer les multiples de cinq jusqu'à mille. C'est probablement parce qu'il a une bonne mémoire. Pourtant, il faut un esprit très éclairé et perspicace pour expliquer, disons, comment les responsables gouvernementaux s'abritent derrière des statistiques biaisées et la rhétorique pour tenter de prouver leur compétence, ou comment décoder les schémas toxiques incorporés dans les politiques inspirées par le tandem FMI-Banque mondiale qui les rendent si dévastatrices.

La mauvaise nouvelle c'est que cette vision étroite n'est pas si facile à surmonter. Au mieux, dans le court terme, les dirigeants peuvent s'efforcer d'atténuer son impact, en identifiant les zones de complaisance afin d'instaurer un esprit d'équipe entre les différents départements/secteurs et de susciter les remontées d'informations. Mais, le fait d'être dans l'ère du prêt à penser n'arrange guère les choses. Il faudrait maintenant se concentrer sur la refonte du système éducatif afin que les générations futures puissent faire face aux défis à venir.

Fondamentalement, l'éducation formelle doit permettre aux individus de passer allègrement du système 2 (analytique) au système 1 (intuitif, créatif et contextuel) et vice-versa. Toutefois, nous nous leurrons, si nous pensons que l'introduction de quelques heures de cours de "philosophie" en fin de cycle scondaire, par exemple, suffit pour renverser la tendance. En fait, il n'existe aucune preuve que ces études développent systématiquement la "pensée latérale", la "pensée hors cadre", "la pensée critique", la "pensée complexe" etc. - termes utilisés pour exprimer les aptitudes cognitives aiguisées. A moins de confondre l'esprit de synthèse avec l'esprit de contradiction ou l'art de la rhétorique.

De toute évidence, l'éducation orientée vers l'examen, avec un apprentissage qui, de surcroît, récompense la mémorisation, sollicite excessivement le cerveau gauche. Si mettre sur le marché du travail chaque année des milliers de citoyens avec une lecture littéraliste du monde et une fibre entrepreneuriale amorphe ne nous enchante pas vraiment, alors nous devons réexaminer de toute urgence les programmes scolaires. Ils doivent non seulement ratisser beaucoup plus large, mais, en outre, ils doivent être à base d'enquêtes dès le début de la scolarisation pour faire fonctionner à la fois le système 1 et le système 2. L'approche interdisciplinaire y est primordiale.

Pour éviter davantage de dérapages, nous devons nous méfier des leaders qui prétendent savoir plus que ce qu'ils savent réellement. Les informations doivent circuler librement; elles doivent aussi être filtrées et mises à jour régulièrement. Il ne s'agit aucunement de fabriquer des génies, mais de cultiver le discernement. Un retour au bon sens, voilà qui nous ferait beaucoup de bien. En surmontant le carcan intellectuel et culturel, nous célébrons également la diversité sous toutes ses formes, nous favorisons la collaboration et l'innovation, tout en ouvrant la voie au véritable progrès.

Dodoland: The Branding of

The truth, Simon Anholt, founder of the National Brands Index, holds, is that "places can’t construct or manipulate their images with advertising or PR, slogans or logos – and although some governments spend large amounts of money trying to do just that, there is absolutely no proof that it works. The only sure way places can change their images is by changing the way they behave: they need to focus on the things they make and do, not the things they say."

And what makes brand Italia so mamma mia? "In the end it's the Italian people who brand Italy, and they do it so damn well", Simon Anholt argues. Ironically, if we take into account how the image of Mauritius and the self-confidence of its citizens ought to have benefited from the years of "miracle" and "reform", there should not be any justification for a branding exercise!

There is more than meets the eye. If only magic bullets were available to satisfy our needs and desires! More realistically, Simon Anholt identifies the key drivers that can potentially be conducive to achieve image benefit:

• through courageous and enlightened social, economic, environmental and foreign policies;

• through the dynamic development of tourism, foreign investment and exports;

• through carefully chosen international cultural, sporting and political events;

• through improved cultural and academic relations with other countries;

• through a strategic commitment to international development and poverty reduction;

• through productive engagement with multilateral institutions, regional organisations and with NGOs at home and abroad;

• through effective coordination between government, industry and civil society;

• through enhanced public and private diplomacy overseas;

• through a visionary long-term approach to innovation, investment and education.

In short, "the best way for a country to generate a good image is by implementing good policies".

In Praise of Common Sense

Generally, the latest global financial crisis has been attributed to a combination of regulatory failure, inadequate mathematical models and greed. We seem to have been oblivious of another element: tunnel vision. It translates a narrow perspective stemming from concentration on a single idea, opinion, data etc., to the exclusion of others.

Mindsets such as silo mentality, groupthink, herd mentality, bean counting etc., refer to an equally reductive process. Does the financial sector have a monopoly on tunnel vision? Absolutely not. Any system or organisation that inhibits information sharing  and restrains dissent transforms itself into an echo chamber, reduces efficiency and is bound to collapse at some point.

Globalisation is straining our level of consciousness through which we perceive in blacks and whites a world that typically unfolds in grays. The paradox is that while technology integrates and massifies the world like never before, it simultaneously creates fragmentation and boosts demand for more specialised and sophisticated professions. Bearing the "expert" label is not, per se, a curse. But, when it feeds on self-absorption and grows into a media darling, it also loses its relevance, with a potential to hurt badly.

An "expert" is not necessarily dumb though, she may well be the savviest but may have been bullied into a "silo" disconnected from the outside world. As a result, within the same organisation, a consulting firm for instance, members of the same department may be adamantly "bullish" while others in another department may be as adamantly "bearish" on economic prospects.

Too often, we confuse knowledge with intelligence. A four-year-old girl, for example, can be trained to reel off multiples of five up to one thousand. That is probably because she has a very sound memory. Nevertheless, it takes an informed and insightful mind to explain how, say, government officials shelter behind bogus statistics and buzzwords to prove their worth, or to decipher the toxic patterns embedded in IMF/World Bank-inspired policies that make them so backlash-prone.

The bad news is that tunnel vision is not that easy to beat. At best, in the short run, leaders can strive to alleviate its impact by identifying the comfort zones in a bid to somehow unleash cross-sectoral/departmental team spirit and feed-backs. But, we are in the midst of systemic dumbing down. Focus must now be on overhauling the education system so that future generations can cope with challenges to come.

Basically, formal education must enable individuals to switch nimbly from the left or slow brain (analytical) to the right or fast brain (intuitive, creative and contextual) and vice versa. However, we kid ourselves if we trust that merely introducing some hours of "philosophy" courses, for example, will do the trick. In fact, there is no evidence that they help to develop "lateral thinking", "blink", etc. (hot thinker Nassim Taleb even claims “the French cannot think outside the box”); terms coined by various researchers to express sharpened and holistic cognitive skills.

Clearly, exam-oriented education driven by rote learning overemphasises the use of the left or slow brain. If churning out thousands of citizens every year with literal perspective on every encounter and dampened entrepreneurial spirit is not what we desire, we need to urgently revisit school curricula.

They must not only be significantly broader but, in addition, they must be inquiry-based from the very start to ignite both the right or fast and left or slow brains. Interdisciplinary approach to learning is key.

To reduce the risk of being led astray, we must remain wary of leaders from all walks of life who pretend to know more than they actually do. Information must flow freely; it must be filtered and updated regularly too. This is not a case for breeding geniuses, it is about grooming more discerning citizens. A reversion to time-tested common sense is overdue.

By overcoming intellectual and cultural provincialism, we also celebrate pluralism in all its forms, foster collaboration and innovation while paving the way for a drivel–free “modernity”.

The Deindustrialisation Folly

In the wake of Wall Street's debacle, Jeff Immelt, chairman and chief executive of the General Electric Company, is urging American policymakers and business leaders to "drive competitiveness" by "improving the manufacturing structure" and to "draw on 230 years of ingenuity to renew the country’s dedication to innovation, new technologies and productivity". That would indeed be a feat to fit into the shoes of iconic Jack Welch.

In short, Jeff Immelt is merely suggesting that countries do not dance to the tune of intoxicating sirens forever. Simply put, speculation-driven expansion is not sustainable. John Rose, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, made a similar call previously in Canary Wharf-obsessed England. Unlike, say Luxembourg's foundation, Singapore's foundation does not look shaky because, in typical proactive fashion, it has sought to reinvent its economic structure permanently while unleashing innovation-driven SMEs in defiant mood to conquer niche markets worldwide.

Alternatively, a sector-specific approach to policymaking ends up distorting the whole economy. It removes the incentive for innovation in other sectors and hurts overall competitiveness. Worse, it fosters a rent-seeking and too-big-to-fail culture. Mauritius will continue to pay a heavy price until it stops listening to the usual suspects.

The rule of (f)law

If you share the bury-your-head-in-the-sand syndrome with most of our politicians and their embedded “intellectuals”, it is very likely that the current controversy about the use or abuse increasingly of loudspeakers by the muezzin will trigger yet another wave of “shock” along your spine.

If, alternatively, your observations are rooted in the real world, it is very likely that you will consider the issue a symptom, among others, of a society gradually losing its bearings. Before attempting to search for a solution to the problem, so that there is no perception of “bashing”, we all need to carry out a session of soul-searching.

According to Islamic traditions, the first adhaan, or call to prayer, was delivered by an African named Bilal. He was chosen by the Prophet not only because his voice was powerful, but also because it was soulful and melodious enough to appeal to the senses of the Faithful. Today, it would be hard to admit that the adhaan we have to bear with around the country echoes the same uplifting spirit as the one preserved in Egypt or Turkey, for example.

The drift, nevertheless, is not the monopoly of Muslims. The cacophony from congregations in temples or sects in makeshift chapels that rips our cosy nights is everything but reminiscences of say, Karnatic mantras or Gregorian chants. The tragedy is that zealous followers of different beliefs, which ironically aim at liberating souls from all forms of intoxication, are now waging a contest among themselves.

Even within the same religion there can be a tug-of-war among followers of different spiritual leaders. For instance, if there is a consensus on the timings of the salaat, the Muslim prayer, why should neighbouring mosques air concurrently the adhaan over loudspeakers? Does it sound like soul-elevation or muscle-flexing?

We will certainly not be enlightened by the Catholic priest who confessed over a radio debate that “his” church would relinquish the use of bells should the mosque nearby also relinquish the use of loudspeakers. Two wrongs will not make a right. When people feel insecure, they tend to cling to anything within their reach, no matter how insane.

Mauritius is indeed undergoing an identity crisis which will not be resolved until it is first acknowledged. People of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, social classes or even genders imbue society with sufficient conflicting vibes to make cohabitation “risky”. Since mature human beings, probably the silent majority, are generally endowed with the faculty to discern, they seek to alleviate the negative impacts of those “risks”.

A society organises itself according to a set of common values. There is a correlation between the degree of how “civilised” a society actually is and how its citizens have been groomed. Civic responsibility is the key concept to define the limits and it does not exist in a vacuum. In an ideal world, common sense would be enough to instil the desired norms, but due to subtle or in-your-face complexities, that “common sense” often gets perverted before leading us astray.

Here, the capacity building of our institutions – political, legal, business, educational, familial, media, religious etc. – must be scrutinised to identify the shortcomings. The making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behaviour is where social order begins. The principle of the rule of law is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary governance.

The rule of law does not operate in absolute terms. It depends on how citizens have internalised it. The behaviour of road users – drivers, riders and pedestrians – can provide a microcosm to gauge the strength of the rule of law. For example it varies considerably according to whether you are in Mauritius, India, Italy, United Kingdom or Norway.

When trust is violated, the rule of law is weakened. How do we convince the builder of a beach kovil that her action is detrimental to the general good when a miniature Virgin Mary is replicated in another public area or a hotel is “reserving” some space for its customers on the public beach? Worse, how do we convince a citizen not to ignore a traffic light when she regularly sees a policeman, a minister, a judge, a paragon of “corporate governance” or a freemason “overuling” it?

In any case, citizens must never be offered a moral justification to flout the rule of law. Obviously, noise is not the only form of pollution. Deeply “religious” citizens as well as their “secularised” counterparts can also overlap in the same zone. The incentive for a strong sense of civic responsibility will not come through a one-minute exposure to “in peace, justice and liberty” over a loudspeaker during a national festival, no matter how loud. Rather when we breathe and live the noble aspiration every second.