Letter from Junior

By C. Karadau

Hi Dad,

How are you doing?

I'll come straight to the point. I can't believe that there are people who have been making all these threatening noises like thunder in the distance.

I told myself, no, they can't be serious.

I am talking about some government politicians who think bloggers ought to be locked up for slandering and spreading lies.

These people need to get real. Dad. If they ever do this, a thousand flowers will bloom! I tell you.

I am disappointed that some of the politicians who suggested the idea are relatively young themselves.They should know better about the Internet Age. Didn't one young politician call the bloggers "monkeys" and another aging hero called them gobloks?

Why are these politicians so paranoid?

If what the bloggers write are not true, why don't these politicians just sue them? I don't understand this.Why do they think the big stick is still necessary?

Don't expect members of the public to kow-tow to the politicians these days. Most of them are better informed, and many are better educated and even better read than the politicians themselves.

This is the price you have to pay for being a public figure these days.You do something wrong, the whole world will know about it within seconds. You have to learn to live with it.

You really need a thick skin, but, if you do you job properly, there is nothing to worry about. There are no more sacred cows left. Look at the recent rap version of the national anthem, and the number of hits it has received! No matter how unpalatable, there will people who will use their creativeness to seek fame or even fortune, maybe, they just want their views to be heard.

It's lies to you, but the truth to them .Both of you are right.But, you can't stop the message from being heard.

The bar has been raised, Dad, Joe Public wants the politicians to do their job properly for the good of the country. No more selfish or personal agendas.

Actually, it's quite simple, just walk on the right path, don't deviate and don't get the people angry.

Dad, I have just finished reading Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat", do you think our politicians have read the book? It's an eye opener. This is a good book if you want to understand globalisation's complexities.

The flat world he talks about is a metaphor for the world's level economic playing field that is the result of the new phase of globalisation. Friedman points out to 10 "flatteners" that have destroyed barriers, including the death of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall; the growth of fibre-optics networks; Internet tools such as browsers and search engines; open -sourcing; offshoring; and changes in delivery logistics.

The world is not the same anymore. Friedman argues that the flatteners converged around 2000 to create "a flat world, a global,web-enabled platform for multiple forms of sharing knowledge and work, irrespective of time, distance, geography and increasingly, language".

My favourite quote from the book is, "with China and other nine flatteners coming on so strong, no country today can afford to be anything less than brutally honest with itself". (p.313).

What choice is there for countries, communities and individuals except to learn to adapt to this New Reality? Governments and societies can - and - must adapt.

I suggest you read the book. Dad, we all have to learn to adapt fast.There is not much choice really. Maybe, our politicians think they are still part of the round world!? I can't really blame them.

Love You,
Junior.