Tradition and Innovation: Why Britain and Brunei can both do both
HE Rob Fenn's speech for the Britain Brunei Business Forum's afternoon tea talk on "Tradition and Innovation".
Friends and colleagues from the Britain Brunei Business Forum,
It may seem strange, at first, that I am giving a speech about innovation at a Golf Club. The game of golf is often regarded as a bastion of conservatism. But my thesis is that we need both 바카라 사이트� tradition and innovation 바카라 사이트� and that a powerful chemistry can be unleashed when we master both these disciplines. For proof, look no further than the golfing stories of P G Wodehouse. In my humble opinion, they are the funniest stories written in the English language. But we wouldn바카라 사이트檛 find them funny in the slightest if we did not first know, and hold some respect for, the game of golf and all its traditions. Innovation often amounts to harnessing the creativity which comes from collective effort, channelled by a shared set of rules. What would be the fun of golf, without the rules?
Thank you for coming to hear my Swan Song. I바카라 사이트檇 like to share with you an optimistic message about innovation in Britain, and innovation in Brunei; why we can both innovate with confidence because we both operate within a culture which respects history and tradition, and seeks to give our children roots as well as wings. Come to think of it, 바카라 사이트渟wan song바카라 사이트� is not a bad metaphor for what I바카라 사이트檓 trying to say today: a bird capable of stretching its wings and soaring high; but a bird which can be contemplative and still, and which we tend to associate with the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
Let바카라 사이트檚 begin with 2012: our Diamond Jubilee, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.What a year that was, for the UK and for the British High Commission here in Brunei! I could not have wished for a more powerful demonstration of the special relationship between our countries than the presence of His Majesty the Sultan in the inner circle of reigning monarchs with whom my own Queen chose to celebrate her Sixty Years on the Throne. We are two monarchies, united by tradition.
But 2012 was also a year of extraordinary innovation in the UK: the greenest, most sustainable Olympic Games on record, and the first time a Paralympic Games had taken its rightful place at the top table. Paralympic sport will never be the same again - an example of a tradition, the Olympic tradition, driving social change.
We were innovative here in Brunei too, thanks to the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Sufri and the National Olympic Committee, the creativity of our friends at the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, the personal qualities of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 own Olympians, and the sense of fun displayed by people across the country.
I have so many 바카라 사이트渇avourite memories바카라 사이트�. They include our 바카라 사이트淥lympic Truce바카라 사이트� event with the RBAF at the Berakas Garrison sports complex; our 1948 Olympic Torch run, with JIS, Standard Chartered and Loughborough College; and 바카라 사이트� of course 바카라 사이트� the moment Her Royal Highness Princess Masna visited our 바카라 사이트淲heelchair Challenge바카라 사이트�, where Maziah Mahusin and Awangku Hafiy Tajuddin demonstrated just how hard it was to better the shot-put distance of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 Paralympian, Shari Hj Juma바카라 사이트檃t.
I don바카라 사이트檛 think I have ever been prouder of my country and my profession than at that moment. But you have a chance to innovate again this year, because 바카라 사이트� in the run-up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 바카라 사이트� the Queen바카라 사이트檚 Baton Relay will be coming to Brunei on 28-29 October. I hope Maziah, Hafiy, Shari and Anderson Lim can all have a part. These four Bruneians prove my point about the power unleashed when Tradition and Innovation go hand-in-hand. They are upstanding citizens; fine Ambassadors for their country and its traditions. But they are also risk-takers, prepared to push the envelope, not satisfied with yesterday바카라 사이트檚 performance.
The Commonwealth and its Common Law legacy provide other examples of Innovation and Tradition intertwined. Vying for the title of my 바카라 사이트渁ll time favourite moment in Brunei바카라 사이트� must be this year바카라 사이트檚 Commonwealth Day. Thanks to the willingness to innovate of Yang Berhormat Pehin Speaker, a figure closely associated with tradition in Brunei, we celebrated Commonwealth Day inside the Legislative Council itself. And we did so with the lively participation of children from Commonwealth countries; because one of the 바카라 사이트渉ighest common factors바카라 사이트� in the Commonwealth is an instinct to make our institutions accessible to the young.
Rounding off Commonwealth Week, two Eminent Speakers, brought to Brunei by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, delivered public lectures at UBD on two of the great issues of our day: how we can confront and cope with climate change (by innovation, of course); and how to build a great university.
This year is also distinguished by Brunei바카라 사이트檚 Chairmanship of ASEAN. Meetings in Brunei this week showcased Bandar not merely as the cross-roads of Asia. The presence of the European Union바카라 사이트檚 High Representative, Baroness Ashton, made Bandar 바카라 사이트� on Monday and Tuesday 바카라 사이트� a centre of gravity for the entire world.
So Brunei바카라 사이트檚 canvas is wide; and that makes it all the more significant that the Brunei government has placed young people at its centre. I admire Brunei바카라 사이트檚 attempts to make the sometimes remote meetings of regional leaders resonate with the young 바카라 사이트� just as we tried to do in LegCo on Commonwealth Day. And I바카라 사이트檓 delighted that the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports has seized on the potential relevance of the Commonwealth to those efforts, after the Minister attended the Commonwealth Youth Conference in Papua New Guinea.
Brunei is on to something here. The Commonwealth itself combines Tradition and Innovation. It is a product of history which evolved into a fully-networked international organisation before the world had understood the power of social networks. Significantly, now that the world has understood the power of social networks, young Bruneians are leading the way 바카라 사이트� like the woman who was invited by the Commonwealth Secretariat to deliver a master-class in youth networking in London this year. She is now our Chevening Scholar.
Britain바카라 사이트檚 combination of Tradition and Innovation is different from Brunei바카라 사이트檚. I must emphasise that. I바카라 사이트檓 drawing parallels between how we do things, not trying to equate what we do. The British economy is more diverse, our population bigger. It takes a bigger rock to make a splash in the UK, while here in Brunei the market is intimate, personal, and necessarily more cautious.
In Britain we have a taste for lampooning our traditions, but almost always in the form of a back-handed compliment. Think of the James Bond pastiche, complete with helicopter stunt, which launched the Olympic Games, and the affectionate roar which greeted the appearance of Her Majesty the Queen, safe and sound, in the Royal Box.
Think too of so much British literature which celebrates, and develops a genre, by looking at it sideways. My boys have introduced me to the new Dr Who. Britain바카라 사이트檚 favourite time-traveller has become a profitable industry. I바카라 사이트檝e been struck by how much mileage they get from playing with stereotypes from British history, as the Dr and his friends zoom backwards and forwards in it. The modern Dr Who is kitsch but somehow patriotic. 바카라 사이트淰ery British바카라 사이트�, people say.
To be 바카라 사이트渧ery Bruneian바카라 사이트� is not the same thing at all. What we share is not the nature of our national brand, but the fact that we have one, and how we can exploit it. The parallel I바카라 사이트檓 drawing is between the way we use tradition to inspire innovation in the UK, and the way it could be done here.
In the UK, tradition is a given. It is the box we think outside of. You can바카라 사이트檛 do that without having a box in the first place; something to stand on, while looking up at blue skies. A lot of research done in the UK is not of the problem-solving variety. It is pure 바카라 사이트� though we often find an application for it later on. Almost all of it is done within a structure of some kind, be it one of our universities, or the discipline of a faculty or profession.
Here in Brunei, tradition is a given too. Your box is different. In fact it is triangular: Malay Islamic Monarchy. But it provides structure in precisely the same way 바카라 사이트� a platform from which your creative industries can take flight 바카라 사이트� like my swan.
At the risk of overtaxing my metaphor about boxes and triangles, the British High Commission바카라 사이트檚 바카라 사이트淒igital Scrapbook Competition바카라 사이트� for Bruneian students is a box of sorts 바카라 사이트� not quite a 바카라 사이트渂ox office바카라 사이트�, but at least a 바카라 사이트渟oapbox바카라 사이트� for young Bruneians at British universities. Over the last three years, many talented Bruneians have spread their wings by means of this competition. But as you can see from the films, they have not forgotten their roots, despite having flown so far from home.
In fact, the best films submitted to us were almost all meditations on that theme: how to get the best out of Britain while remaining quintessentially Bruneian. And I like to think that their loyalty to Sultan and country is one of the characteristics which makes Bruneian students so popular with their British peers. We respect, and find an echo of ourselves, in Brunei바카라 사이트檚 strong sense of its own, very different, personality.
This disproves a charge sometimes levelled at Brunei, that it will struggle to innovate because it is a conservative country. In reality, used creatively 바카라 사이트� as the UK uses its traditions - all three planks of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 national philosophy 바카라 사이트� Malay Islamic Monarchy 바카라 사이트� can give its people wings. I think of the work done here in Brunei바카라 사이트� by Prince Charles바카라 사이트� School of Traditional Arts. The PSTA specialises in helping countries identify the roots of their traditions, and develop those traditions in market-relevant ways.
I think of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 status as an early adopter of i-stuff: apps, lifestyles and attitudes; and how this is combining with the national focus on Islam to drive innovation in many sectors, from banking, to teaching materials, to Agro-Tech.
I think of the intense interest shown by British history documentary makers to tell 바카라 사이트淭he Story of Brunei바카라 사이트� in film, just as they told 바카라 사이트淭he Story of England바카라 사이트� and later 바카라 사이트淭he Story of Britain바카라 사이트�, using local kids to bring the archaeology to life.
I think of how the sense of history and continuity which comes with monarchy, has freed Brunei from the short-termism which blights environmental policies in many countries, combining with reverence for the created world to make Brunei a good steward of its natural resources 바카라 사이트� from rainforest to reef. As many of you know, another candidate for 바카라 사이트渇avourite chapter바카라 사이트� in my Brunei story has been my connection with UBD바카라 사이트檚 Sungei Ingei Expedition in Ulu Belait 바카라 사이트� supported, I am glad to say 바카라 사이트� by Standard Charted Bank. I have had equally exciting visits to the Kuala Belalong Field Study Centre, in another part of the Heart of Borneo 바카라 사이트� supported, I am also glad to say, by HSBC. Two British banks backing Brunei바카라 사이트檚 bid for a biotech bonanza.
Over time, this and other parts of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 wholesome brand will make research and development in the field of life-sciences a component of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 diversified economy. My joy will be complete when Oxford University바카라 사이트檚 Rapid Botanical Survey is launched in Brunei, hopefully later this year. It will put Brunei바카라 사이트檚 biodiversity on the map.
So we can see that Britain and Brunei both have a 바카라 사이트渨inning formula바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트� our steadfast refusal to choose between Tradition and Innovation. Our determination to have both. The last point I want to make this afternoon is how much we stand to gain by pooling our efforts and innovating alongside each other, as natural partners.
We already 바카라 사이트渟peak the same language바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트� culturally and metaphorically, as I have just discussed, and literally too. Brunei바카라 사이트檚 consistent approach to the English language as a medium of learning is about to pay off big time. This year바카라 사이트檚 ASEAN Chair, Brunei Darussalam, is fluent in what will be the common language of the ASEAN Economic Community, come 2015.
Those of you who have seen the film we distributed at our Queen바카라 사이트檚 Birthday Party, 바카라 사이트淓nglish as an ASEAN Language: The Brunei Story바카라 사이트�, will know how big a story we think this is. The UK / Brunei education partnership has given Brunei the jump on its neighbours, when it comes to reaping benefits from a single market in South East Asia; and the even more ambitious trading system which is taking shape under Brunei바카라 사이트檚 chairmanship this year: pronounced R-CEP, I believe.
But you don바카라 사이트檛 have to wait till 2015. British partners are available for Brunei바카라 사이트檚 researchers and innovators today. We have regular visits from business people and senior academics, most recently from the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Foreign Office at the time of Brunei바카라 사이트檚 National Environment Conference. Professor Robin Grimes has suggested ways to link UBD바카라 사이트檚 IBM Blue Gene supercomputer with research groups who use a similar machine in the UK. The British High Commission and Britain Brunei Business Forum are here to match-make.
We are already working closely with Brunei바카라 사이트檚 Ministries and with BEDB, as symbolised so wonderfully by the new livery of the High Commission바카라 사이트檚 hybrid vehicle: covered in icons of British innovation, linked to Brunei by a ribbon of roadway which turns first into a fibre optic cable and then into stars over a mosque. The competition which produced that beautiful design we ran with the i-Centre, as a salute to the design community in Brunei.
I바카라 사이트檇 like to end with two examples from the education field. The first has already started. The second is the thing I would most like to see happen next.
When my boss, William Hague, was here in April last year, he launched with Yang Berhormat Pehin Abu Bakar the BUBA Awards 바카라 사이트� prizes given by the British Universities바카라 사이트� Brunei Association to Brunei-based Sixth Formers for the best piece of work inspired by research going on at a British university. The BUBA Awards are already a hit. I have thought of a way to make them bigger still. The High Commission had a cash windfall recently, of 拢10,600, which I have given to BUBA to distribute through their Award scheme. With this money I hope the next set of Bruneian winners will be able to visit the UK, to meet the research teams who inspired their work.
But the greatest legacy I can imagine for my four years work in Brunei would be a British solution to the shortfall - here and throughout the region 바카라 사이트� in good technical and vocational education and training, TVET. I am convinced that part of the answer lies with your old partner CfBT, and their new partner Highbury College Portsmouth, England바카라 사이트檚 best performing FE college (or polytechnic, in old money). They have offered support to Politeknic Brunei; or to set up in the private sector here, with investors mustered (who knows?) through our BBBF.
If this happens, Brunei will have killed two birds with one stone. One bird 바카라 사이트� not my swan 바카라 사이트� being the ugly one called Youth Unemployment. The other bird is the bottleneck represented by the lack of Bruneian technicians to take the many jobs created by Brunei바카라 사이트檚 booming energy sector. If that works, and Brunei becomes a successful platform for UK-branded TVET, the Sultanate could become part of the answer to the TVET shortfall suffered by its ASEAN neighbours, adding a whole new sector to its own economy along the way.
And guess why parents across South East Asia would be queuing up to send their darlings to be trained in Brunei? Because Brunei has been true to its traditions, and has a reputation as a safe and wholesome place. That바카라 사이트檚 why.
Tradition + Innovation (UK style) = knowledge economy and jobs for young Bruneians. Q.E.D.
Thank you.