Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang New Straits Times 21 May 12;
TIMELY INSIGHT: MIT professor's expertise on conflict management and resolution will help us, especially on issues related to the environment and society, writes Zaini Ujang
AS part of its effort to create a dynamic intellectual ecosystem, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) encourages an array of academic activities, including its UTM Premier Lecture Series, started last year, which features accomplished, thought-provoking and innovative leaders from a variety of disciplines from around the world who would share their expertise, insights and perspectives on pertinent issues of relevance that would impact society and make a difference.
This month, UTM is privileged to have a distinguished speaker, Prof Lawrence E. Susskind, Ford Professor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States for its UTM Premier Lecture Series tomorrow, at UTM Kuala Lumpur Campus (at 2pm, Dewan Besar), who will share his experiences and insights on a topic which is most enriching and applicable to the current scenario in Malaysia entitled "New Tools for Democratic Decision-Making".
Susskind's talk is very timely as it would enlighten the audience with yet another dimension of professionalism in the context of decision-making and managing conflicts in today's challenging environment.
With his vast experience in mediating more than 50 disputes, including land-use conflicts, facility- siting controversies, public policy disagreements, and confrontations over issues of water, for instance, Susskind is the person with the right capacity to guide us on various issues of concern that would impact us in many ways, especially in relation to conflict management and conflict resolution.
In the context of development projects in Malaysia and other developing countries, the issue related to the environment is becoming more challenging, with the public becoming more vocal in voicing their views and opinions.
As such, the talk by Susskind could not have come at a better time as we struggle with complex issues related to our environment and society.
For instance, the Lynas Rare Earth Project could have been resolved if social aspects as well as the involvement of stakeholders were taken into consideration right from the initial stage of the project.
Other incidents include the solid waste incinerator project in Broga, the construction of the Bakun Dam in Sarawak and the raw water transfer project from Pahang to Selangor.
With increased public awareness and the dominant role of social media, conflicts of this nature will increase due to anxiety or misunderstanding especially with regard to safety and environmental issues.
It cannot be denied that among the factors that led to conflicts over the projects mentioned earlier is the lack of emphasis on the involvement of stakeholders, especially the general public in decision-making.
Among the challenges is how to ensure that the government, the public, multinational companies and the scientific community understand and accept decisions made.
It is worth noting that most of the projects involved have sound principles of science with sophisticated technology applied.
However, in the current situation where the public can gain access to a wealth of information, resolving the issue based only on technical aspects would not suffice, without taking into consideration public acceptance of the issue. In fact, the perception of the public at large sometimes overrides the real issue.
The issue is, can the conflict in question be avoided? Can the conventional approach, that is Decide-Announce-Defend (DAD), in making decisions and in project implementation be harmonised?
In general, the DAD approach places a lot of emphasis on technical aspects without giving attention to issues that would affect the public. In the end, the project developer or government will adopt a defensive attitude in responding to critique after critique. At the same time, the increasingly complex socio-ecology system makes it difficult for us to understand and predict the future in a confident way.
With issues becoming more complex and unpredictable, the process of decision-making should be handled with care and in a democratic way, taking into consideration the sensitivity and welfare of the public, especially related to public safety and the environment.
The premier lecture by Susskind will highlight on the need to have the involvement of the public, especially in resolving conflicts related to science and technology policy.
The alternative to the DAD approach Decide-Announce-Defend (DAD) involves three important processes, namely 1) collaborative, 2) adaptive, and 3) management or CAM.
Collaborative means active involvement and transparency of all stakeholders or those affected by a particular development project. Adaptive is necessary when there is scepticism or difficulty arising from a particular project.
Implementation in stages is better so that the parties responsible will have an in-depth understanding and will make improvements continuously. The management aspect needs to take the collaborative and adaptive approach. This means that improvement of the management system should be done in a collective and transparent way, with the concerted effort of all parties.
The DAD approach in decision-making is also important in managing the main resources such as water, land, and clean air. In the short term, we need the DAD approach to resolve issues of raw water flow across borders, for example, and management of catchments in a comprehensive way.
To ensure the success of a project, the decisions agreed to need to be sealed in the form of agreement. Normally, agreement is achieved based on “zero-sum terms”.
Nevertheless, the community can achieve more benefit through “value creating agreement”.
Although the CAM approach can be an alternative to the DAD approach, it must be carefully looked into in terms of suitability in relation to the problems arising and local context. There needs to be involvement of various parties, including the university, NGO and the government, deliberating and discussing these issues before decisions are made.
The UTM Premier Lecture Series is open to the public, free of charge.
Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang is vicechancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
