Page 5 - Berita Sunway - Issue 69

I am an optimist by nature. Even in these deeply pessimistic times, One of these key initiatives is for the SDG Academy, an online knowledge
I strongly believe that humanity will rise to the challenges that confront network, to draw up a curriculum on sustainable development to be
us, and that we can navigate our way to a better tomorrow. mandated as a compulsory subject at K-12 levels around the world.
Another is to set up three overarching SDSN centres to coordinate
Let’s start with our current economic system. Over the last 200 years, continent-wide sustainability initiatives. These centres will be located
the world has enjoyed tremendous economic growth. The progress and in New York City (North and South America); Paris (Europe and Africa);
prosperity are remarkable, but they have come at an enormous cost. and Sunway City Kuala Lumpur (Asia).

We are now struggling to cope with the environmental, social and These plans were scheduled to be announced by the Pope Francis at the
governance problems that growth has brought in its wake. The COVID-19 Vatican City on May 14. That announcement has now been rescheduled
pandemic has starkly exposed many of these shortcomings. to a later date because of the pandemic.

The reasons for how we have come to be where we are today are many. I am particularly proud that Sunway University, where the SDSN centre
But I believe a major factor is our obsession with unbridled growth, as for Asia will be housed, has been chosen as an important player in this
measured by the metric known as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). global effort. It reflects Sunway’s embrace of the sustainability agenda
and our commitment to advancing the SDGs in the Asian region.
GDP has come to be perceived as a proxy for the wealth of a nation. But
while GDP may arguably be effective in measuring the standard of living, The necessity of such efforts, at both practical and policy levels, takes
it largely falls short in valuing the quality of life. on greater urgency in the wake of the pandemic and its threat to lives
and livelihoods.
We need a wider lens to measure how we are doing. We need metrics
that reflect our well-being as nations, communities and individuals, not The impact of COVID-19 on public finances all over the world, with even
just a GDP number which bears little relation to every day reality. governments led by neoliberal ideologues ramping up massive deficits, and
on the bottom lines of corporations clearly
In the words of Professor Kate Raworth of implies the need for a change.
Oxford University’s Environmental Change
Institute and author of the influential I mean a The very ethos of the capitalist system that
book “Doughnut Economics”: Instead of has dominated the past four decades is now
economies that need to grow, whether or (compassionate) under increasing scrutiny.
not they make us thrive, we need economies
that make us thrive, whether or not they I welcome such initiatives. I am an
grow. capitalist system entrepreneur, and a firm supporter of
capitalism and the efficacy of markets. But
Her views offer a conceptual framework I submit that to build a better tomorrow, we
that prioritises people and shifts the focus that motivates and must seize the opportunity to move beyond
to quality of life, with economic growth what some have called “cowboy capitalism”
being a means towards those ends. incentives us to do towards “compassionate capitalism.”

The good news is, the path towards this To put it simply, I mean a capitalist system
transformation has already been charted well by doing good. that motivates and incentivises us to do well
for us. On 25 September 2015, the 193 by doing good — one that shifts the focus
th
members of the United Nations General from the quarterly bottom-line of profits
Assembly adopted the UN 2030 Agenda for to the “Three P” bottom-line of People,
Sustainable Development. The resolution Planet, Prosperity by taking into account the
calls for action through long-term development pathways comprising interests of all stakeholders.
17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals serve as a
comprehensive and holistic global vision towards development that This will entail a more balanced approach on determining the roles of
seeks to heal the socio-economic and environmental ills afflicting the the market and the state. Indeed, over and above systemic change, it
world. requires a shift in societal values.

A crucial aspect of the SDGs is their interconnectivity, and their emphasis Perhaps this is best encapsulated in the remark by Mahatma Gandhi
on the human condition. For instance, many tend to think “climate “The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed.”
change” when they hear the term sustainable development. However,
it is noteworthy that the first five SDGs – no poverty, zero hunger, good In the wake of the pandemic, fulfilling everyone’s needs requires us to
health and well-being, quality education and gender equality – prioritise take a piercing look at ourselves as individuals, and as a society. It calls
people. for us to emphasise values such as compassion, empathy, tolerance and
inclusiveness.
Despite world-wide adoption, the SDGs are still largely perceived to be
aspirational. Their implementation by nations varies by wide degrees It demands more equitable outcomes in policy-making by governments
and is limited by our economic and financial structures, and mindsets. and market operations by the private sector.
The COVID-19 crisis offers a genuine opportunity to address these And in keeping with Gandhi’s words, it means a system and values that
limitations and to advance the sustainability agenda through the SDGs. place the highest priority on societal needs and curbs individual greed.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
is formulating several avenues through which to channel these efforts. Systemic change and a shift in values represent an immense challenge
to humanity. Are we — as individuals, families, communities and nations
— prepared to “reset” our future?

Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO is founder and chairman of Sunway Group, one of Malaysia’s largest conglomerates, and founder and trustee of the
Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. He is also a member of the global Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
and chairman of its Malaysian chapter.

BERITA SUNWAY | JUL—SEP 2020 | 5