Business leaders identify poverty as top issue<\/p>\n
Harry Bhaskara, The Jakarta Post, Davos<\/p>\n
One might expect pomp and snobbery in this capitalistic
\nshowpiece where a participant pays US$12,000 apart from an annual
\nmembership fee of $25,600 but they were the least visible. If
\nanything, it was star-stricken panic that was visible among the
\norganizers when celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone,
\nRichard Gere and Lionel Richie made their way around the
\nconference venue.<\/p>\n
A total of 5,500 Swiss soldiers were on guard in the World
\nEconomic Forum in the Swiss ski resort, in addition to 30 combat
\naircraft and 50 helicopters. The choppers were also available for
\nrent.<\/p>\n
Here, moderation is key. The opening reception on Jan. 25 was
\nheld in a tiny hall. It was a far cry from the luxurious and
\nspacious wedding receptions in Jakarta's five-star hotels. So
\nsmall was the reception hall you barely felt the freezing cold
\noutside as you brushed against other participants.<\/p>\n
The registration hall was no less modest. The hall was, so
\nsmall and unpretentious it looked like a makeshift building, with
\nan equally tiny coffee corner at the edge of the hall. The corner
\nhad only three very small round tables, you felt you had better
\nleave before you crowded the place. After all, registration only
\ntook a few minutes to complete.<\/p>\n
Frugality was an unexpected feature in this gathering of world
\nbusiness leaders, but it did not seem to be the case. More
\nastonishing was the participants' choice of the most urgent world
\nissues to be tackled -- poverty, followed by equitable
\nglobalization. Does it stem from a feeling of guilt? If so, does
\nguilt go hand in hand with prosperity?<\/p>\n
Starting with a discussion on management theories, the forum,
\nwhich was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, has convened regularly
\non more than 30 occasions. Since then it has developed in
\naccordance with the challenges of time.<\/p>\n
In the late 1970s it incorporated discussions on social and
\npolitical issues. In 1977 the forum members included 1,000 of the
\nlargest multinational companies with a minimum turnover of US$1
\nbillion. Membership fees started at $15,000 a year.<\/p>\n
When anti-globalization sentiments surfaced in the late 1990s,
\nthe forum opened discussions on the topic. In 2003, it introduced
\nan open forum for moderate activists held in tandem with the
\nforum in Davos.<\/p>\n
Schwab, a former university professor, and his team have gone
\na long way, but there is still a lot to do. Gender wise, the
\nrepresentation of women in the forum is still below 10 percent,
\nso is the percentage of activists and political leaders. Business
\nleaders have always been the overwhelming majority.<\/p>\n
To date, the forum is the biggest private gathering in terms
\nof size and leading participants. Apart from the January meeting,
\nthe forum also holds other regional meetings in different parts
\nof the world, including the United States, Europe and India.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, the high precision industry of the Swiss watch has
\nsomething to do with its efficiency. It was the protection of
\ncelebrities that seemed to take Schwab by surprise, hence the
\npanic-stricken staff.<\/p>",
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