In order to get Bangladeshi CEOs, Bangladesh needs institutions like IAM and IIT, commented Srinivas Chandy, an Indian-Australian citizen, who has been working for more than a decade on Internet governance and technology development. Currently, Mr. Chandy serves as APNIC’s Senior Advisor on Policy and Community Development and Liaison Officer for the South Asia Region. Also led internal policy formulation and analysis in the APNIC Secretariat. Recently he came to Dhaka for the BIGF conference. After the conference, in an exclusive interview with DigiBangla, he opined that good institutions like IAM and IIT are needed in the country to get Bangladeshi CEOs.
In the Internet or web world, we see the monopoly of English language. Everything about technology is going on in English. Can we say that technology is causing language discrimination?
No. The reason is, English is the primary language of America, where the Internet first developed. However, ICANN is trying to multilingualize the Internet. Both domain name and mail address can be created in local language. As a result, the use of English in technology media or the Internet is decreasing in recent times.
Allegedly, state apparatuses are dominating technology around the world. Internet abuse is state-sponsored, so what is the Internet Governance Forum doing?
The issue is very political in nature. Because, the government uses data to keep ordinary citizens safe from bad guys. So unless you are involved in illegal activities on the internet, I think you have no reason to worry about this. There are many apps , when we open it they ask for mobile number , email and more , and it can be a threat to us like hatching, what do you say to this? Nowadays, most apps are safe to use because they are verified by app providers like Google Apps. However, there are still some apps that can be harmful. It is entirely up to you; you can search for another app or stop allowing it to use your data.
What is the latest status of IPv6 implementation in SAARC countries?
It is applied all over the world. Faster in some countries. However, the pace is quite slow in South Asia. There will be no more IPv4 in the future. So if the ISP or the government doesn’t implement IPv6 across the country, I think, whatever we call smart city or digital city, implementation will not be possible. Government must implement IPv6 to build a smart nation. India leads the world in implementation. If everyone applies it will easily build a smart nation.
Why are other countries lagging behind in fast implementation?
Its main reason is high skill and investment. High skill requires training, skilled staff. It is time consuming. This requires more investment. The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 requires specialized routers and switches and changes to legacy systems. Although it is a time-consuming matter, everyone should think about it. No country other than Bangladesh can become a smart nation without IPv6. Many CEOs are coming from India but we are not producing enough CEOs from our country for IT companies all over the world. Why is Bangladesh lagging behind India in this case?
India has many good universities like IIM, IIT. These universities are empowering young people to become CEOs. So you need this type of institutions.
I think there is a lack of adequate technology knowledge in Bangladesh. A sufficiently good quality university, education program is required. Maybe your country does not provide enough opportunities for this. So, if you are smart enough and have your own interest then you have to get it from somewhere else. In fact, even if the government gives you enough opportunities, it will not be fulfilled unless you feel the need for it yourself.
However, you can’t expect everyone to be a CEO. Some will be. For this there should be good quality training and education system. However, they have become CEOs from India and have obtained higher degrees like Masters from abroad with basic education from the country.
Bangalore is a smart city in India and known for startups. What policy do you think should be taken by Dhaka or Bangladesh government?
To build a start nation, the government must first formulate a policy. In addition to building international institutions, multinational companies should set up their offices in Bangladesh. As developed in Hyderabad, India. Like, I am from Cyberabad. Where there are campuses like Microsoft and Google. All these have been done jointly by the federal and state governments. I think that the Bangladesh government should take initiative by providing opportunities. Government must create universities like IITs. Because those universities have encouraged multinational IT companies to move to India.