Speaking at a lecture attended by 300 tertiary students, diplomats and government officers at SMU on what political leadership means in the digital age, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel highlighted that as the leader of a small country, he sees technology as a force of tremendous opportunity in areas such as financial technology, logistics, satellites and space science. But the highly disruptive nature of 21st century technologies also requires governments to demonstrate political leadership by constantly anticipating and adapting to technological shifts, and to put in place laws and policies to keep in check any consequences.

He noted that far-sighted political vision has enabled Luxembourg and Singapore to thrive next to far larger neighbours, while staying nimble and having coherent policies that keep the effects of technology positive and the country competitive. But while a country must never forget its culture and values, trying to preserve the status quo is not the way to keep one’s identity. He said: “It’s important to keep your roots, your culture and your language, and it’s important to know where you come from, but also to know where you want to go. We want to stay what we are, but that doesn’t mean we want to stay where we are, because this would be the end of a country.”