A Dream Team only as good as its aims

 

Everyone can be part of a Dream Team at one time or another. The only question is what are you dreaming about?

IN THE 2009 film "The Pink Panther 2", the world's top investigators are hired to solve a series of high profile thefts, including the Magna Carta, the Pope's "Fisherman's Ring", and the priceless diamond from which the comedy movie gets it name.

They were called a "Dream Team", a nickname many say was popularised by the US basketball team at the 1992 Olympics.

According to Wikipedia, there are now at least a dozen references of a Dream Team in sports, three in television and film, a fictional group of comic book superheroes, and even an American hip-hop act.

There isn't a single reference on the website of a Dream Team within a public or private sector administration context. Is there room for one?

The government announced this week the appointment of Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz as chairman of Malaysia's Economic Advisory Council.

The council will report directly to the prime minister and advise the government in drawing up a new economic model for the country. The other members of the council - comprising both local and foreign economic experts - will be announced soon.

The group is reminiscent of the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) set up in 1998, which was instrumental in turning around Malaysia's economy after the Asian financial crisis.

Would they qualify as a Dream Team?

The US basketball team, if they had failed, would have returned home with silver medals and bruised egos. Can you imagine what would happen if the councils failed?

No. We should not call them a Dream Team. The nickname seems to trivialize the serious nature of their work and objectives. They are bigger than that.

Come to think of it, the overused phrase should be changed, to bring it down to earth from its traditional elitist context.

In the same way that the word "hero" evolved from being the sole right of demigods in Greek mythology to describe anyone who displays courage and the will for self- sacrifice, Dream Team should describe any group of people that are collaborating and giving their best towards a common goal or mutual betterment.

Your department at work, or the entire company, can be a Dream Team. So too can a group of regular weekend golfers, your class in school, or even your family unit.

Everyone can be part of a Dream Team at one time or another. The only question is what are you dreaming about?