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Elon Musk has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Photo: Russian Today)
JAKARTA – Good news for Elon Musk. The technology billionaire has been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize thanks to his work with X and Starlink.
The nomination submission came from Norwegian parliament member Marius Nilsen. He argued that Musk deserved the Nobel Peace Prize because he had fought for freedom of speech by acquiring Twitter and providing Starlink satellite communications to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Marius Nilsen thinks Musk deserves the prize for his staunch defense of dialogue, freedom of speech, and activating the possibility to express one's views in a world he describes as continuing to polarize.
“Echo chambers and people who always agree do not bring the best ideas and cooperation, but decline and regression. Complementary views, opinions and thought processes unlock the best ideas,” said Nilsen as quoted by Russian Today, Wednesday (21/2/ 2024).
He also noted Ukraine's use of Starlink, a satellite system operated by Musk's SpaceX, to communicate, coordinate and withstand attacks from Russia.
Musk bought Twitter, which it later renamed X, in October 2022, citing its tendency towards censorship. Since then, he has fired most of the company's staff and allowed many previously silenced accounts. One of them is Donald Trump's personal account, which was censored when he was still US President.
“The various technology companies that Musk founded, owns or runs, which aim to improve society, increase knowledge about the earth and space, and enable global communications and connectivity have helped make the world a more connected and safe place,” said Nilsen.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October 2024. This year's competition is very tight, there are the names of Donald Trump, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, Pope Francis, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and a number of NGO activists.
Last year's prize was awarded to Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, for her fight against oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
(msf)