NEWS: PM: Innovation is the way forward

PUTRAJAYA: Technological advancement is an important tool in developing a nation and countries with such capabilities will triumph while those that fail to make innovation the centrepiece of their economy will fall behind, said the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said it is no accident that technologically advanced countries like the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and Australia are noted as the world’s wealthiest nations.

Malaysia, he said, has done well in the past by growing an industrial base while expanding its agricultural sector, and at the same time, nurturing a strong oil and gas industry.

“But our prior focus on attracting foreign investment as a low-cost producer has now created a dilemma by not keeping pace with the global leaders and we remain somewhat underdeveloped in this respect,” he said.

He said a new paradigm is needed to not only catch up but to take the country on a quantum leap into the ranks of the developed nations.

According to the Prime Minister, this is why the MSC Malaysia initiative, which will enter its third phase of development and evolution from 2011-2020, will build on the country’s success so far and boost its economic growth and societal well-being.

Najib said the MSC Malaysia has proven to be an enormous success and Malaysia now wants to create its own software, games, creative content and social networking icons.

“We want our own solutions to be used in solving medical, environmental, business and scientific challenges. We want to close the lingering ‘digital divide,’ not just here in Malaysia but also contribute to erasing the gap elsewhere,” he said.

The divide refers to the gap between the technology haves and have-nots.

Speed upgrade

Malaysia will be rolling out an advanced national communications infrastructure soon by wiring up 1.2 million households and business premises with fibreoptics that will help boost Internet connection speeds to between 10Mbps (megabits per second) and 1Gbps (gigabit per second). Current speeds are up to 4Mbps.

Najib said the high-speed broadband network will provide a platform to develop ICT (information and communications technology) applications for the future, as well as provide citizens, businesses and government agencies with a competitive boost via cutting-edge communications capabilities.

He said this is one of the measures being taken by the Government to put in place a system to drive high performance at all levels of society and it is also in line with the new economic model that will take a new approach based on innovation, creativity and high-value activities.

Stressing the advantages of ICT, Najib said he is pioneering a new style of intimate, people-centric approach through the use of ICT with his 1Malaysiawebsite that allows Malaysians to interact directly with him via the Internet.

“It is not a passive site but a fully interactive one where visitors can not only find out about my thoughts but can submit their suggestions direct to me online,” he said.

A recent open solicitation for suggestions on the Government’s 2010 budget drew more than 400 responses from the public while post budget feedback from the public drew over 500 responses, which Najib said he will take into consideration for the following budget.

“Malaysians who are interested in my workday can also follow me in real time on Twitter,” he said in his opening remarks at the launch of the 12th International Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre today.

1 for all

Najib also said Malaysia realises that the current complexities of the world demand new ways of thinking and problem solving, and that the country is fortunate to have come so far as a nation consisting of multiple cultures and faiths.

He said, however, there is a need now for a new paradigm to unite and prepare Malaysia for the challenges ahead, and that it can no longer rely on what had worked in the past.

“This is the reason I introduced the 1Malaysia concept soon after I took office in April. I see that the way forward for Malaysia and the world at large is a more imaginative and inclusive form of collaboration,” he said.

“I would like to formalise Malaysia’s inherent diversity into 1dream, 1people, 1nation and I believe it will be the catalyst for greatness for Malaysia and a guide to enhancing regional and global co-operation.”

The MSC Malaysia, conceptualised in 1996, is a government initiative to leapfrog the country’s knowledge-based economy and move the people into the Information Age.

Foreign and home grown companies, numbering more than 900, are part of the initiative and are operating in high-tech areas nationwide. These businesses are involved in R&D work, multimedia products and services, as well as ICT.

This year’s IAP meeting is themed Innovation Economy: Paving the Path to Prosperity. The panel includes government representatives, international captains of industry, IT experts and academicians who help guide the MSC Malaysia initiative.