Keeping up with high-tech improvements might be a challenge—any new development takes money and some of our competitors are working hard to elevate their position. We are not running in this race alone.
by | Rushdi Abdul Rahim | rushdi@might.org.my
By the time you have this magazine in your hands, it would almost be 2019. Therefore, it probably wouldn’t be too early to wish you Happy New Year. In looking forward to the new year it is worth reflecting on key happenings for the past year. There are too many to recount, surely, it has been an eventful 2018.
2018 is the year we commemorate MIGHT’s 25 years of existence and the magazine is published in conjunction with the anniversary milestone and MIGHT’s annual consultation meet-up.
Since 1993, MIGHT’s true north has been to advance national capacity and competencies in high-tech areas. The means and methods may have changed with the times, but the objectives have always been clear, superiority of high-tech sectors will put us in a better position to compete with the best in the world.
Now, Malaysia has been amongst the top ten high-tech exporters globally. High-tech exports include products that require significant resources and research to develop and produce. This includes products of the aerospace, computer, pharmaceutical, scientific instruments, as well as electrical and electronics industries. Through these years, MIGHT has continuously worked together across government ministries and agencies to bring about formal changes in policy.
We want to create a conducive environment and business practice to allow technology firms to flourish. We have been moderately successful to date, but are we satisfied? No.
What this proves is that we have the capacity, capabilities and the potential to continuously improve. Numerous reports produced by the likes of World Economic Forum and World Bank for example ranked Malaysia highly in terms of readiness and growth potential. But therein lies the fear. We at MIGHT are concerned that we shall be in a perpetual readiness state without taking action or doing something about it.
The top countries for high-tech exports fortify their competitive advantage by spending a great amount of money on R&D, being fully aware that technology is a critical imperative to get ahead. This however is a lingering dilemma for Malaysia. The prospect of diverting an increased level of funding into R&D is something that is not shared by all. However, rapid new developments in the high-tech world means we must strive to keep up. Keeping up with hightech improvements might be a challenge—any new development takes money and some of our competitors are working hard to elevate their position. We are not running in this race alone.
What seems like unsettling times, these concerns were adequately highlighted by MIGHT’s past leaders and they continue to be addressed by our present leaders. In this edition we give you thoughts and viewpoints of MIGHT’s first cochairman, Tan Sri Dr. Omar Abdul Rahman, our current co-chairman Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali and MIGHT’s President and CEO, Datuk Dr. Mohd. Yusoff Sulaiman. Together, they provide elaborate hindsight, insight and foresight you’ll soon find out in this edition.
As we look back at 2018, we also bade farewell to MIGHT’s cochairman Professor Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid who retired in October. From myForesight we would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Tan Sri Zakri, for taking us under his wing, providing guidance, advice and opportunities to contribute toward #betterfutures. He will be missed.
This magazine has been a labour of love for all of us at myForesight, and we appreciate the feedback and support that we have received. We welcome your thoughts, ideas and contributions to make this magazine better.
