Interview with Minister of MOSTI

Interview with Minister of MOSTI

Interview Questions

What role can the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment play in contributing to building a knowledge-based society in Malaysia?

The Government is providing all the encouragement and incentives in the fields of innovations and inventions, as well as introductions and promotions of IT and high-tech activities related to a knowledge-based economy and e-commerce.

We are now in the process of revising our science and technology policies in line with the fast changing science and technology scenario in the country and the world. In doing this, we are examining how we can raise the literacy rate among Malaysian, especially in knowledge and information. The aim is to reach as many people as possible, so that this group can be of importance and contribute to building a knowledge-based economy.

How can the use of science and technology help in developing a knowledge-based economy in Malaysia?

There are many channels or avenues through which we can use science and technology to play a part. Already, we have allocated funds, for example, under the Intensification of Research in Priority Areas (IRPA) to focus on research and development (R&D) activities, which are in line with the national R&D priority areas.
Two years ago, we have also launched the Multimedia Super-Corridor Research and Development Grant Scheme for companies with MSC status and which are at least 51% Malaysian-owned. We allocated RM100 million for this scheme.

In addition, together with MIMOS Bhd, we have launched the Demonstrator Applications Grant Scheme to spur the growth of bottom-up innovators, which are indigenous in design, contain local content, and culturally relevant to meet the demands of Malaysian.

At the same time, the Science and Technology Division of the Ministry is undertaking various activities throughout the year, and at various Federal and State levels. Among the activities are the Annual Science and Technology Month, science exhibitions, national science quiz, Science Awards, and so on, with the aim to prepare and implement science and technology promotion and awareness programme for every level of society.

Given the present standard of education in science and technology, and the level of research and development in the country, do you think we can become a knowledge-based society by the year 2020? What more should be done to help speed up the transformation?

Malaysian are generally very innovative and are fast learners, and they also acquire new technologies very fast. Look at the prizes and awards that Malaysian won, which showed how creative and innovative we are. For example, Malaysian have won numerous medals from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

(The WIPO is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world. Intellectual property includes inventions, trademarks, industrial designs as well as literary, musical, photographic, artistic and audiovisual works).

The challenge is to have the right combination of education in science and technology, and at the same time to have an integrated approach towards building a society based on science and technology. We have already started undertaking such a step for greater education in science and technology, but we need to have better coordination with the various parties. The Ministry of Education feels comfortable with us targeting at the schoolchildren first.

We have a lot more to do in the area of R&D. The various schemes that we have come up, which are funded by the Ministry, should help in developing R&D in the country. Under the 5th Malaysia Plan, we have spent RM100 million to fund such schemes. In the 6th Malaysia Plan, we had RM600 million in funds; in the 7th Malaysia Plan we had RM1 billion; and for the 8th Malaysia Plan, we are certainly asking for more funds.

At the same time, we also encourage the private sector to participate. Presently, all the funding for the schemes for R&D comes from the public sector. We are keen to get the private sector to be involved in the funding of the schemes, too. So far, the response from the private sector has been very positive, and we hope this would be the right direction we are heading towards.

Everyone is talking about building a knowledge-based society. Is it necessary for Malaysia to have a truly knowledge-based society in order to become an industrialised nation?

There is no harm in building a knowledge-based society. Knowledge is important to the people of a nation. The question is how to make use of the knowledge gained. On the other hand, a nation cannot live entirely on knowledge. There are also other important areas such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing to consider. Knowledge is the latest sector to gain importance.

Does becoming a knowledge-based society means having to sacrifice some of our social and cultural traditions of the past to adopt a more “computerised and mechanical” culture, devoid of traditions?

We are now in the midst of promoting transparency with the greater free flow of information. Sure, there is a price that we may have to pay to be more open. For everything, there are two sides to a coin. It depends on how you look at it. To live with it, we must be able to make use of the better side of things.

How wide is the digital divide between those living in the urban areas and those living in the rural areas in Malaysia? What do you think should be done to narrow this digital divide?

So far, our surveys have shown that the knowledge gap between those in the urban areas and those in the rural areas is not that wide. The Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre (MASTIC) carried out the surveys.

(MASTIC, commissioned in 1992 and positioned within the Ministry, is the national reference centre for scientific and technological information. Its core business is to collect and disseminate information related to local science and technology activities that will provide the basis for decision-making, policy setting, planning and implementing the nation’s science and technology policies. MASTIC carried out two types of surveys - national research and development, and Malaysian public awareness in science and technology. Data from both these surveys are then consolidated into the Malaysian science and technology indicators reports).

There are two main reasons why the knowledge gap between the rural and urban areas is not that wide as expected:

Since the Government launched its rural electrification scheme, most households in the rural areas and villages have electric power supply, either from the local power stations or from solar energy. This enables many in the rural areas to have access to the use of television, computers and multimedia equipment.
The Government’s policy of bringing telephone services to the rural areas has resulted in many getting access to the Internet.
Since the rapid development of these two factors, schools in the rural areas are today asking for computers to be installed at their premises, so that they can have greater and wider access to information. The infrastructure facilities in the rural areas are improving each day, and this means more people in the rural areas are having access to more and more information.

How do you ensure that those in the rural areas develop into the knowledge-based society at the same pace as the urban areas?

If we bring IT to the rural areas through the setting up of libraries and a network of computers, where the latest knowledge in science and technology could be shared among many. If every centre in the rural area has a library or a network of computers installed at a particular premise where every member of that community can share in the facilities, knowledge will be spread far and wide.

The Ministry is carrying out a unique out-reach programme where we have a travelling science exhibitions to the rural areas to provide these people with an opportunity to capture the experiences found at the National Science Centre, which otherwise they would not be able to have. In other words, we are bringing the knowledge of science and technology to the rural people, so that they can be on par with those in the urban areas.

We have also found a negative side to this -- that in the urban areas, people are at a disadvantage, as many are spending too much of their time at their computers, instead of interacting with each other socially.

What opportunities do you see for Malaysian when the country has transformed into a knowledge-based economy?

With the transformation into a knowledge-based economy, Malaysia will have a wider range of business activities. The playing ground will also be bigger for all hopefuls and those with potential to venture into business.

Will the transformation of Malaysian into a knowledge-based society revolutionise thought among Malaysian to the extent that the Government should be fearful that open and unlimited access to knowledge would help ferment even stronger and more radical opinions against the Government and its policies?

In a knowledge-based society, there is free flow of knowledge and information. In that free flow, there will always be bad negative elements, which will invariably be misused by some. I think the Government is capable of handling such a situation when it arises.

How far have we developed a culture and a mentality of science and technology among our younger generation? Is our younger generation more proficient in science and technology today than before?

Not 100% yet, though there is wider participation by all levels of society today, which is now more knowledgeable in science and technology than 10 to 20 years ago. The speed of progress in developing this culture is increasing.

What about the older generation. Are they more receptive to science and technology?

More are keen to learn about science and technology, as many are finding the time to catch up with such lessons as how to operate a computer and to learn about the latest technological developments.

Science and technology around the world have progressed by leaps and bounds. Can Malaysia keep up with the very rapid progress in science and technology worldwide? Does Malaysia have the necessary infrastructure to benefit from such progress? Are Malaysian lagging behind in the rapid global progress of science and technology?

We would certainly like to improve upon the present infrastructure so that Malaysian can benefit from the rapid progress in science and technology from around the world. Of course, we would like to acquire the latest important technologies, and then refined them to suit our local needs. The end result is that we must also have our own indigenous technologies, which we improve further to bring them to greater heights.

Many have pointed out that there is a lack of a culture in R & D in Malaysia. R & D can be the scientific and technological engine of growth for a knowledge-based economy. What has brought us to this poor state of affairs? Why hasn’t there been a greater emphasis on R & D previously? What about now - Has there been greater emphasis on R & D? What can be done to overcome this situation?

R&D in Malaysia has improved tremendously. The ratio of researchers to every one million people now stands at 350 to 400. To improve the ratio further, the Ministry has come up with funding for human resource development in science and technology. We are offering scholarships for masters and postgraduate degrees. We implemented this scheme two or three years ago, and today we have more Malaysian presenting technical papers on science and technology at world conferences and seminars.

What are your comments on companies introducing greater use of technology in the homes, and what are the social implications of having more computerised machines operating in the home?

We encourage companies to promote greater use of technology in the homes. But they should not adopt these new technologies blindly. They must find out how these new technologies will impact the environment, even though such technologies are user-friendly and improve our daily lifestyles. Companies must not just be materialistic, motivated solely by profits. Technologies that are compatible with the environment must be adopted, if they improve the quality of life of Malaysian in general, and help to increase productivity of the Malaysian worker.

What advice would you give to companies that bring in foreign technologies for the benefit of Malaysian at large? And what advice would you give to Malaysian in general when using new foreign technologies in their home or at their workplace?

The advice I would give is to two groups of companies:
i) Multinationals: We hope that these companies would share their technologies with us, and that the technologies they share are not the out-dated ones, but the latest.
ii) Malaysian Companies: We hope that these companies will regard spending on R&D as investments for the future, and that R&D will assure them of a future.
With the coming of globalisation and the World Trade Organisation rules, Malaysian companies must adjust themselves to meet with the challenges. They must adopt new technologies to be more competitive. But they must also not adopt these technologies blindly. They must 　eval　uate and filter the technologies, and not adopt them wholesale. We must have some second opinion about these technologies that we adopt.

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Source: http://www.mosti.gov.my/opencms/opencms/MostePortal/MIN/MINviewEn.html