Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Shah Hakim Zain

Fifty years is a long time, and for some, it is a lifetime.

No doubt, when we achieved independence 50 years ago, our forefathers could not have imagined that we would be where we are today. As it was then, the task of trying to visualise today where we will be in 50 years seems equally daunting.

In 1957, we, as a nation, grappled with the issues of reducing child mortality rates, ensuring every Malaysian had access to power supply and potable water, combating malaria and even fighting the communist insurgency. These were basic survival issues which at that time may have seemed larger than life. And as a nation in its infancy, these issues must have seemed insurmountable.

But what we had then were leaders who put the nation above themselves. They were visionaries who developed and implemented plans, and stayed true to the course with their final objectives always in mind.

When I speak to our older generation, especially those who were involved in politics and government in the early days after independence, I am struck by the determination and fortitude with which they continued to forge ahead in building the nation.

Although they admitted to being scared and lost at times, they kept their resolve, and obstacles that were perceived to be insurmountable were overcome, all with the aim of ensuring successive generations’ future happiness and security. This will always be their legacy.

The debt of gratitude we owe to them and all those who came after them for making the nation what it is today cannot be measured.

Being Malaysian, we tend to always look at the glass as being half empty when there are so many things that we should be thankful for. We could have easily gone astray along the way and ended up like the few turbulent African states that are embroiled in civil unrest, or even some other Asean states that have failed to progress or worse, moved backwards.

Today, the issues facing us going forward into the next 50 years may seem equally overwhelming. Furthermore, the world has become a “smaller” place. Like it or not, we are all affected by global issues such as conflicts, suppression of certain states, global warming, the state of the world economy; issues that we as a nation have little or no control over.

This is further complicated by local problems such as politics, and the racial and religious divide. As some other countries and nations around the world continue to build on their capabilities, we could be left far behind if we remain caught up in our local issues and not look outwards.

As technological progress gathers speed, evidence of this “shrinking” world will be ubiquitous. However, as a nation, we are far from ready, especially in terms of knowledge and infrastructure, to benefit from this development and, more importantly, to stay competitive.

Today we are witnessing “colonisation” of a different nature. The dictates of a global economy have entailed the opening-up of markets where barriers to trade are slowly but surely being eradicated.

The ability to remain competitive is key, and in such a climate, the economic powerhouses - be they nations, multinational corporations or private equity or asset management organisations - by reason of their vast resources, tend to have a distinct advantage. Their constant forays into companies in weaker economies in the name of investment and expansion is a testimony of their might.

This will go on in one way or another, and if we are not able to capture knowledge and prepare ourselves for what we will face in 50 years’ time, we will surely fall victim to such “colonisation” yet again.

If you cannot imagine where we will be in the next 50 years, one thing that is certain is that we cannot continue to do the same things in the same manner today if we want to stay relevant.

Therefore, it is important for us to have a clear vision of where we want to be 50 years on and to implement strategies and stay the course, no matter what.

In fact, we have the potential to leapfrog over other countries by being a technology and knowledge leader, not just in product technology but also in process technology.

To do so, we will have to invest in technology and knowledge ownership, and with the right combination of foresight and vision, eventually emerge as a true and effective global country in 50 years time.

Shah Hakim Zain is Scomi Group chief executive officer.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed