Malaysia was rated among the world’s potential technological leaders in 2001, and able to use their advancement in information and communications technology to contribute towards social and economic progress. This was reported in the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report (HDR) 2001 with the theme “Making New Technologies Work For Human Development” (www.undp.org.my) This report introduces the new Technological Achievement Index of which Malaysia was grouped with 18 other countries as potential global technology leaders. “Malaysia is already making great inroads using ICT as a tool and an enabler for development. Malaysia has used ICT to overcome barriers of social, economic and geographical isolation, increase access to information and education, and to enable poor people to participate in more of the decisions that affect their lives.” (www.undp.org.my).
I have experienced that Malaysia is a pretty developed country. Of course I spend most of my time in Kuala Lumpur and that city is very well developed and technology is advanced. Walking around the city often gives you the feeling of walking in an enormous metropolis, and the huge skyscrapers and advertising gives an American touch to the atmosphere.
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Economy of Malaysia
Because of the presence of tin and the production of rubber (West-) Malaysia has made an impressive economic development after the Second World War. The country is the largest exporter in the world of rubber, tin and palm oil. Everywhere you go when travelling in Malaysia you pass enormous palm plantations. It starts when you fly over Kuala Lumpur and see all the green palm leaves that are stretched out on linear patterns for miles. When travelling by bus through West- and East Malaysia you have the same view for hours: palm trees planted in perfectly outlined rows. In some places, mostly in East Malaysia, nature has been devastated to be replaced for palm plantations. This has its effects on the wildlife: the living areas of Orang-oetangs, elephants and tigers for example are reduced. Ironically the plantations do attract some other smaller wildlife.
Today Malaysia is a modern and technological developed country. In the last thirty years it has developed to one of the Asian countries with the highest yearly incomes. At one time, the ‘newly industrializing countries’ was a category which included Malaysia along with the four Asian Tigers, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand and Chile. “These countries had what the World Bank considers to be fast-growing, middle income or higher economies, possessed a heavy concentration of foreign investment and exported large quantities of manufactured goods, including high-tech products” (Ball et al., 2006, pp. 102-103). The government had decided that the individual freedom and freedom of press should be retained, to prevent ethnic disorder. The reasoning behind this was that stability was necessary to let the economy flourish (Ars, 2001).
Since 1967 there is more cooperation in the region. Malaysia is a member of the ASEAN. After the 1997 Southeast Asia financial crisis, the ASEAN is one of the most dynamic and fastest-developing economic regions in the world. ASEAN’s purpose is to promote economic growth and peace in the region (Ball et al., 2006).
The former prime minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad had big plans to develop Malaysia. In his plan from 1991, the ‘Wawasan 2020’ (the Vision for 2020) he pleas for an economy that will be eight times stronger than the economy of the nineties. The purpose of the plan is to present thoughts on the future course of Malaysia and how the Malaysians should attain the objective of developing Malaysia into an industrialised country. But not only in an economic sense: developed along all the dimensions: economically, politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally.
A lot of my colleagues and other people I talked to think the plan is way too optimistic and will not succeed in its ambitious targets. Although they agree on that, they also think the plan is a good thing, and that Malaysia is becoming a better country in many ways because of it.
Today Malaysia is a modern and technological developed country. In the last thirty years it has developed to one of the Asian countries with the highest yearly incomes. At one time, the ‘newly industrializing countries’ was a category which included Malaysia along with the four Asian Tigers, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand and Chile. “These countries had what the World Bank considers to be fast-growing, middle income or higher economies, possessed a heavy concentration of foreign investment and exported large quantities of manufactured goods, including high-tech products” (Ball et al., 2006, pp. 102-103). The government had decided that the individual freedom and freedom of press should be retained, to prevent ethnic disorder. The reasoning behind this was that stability was necessary to let the economy flourish (Ars, 2001).
Since 1967 there is more cooperation in the region. Malaysia is a member of the ASEAN. After the 1997 Southeast Asia financial crisis, the ASEAN is one of the most dynamic and fastest-developing economic regions in the world. ASEAN’s purpose is to promote economic growth and peace in the region (Ball et al., 2006).
The former prime minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad had big plans to develop Malaysia. In his plan from 1991, the ‘Wawasan 2020’ (the Vision for 2020) he pleas for an economy that will be eight times stronger than the economy of the nineties. The purpose of the plan is to present thoughts on the future course of Malaysia and how the Malaysians should attain the objective of developing Malaysia into an industrialised country. But not only in an economic sense: developed along all the dimensions: economically, politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally.
A lot of my colleagues and other people I talked to think the plan is way too optimistic and will not succeed in its ambitious targets. Although they agree on that, they also think the plan is a good thing, and that Malaysia is becoming a better country in many ways because of it.
Politics in Malaysia
“Malaysia is made up of 13 states and three federal territories: Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Labuan and Putrajaya. Each state has an assembly and government headed by a chief minister. Nine of the 13 states have hereditary rulers (sultans), while the remaining four have appointed governors as do the federal territories. In a pre-established order, every five years one of the sultans takes his turn in the ceremonial position of ‘Yang di-Pertuan Agong’: the position of king.” (Richmond et al., 2007, pp. 41) The king is also the head of state and leader of the Islamic faith. Currently, the sultan of Terengganu is the king of Malaysia.
Malaysia’s current prime minister is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who heads up the Barisan Nasional, a coalition of the UMNO: the United Malays National Organisation and 13 other parties. The Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Kaedilan Rakyat and Parti Islam SeMalaysia are the main opposition parties. “There is a two house parliament, comprising a 70 member state (26 members elected by the 13 state assemblies, 44 appointed by the king on the prime minister’s recommendation) and a 219 member House of representatives elected from single member districts. National elections are held every five years” (Richmond et al., 2007, pp. 41).
I have not experienced so much of politics and interest in the king. I have been to Bangkok before I went to Malaysia, and when you arrive at the airport there are images of the king literally everywhere. There is a special day in the week when everyone where’s yellow clothing because that’s the ‘king’s colour’ and everyday at six pm the national anthem is played on the radio. In Malaysia I haven’t seen so much nationalism, except for ‘Merdeka’ (independence day). I will write about Merdeka later on.
I have been to the political heart of Malaysia: Putrajaya. Putrajaya is the new administrative centre of the federal government of Malaysia taking the capital city away from KL and leaving Kuala Lumpur as the country's financial and commercial capital (Putrajaya is situated near KL, about a 45 minute drive). Moving the national administrative machinery from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya is in line with the Government's policy to provide a more balanced development away from Kuala Lumpur. There are some amazing governmental buildings in Putrajaya (among them are the prime Ministers department, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of foreign affairs, the supreme court and an amazing mosque) which are open for the public as well. Controls before entering are strict though and you have to be decently dressed. These immense buildings are a good example of the way Malaysians wish to show themselves: as a nation that is developing rapidly. Picture 3 shows two of the imposing buildings in Putrajaya, the Putrajaya Mosque and the Prime Minister’s office.
Malaysia’s current prime minister is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who heads up the Barisan Nasional, a coalition of the UMNO: the United Malays National Organisation and 13 other parties. The Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Kaedilan Rakyat and Parti Islam SeMalaysia are the main opposition parties. “There is a two house parliament, comprising a 70 member state (26 members elected by the 13 state assemblies, 44 appointed by the king on the prime minister’s recommendation) and a 219 member House of representatives elected from single member districts. National elections are held every five years” (Richmond et al., 2007, pp. 41).
I have not experienced so much of politics and interest in the king. I have been to Bangkok before I went to Malaysia, and when you arrive at the airport there are images of the king literally everywhere. There is a special day in the week when everyone where’s yellow clothing because that’s the ‘king’s colour’ and everyday at six pm the national anthem is played on the radio. In Malaysia I haven’t seen so much nationalism, except for ‘Merdeka’ (independence day). I will write about Merdeka later on.
I have been to the political heart of Malaysia: Putrajaya. Putrajaya is the new administrative centre of the federal government of Malaysia taking the capital city away from KL and leaving Kuala Lumpur as the country's financial and commercial capital (Putrajaya is situated near KL, about a 45 minute drive). Moving the national administrative machinery from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya is in line with the Government's policy to provide a more balanced development away from Kuala Lumpur. There are some amazing governmental buildings in Putrajaya (among them are the prime Ministers department, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of foreign affairs, the supreme court and an amazing mosque) which are open for the public as well. Controls before entering are strict though and you have to be decently dressed. These immense buildings are a good example of the way Malaysians wish to show themselves: as a nation that is developing rapidly. Picture 3 shows two of the imposing buildings in Putrajaya, the Putrajaya Mosque and the Prime Minister’s office.
History of Malaysia
Around the first century BC the Malay people, who mostly lived in isolated villages, got in contact with the nearby large civilizations of India and China. Traders from these areas had great influence on the culture, language and social habits. Small farm and fishing villages were transformed and organized into political states like in India. Hinduism and Buddhism were introduced. The worldwide development of navy and navigation and the growing role of naval trade routes gave the Malays an important role in the trade between East and West (Ars, 2001).
In the thirteenth century Arabic and Indian traders spread the word of the Islam, which rapidly was taken over by the Malay people and rulers. For the population the Islam meant unity and identity, for traders and leaders converting to the religion also had political and economic motives. The Islam penetrated the entire Malaysian culture and society, but not as extreme as in other countries like Afghanistan and Iran.
In 1511 the Portuguese set foot on the island of Malacca as the first Europeans. The Portuguese did not only come for the spices and luxurious goods, they also tried to spread Christianity and exterminate the Islam. They failed in doing this. The Portuguese were beaten by the Dutch East India Company in 1641, which colonized Malacca until the Brits came (Ars, 2001).
The British took over Malacca from the Dutch in 1824 in exchange of the city Bencoolen in Sumatra. The British started the process of political integration of the Malay states in what was later called British Malaya. Local Malay rulers were allowed to keep their position, in exchange for the British to indirectly use their power to control the island. The colonization by the British has had a great impact on the Malaysian society and economy, a turning point in the history of the country. Malaysia and Singapore were embedded in the British Empire and a government, public services and infrastructure were set up. The British were involved in a lot of trade with the Chinese and stimulated their immigration for more trade and to let them work in the tin mines. The British thought the Malay people were lazy workers, so labourers from India were imported to work at the rubber plants and as civil servants. This was the start of the delay of the Malay people in contrast to the Indian but especially the Chinese, which was the base for the racial conflicts years later (Ars, 2001).
In 1942 the Japanese conquered Malaysia. The cruel treatment of the population by the Japanese ensured that the British were welcomed again after the war was over in 1945. But the occupation did change something: the people had started to think about being independent. The struggle for independence had started and in August 1957 Malaya became independent from the British. In 1963 the British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah joined from what of then would be called Malaysia. Singapore joined Malaysia, although there were a lot of problems with the majority of the population being Chinese. Because of that, tensions grew stronger and two years after the connection Singapore was kicked out of the federation. Tensions between Malay people and people from Singapore still exist (Ars, 2001).
The Malaysian government had the difficult task of uniting the different races and cultures under one flag. The Chinese dominated the economy and the Malays ran the politics. The Malays got more control in 1967 when the Islam was claimed to be the national religion and Bahasa Malaya the national language. This led to Chinese opposition and eventually in 1969 to race riots. Hundreds of people were killed, houses were burnt and stores were plundered. A state of emergency was called out for the next two years. After the riots the government tried to restore the delay of the Malays by introducing the ‘bumiputra’ (princes of the country) politics. The traditional population would get a place in the modern economy: every company was obliged to hire Malay people, Malays were favoured in receiving higher education and could become more active in the government. The bumiputra politics eventually did not have much of an effect. Until today the government has not succeeded to give the Malays an equal position and economy and politics still are divided by racial lines (Ars, 2001).
In the thirteenth century Arabic and Indian traders spread the word of the Islam, which rapidly was taken over by the Malay people and rulers. For the population the Islam meant unity and identity, for traders and leaders converting to the religion also had political and economic motives. The Islam penetrated the entire Malaysian culture and society, but not as extreme as in other countries like Afghanistan and Iran.
In 1511 the Portuguese set foot on the island of Malacca as the first Europeans. The Portuguese did not only come for the spices and luxurious goods, they also tried to spread Christianity and exterminate the Islam. They failed in doing this. The Portuguese were beaten by the Dutch East India Company in 1641, which colonized Malacca until the Brits came (Ars, 2001).
The British took over Malacca from the Dutch in 1824 in exchange of the city Bencoolen in Sumatra. The British started the process of political integration of the Malay states in what was later called British Malaya. Local Malay rulers were allowed to keep their position, in exchange for the British to indirectly use their power to control the island. The colonization by the British has had a great impact on the Malaysian society and economy, a turning point in the history of the country. Malaysia and Singapore were embedded in the British Empire and a government, public services and infrastructure were set up. The British were involved in a lot of trade with the Chinese and stimulated their immigration for more trade and to let them work in the tin mines. The British thought the Malay people were lazy workers, so labourers from India were imported to work at the rubber plants and as civil servants. This was the start of the delay of the Malay people in contrast to the Indian but especially the Chinese, which was the base for the racial conflicts years later (Ars, 2001).
In 1942 the Japanese conquered Malaysia. The cruel treatment of the population by the Japanese ensured that the British were welcomed again after the war was over in 1945. But the occupation did change something: the people had started to think about being independent. The struggle for independence had started and in August 1957 Malaya became independent from the British. In 1963 the British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah joined from what of then would be called Malaysia. Singapore joined Malaysia, although there were a lot of problems with the majority of the population being Chinese. Because of that, tensions grew stronger and two years after the connection Singapore was kicked out of the federation. Tensions between Malay people and people from Singapore still exist (Ars, 2001).
The Malaysian government had the difficult task of uniting the different races and cultures under one flag. The Chinese dominated the economy and the Malays ran the politics. The Malays got more control in 1967 when the Islam was claimed to be the national religion and Bahasa Malaya the national language. This led to Chinese opposition and eventually in 1969 to race riots. Hundreds of people were killed, houses were burnt and stores were plundered. A state of emergency was called out for the next two years. After the riots the government tried to restore the delay of the Malays by introducing the ‘bumiputra’ (princes of the country) politics. The traditional population would get a place in the modern economy: every company was obliged to hire Malay people, Malays were favoured in receiving higher education and could become more active in the government. The bumiputra politics eventually did not have much of an effect. Until today the government has not succeeded to give the Malays an equal position and economy and politics still are divided by racial lines (Ars, 2001).
Geography of Malaysia
Malaysia is situated in the Southeast of Asia. The country consists out of the federation of Malaya (more commonly known as West Malaysia) which is situated on the island of Malacca and East Malaysia which consists out of Sabah en Sarawak on the North of Borneo. The country is approximately 329.758 square kilometres big and it has an estimated 24.821.286 inhabitants (Winkler Prins, 2007). This means 76 people live on one square kilometre.
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, which literally means ‘muddy confluence’. Approximately 1.297.526 people live in the city, from which more than 50 percent is Chinese. Kuala Lumpur is the economic and the cultural centre of Malaysia. The industry, which is mostly concentrated in the suburbs consists among others out of wood industry and agrarian products (like tobacco), the production of automobiles and railroad materials, and chemical, electronic, metal and food industry. There is a large service sector (national and international banks and insurance companies). This is where Weber Shandwick fits in great as well. We were in the same office block as the ‘Deutsche Bank’ and the Ambank (one of the biggest Malaysian banks) was in the building next to us. Kuala Lumpur is the junction between the rest of the country and Thailand and Singapore (Winkler Prins, 2007).
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, which literally means ‘muddy confluence’. Approximately 1.297.526 people live in the city, from which more than 50 percent is Chinese. Kuala Lumpur is the economic and the cultural centre of Malaysia. The industry, which is mostly concentrated in the suburbs consists among others out of wood industry and agrarian products (like tobacco), the production of automobiles and railroad materials, and chemical, electronic, metal and food industry. There is a large service sector (national and international banks and insurance companies). This is where Weber Shandwick fits in great as well. We were in the same office block as the ‘Deutsche Bank’ and the Ambank (one of the biggest Malaysian banks) was in the building next to us. Kuala Lumpur is the junction between the rest of the country and Thailand and Singapore (Winkler Prins, 2007).
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