Can Malaysia Regain Her Asian Tiger Economy Status?

One of the aspirations that Malaysia is striving to achieve is to become a member of the Asia Tigers Club in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taipei. The other Tiger Cub Economies or young tigers also refers to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, who attempt to follow the same export-driven model of technology and economic development which was already achieved by the Four Asian Tigers. In the 1990s, Malaysia was tipped to become the fifth Asian Tiger. However, a financial crisis and slow wage growth hindered its economic progress. The economic wound did not heal, even after several changes of prime minister.

National 4th Industrial Revolution Policy Framework for Malaysia

The 11th Malaysian Plan (RMK11) that was released by the Malaysian Government, highlighted “Harnessing the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)” as one of the strategies to promote innovation, creativity, and competitiveness of all sector in embracing the intensification of digital revolution. Following this, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has launched the National Industry 4.0 Policy Framework (Industry4WRD) in 2018, on the adoption of Industry 4.0 technology elements for the manufacturing sector and manufacturing-related services. 

The Client, a Malaysian Ministry, engaged us to study and develop a national policy framework that would guide the 4IR related policy development and implementation to be adopted by all government ministries and agencies. 

Fertilizer - Feeding the World

According to the United Nations (UN), the world population is set to steadily rise over the years, from 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050. With the world’s population expected to reach its peak around the end of the current century, at a level of nearly 11 billion, the global food crisis is growing. The agricultural production growth is facing an upward demand to cater to the overall food production. It is estimated that food production in 2007 has to be increased by 70% to meet the food demand of 2050 – signifying the need for resource management.

An 'Eventful' February

February 2021 was an eventful month as 27Group’s Executive Director, Girish Ramachandran made appearances at the Sustainable Urban Development & Smart Cities Webinar, as well as a lighter interview with Nordin Abdullah on News Hub Asia’s weekly talk show, ‘A Working Lunch with Nordin’.

Organised by REDHA institute, the Sustainable Urban Development & Smart Cities Webinar, took place on 25 February 2021 via Zoom platform. Girish shared about how to turn a normal developed city into a high technology city. He also shared the key ingredients that make up a Smart City, amongst them are Government Policy Planning, Digital Infrastructure and Innovation Drivers.

Girish was also invited to be a guest on News Hub Asia’s weekly talk show hosted by Nordin Abdullah called ‘A Working Lunch with Nordin’. Among the topics discussed were the future beyond COVID-19, the nexus of economic planning, direct investment, job growth.

Mandated by the Government of Malaysia in 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) under Strategic Thrust 5 - Focus Area C: Strengthening the Lifelong Learning for Skills Enhancements where the access to Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) is to be expanded to all industries.

Timothy James is a born and bred Sarawakian. He is 27Projects, Project Planner based in Kuching, Sarawak. With 11 years of experience in project management, he constantly travelled all over Malaysia (and a short stint in Brunei) working on various projects for both local and multinational companies in the construction as well as oil & gas industry. After years of working nomadically, Timothy is glad to finally be back in his hometown Kuching, Sarawak.

1. Best known for ... My lowbrow folk art.
2. Proudest achievement ... I contributed my art for a Southeast Asian publication on a very important but less discussed piece of Malaysian history, the MA63.
3. The last 5 years … We are living through one of the biggest shifts in human history. I lost my job during the oil crisis which led me to a big career change. The pandemic also created an impact for me where I now know that I can still get work done from home as working from home became a new norm the last year. I also now have time to pursue my passion in the arts industry.
4. 3 essential values... Creativity, Originality & Freedom
5. Rebuild Humanity by … Redefining the norms.

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