by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim,
Political parties are making promises again. This time it is in Melaka where a state election is taking place. Since GE14, Melaka has since witnessed two changes in the state leadership. The Pakatan Harapan government, which was the people’s choice after GE14, was dethroned following the exit of parties and politicians, who were earlier part of the coalition. But what led to the current state election was another move by four ADUNs, robbing the sitting government of a majority. That decision was not taken kindly by some considering the potential health and economic risks posed by the pandemic.
The rakyat of Melaka will now have to choose. All the three major political blocs, namely Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional are contesting in all the 28 seats. A total of 22 independent candidates are also vying for seats. Some of them may be contesting under a common platform. The fact that there are so many independents joining the contest is seen as an indication that all is not well with the current breed of leaders. Political fatigue is seeping in, Melaka included. The rakyat is increasingly disturbed by the frequent party jumping by politicians, fueling the political instability in the country.
Political instability is unhealthy for the nation. Many socio-economic plans face implementation problems. The country has launched many sound blueprints to drive development. However, no thanks to the frequent change in the political leadership, many such plans have been stalled. Many in Melaka are praying for a more stable government to help the state recover from the economic disruption brought by the pandemic. The Melaka economy has been too dependent on tourism. It is unfortunate that tourism everywhere has taken the biggest hit during the health crisis.
There is no doubt that Melaka needs to diversify its economic base. Being too dependent on just one sector, tourism, is unwise. We have seen how tourism can be easily disrupted. This time it is the pandemic. Not long ago, the disruptive factor was drought when hotels ran out of water to operate. It is unfortunate that Melaka has not been looking at technology to power the economy. With its large reserve of sea water, desalination technology would have saved the day. As a coastal city, there are many potential benefits of Melaka going sustainable. But this cannot happen without the deployment of technology, especially digital technology. There is a way how Melaka can become a major technology player.
Melaka should first venture to create an efficient ecosystem for the development of the many advanced technologies that the world is busy investing in. The Technical University of Melaka should be given the job to function as the focal point of such an ecosystem. There are models in many countries where a technical university can perform such a role. Germany, for example, has many technical universities which function as the driver of new technologies which industry needs. To do this, the technical university should create under its wing applied research centers to act as the links with industry. While the university engages in the more fundamental research, the applied research centers will develop the technologies needed by industry. In Germany, the Fraunhofer network of applied research institutes acts as the bridge linking the technical university and industry.
There are many technologies that Melaka can consider championing. Advanced composite material is one. Thanks to the pressures created by sustainability and climate change, the world now demands materials which are light, strong, and resilient. One material which has generated world interest is the carbon fiber composite. Melaka already has businesses dealing with carbon fiber composites such as CTRM which makes airplane parts for AIRBUS, and Dian Creative which makes yachts from such material. Now scientists are experimenting with natural fibers to replace carbon. Melaka can also look at AI driven waste treatment technologies. In this era of computerization and cybersecurity, quantum technology has also stood out as one of promise. With the right sighting of the emerging technologies, using the Technical University of Melaka as anchor, there is no reason why Melaka cannot diversify its economy to be a technology powerhouse.
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