Publication
date: 14 July, 2001
As PBB enters a new phase of development in the new millennium, it has to redefine its struggle to meet the challenges of globalisation where knowledge power holds sway, says party president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud. TOMAN MAMORA has the story.
“ THE convention is held to celebrate the party’s 40th anniversary and to coincide with our preparations for the State election and to make sure that the leaders of PBB will know that facing the election doesn’t mean just winning the seats they are contesting. More importantly, it is to tell the people how we see our role after the election”, says Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, who will deliver a keynote address at the opening of the party’s convention and seminar at Damai Lagoon today.
The message is clear. There is no doubting that the kind of struggle that PBB has to initiate henceforth will be different from the past. Reasons? Says Taib: “We are undergoing a different stage of development. In the old days our efforts were mainly concerned with transforming the whole state so that there would be enough infrastructure to get development efforts carried out easily.”
Taib, who is also chairman of the State Barisan Nasional, refers to the earlier stage as the infrastructure development phase, which was drawn up to ensure that whatever development initiatives introduced in the rural areas would yield benefits as early as possible.
As infrastructure development in the State is slowly becoming a secondary agenda, greater emphasis is placed on building a workforce that will provide the state with the capacity and capability to compete in the era of globalisation. Because of that, the struggle of the party has to be changed, says Taib emphatically.
“In the first phase of infrastructure development, the party has to become the link between the government and people, particularly the rural people, to tell them how the process of development can be accelerated by the presence of infrastructure,” he explains, adding that priority on infrastructure development then was intended to serve the various economic functions. Under such a circumstance, the political struggle of the party was predicated on the importance of getting feedback and cooperation from the people to facilitate infrastructure development.
But today, infrastructure is taken for granted. Economic policies are no longer the pronouncement of the government as participation in economic development depends so much on the attitude of the people.
Even without the challenge of globalisation, efforts to increase public participation in the process of development are no less important. “Now with globalisation, we have to upgrade the productive capacity and functions of the economy so that they are in tandem with the demands of the world market,” says the Chief Minister, adding that the world market is vast and becoming more sophisticated. In the area of technology, the State finds itself racing against obsolescence, a phenomenon that compels those who want to exploit the world market to come to grips with global trend and demands.
And in a world that is being spoiled by greater sophistication in technology, and where more sophisticated products are in demand, PBB as the backbone of the ruling coalition in the State has to make adjustment to negotiate the shifting boundary and fit into the new economic grid. In the light of this, Taib stresses: “We have to produce the most up-to-date products to meet the requirements of the market and we have to fulfil the more fastidious standard of quality, hygiene, and specification that the world market demands.”
In situations like that, countries producing such products will have to have a very sophisticated workforce capable not only to respond to rapid changes in technology but the demands of the market, and Sarawak is no exception. This new wave of change will even entail the State to be more innovative in technology development. “This means we have to be more involved in the process of research and its application, and in the way we produce things, whether it’s crops for the agriculture sector or high-quality products for our factories,” he adds.
In other words, greater importance has to be given to knowledge which, in turn, must translate into forces of synergy in work places and processes. Because of that, the State has no other choice but to produce a generation of k-economy well before 2020. This is in line with the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) which has commanded Malaysians to initiate the transformation in the nature of the workforce. “I remember the OPP3 has estimated that Malaysia will need over 100,000 engineers and double the amount for sub-professionals in the next 10 years. This colossal target must be met and the transformation cannot be achieved within a short time,” says Taib of the generation of a large pool of knowledge-workers.
Germane to the long-term generation of k-workers is the all-round thrust on science-based education. But first, there has to be an improvement in our education. This means ensuring better pre-school facilities , higher standard of performance of schools - whether in urban or rural areas, and a more technically-oriented emphasis in post-secondary school programme. Recognising that improvement in education is an ongoing affair, Taib says: “ What is more challenging is to make sure that when we produce enough workers trained by all our educational facilities, the efforts to adjust to globalisation must not stop. We should make learning as a life-long pursuit.”
The PBB president acknowledges that it is a colossal exercise that must involve the people as a whole, as 90 per cent of the success of transformation depends on the people’s response and participation, unlike in the old days when the government was almost the sole provider of development.
“It is definitely a big change for party leaders to explain on the ground and to alert our people – to ensure that the parents are at least aware of the need for change”, says Taib, who believes there is a pressing need to influence parents to steer their children into setting their minds on the right ambitions. Indeed, by doing so, they will be able to see the kind of job opportunities that will emerge and the ones that are likely to be rendered as out of date. “We have to tell the parents these things and then we have to get, if possible, the parents’ co-operation in making the teachers’ jobs easier, and to instil in their children the realisation that seeking knowledge is the greatest guarantee for their future”, he adds.
He calls on Kaum Ibu and Kaum Wanita, who have important role in the non-formal development of our children’s educational career, to step up their efforts. Similarly, PBB Youth should join force to instil greater realisation on the value of work ethics and discipline among the younger generation. “All these have to be passed on to the party members so that government policies can have real meaning, and also accepted as having strong relevance in our future life,” says Taib, stressing that PBB leaders must step out of their traditional mould and play a more proactive role in bringing about a realisation of this change.
Although incentive schemes for Bumiputera students who excel in their studies are mainly handled done by the Government, the party leaders have been encouraged to play an important role in monitoring the students performance and providing guidance through the Parents-Teachers’ Associations. But an equally important incentive is the recognition that society should give to good performers.
Taib is pleased to note that the gap in education between the rural and urban areas has narrowed significantly, especially in the last 5 years. In terms of achievements, there has been an overall improvement across the board, although there are still isolated cases in the remote areas where getting good teachers remains a major problem.
Bridging
digital divide
The much-talked-about digital divide is not a phenomenon which is peculiar only to developing countries, as many developed countries have similar experience. Digital divide, which is characterised by the conversion of people to adopt computer as the main mode of learning or working, is a relatively complex issue. Why is this so? Taib explains: “Efforts to induce the conversion to the use of computers is to a large extent hampered by the lack of electricity and telecommunication facilities in certain rural areas. Based on the present situation, we need to build 20 per cent more of such facilities to facilitate total conversion.”
In addition, broadband facilities to receive and transmit information with speed will have to be installed. On PBB’s effort to bridge the digital divide, he says: “What we have done in the last 2 to 3 years is to encourage our State Legislative Assemblymen to distribute computers to whet the appetite of schools, and the response so far has been good. Thousands of teachers have also been trained in computer operation so that they in turn will be able to impart their knowledge and skills to students, especially in the rural areas. “
Amid the prospect of a bountiful future looming over the horizon and with the State on course to achieving Vision 2020, the people have been reminded not to take peace and stability for granted. And as PBB moves on to a higher plane of political development and braces for new challenges ahead, it must not lose sight of its original struggle and the rich tradition its has built over the past 40 years. It may serve party members well to be reminded of the old saying, ‘Keep reaching for the sky but keep your feet firmly on the ground.’
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