SPEECH BYTHE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI LAW HIENG DINGMINISTER OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT, MALAYSIAAT THE FOURTH MEETING OF FORUM FOR NUCLEAR
COOPERATION IN ASIA (FNCA)

OKINAWA, JAPAN, 3 DECEMBER 2003

1NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY FOR DEVELOPMMENT
AND COMPETITIVENESS AND FNCA ACTIVITIESMr. Chairman

Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
1.

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, yourcolleagues and the Government of Japan for organising the fourth Forum forNuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) in Okinawa this year. On behalf of theGovernment of Malaysia, my delegation and I officially thank the Government ofJapan for kindly inviting us to this forum. It is indeed an honour for us, and gives
the opportunity to share with you our experience in the sustainable development
and application of nuclear science and technology in Malaysia. Today I will sharewith you our experience in Science and Technology Policy for Development andCompetitiveness.

Mr. Chairman
2.

Today we live in a globalised world, a world that is highly

competitive and increasingly becoming borderless. The changes that are taking
place today demand that government and industries to be innovative andcreative to improve our competitive edges. With the shift towards knowledgebased economy, the ability of a nation to continuously enhance proficiency inscience, technology and innovation is becoming more important.
3.

In a competitive market economy, the ability to exploit Scienceand Technology (S&T) is becoming strategically important and decisive for the2economic performance of Malaysia. Besides playing a critical role in social,environmental and health care programmes, sustainable development and job
creation, S&T is expected to transform the nation, so that it adapts to theknowledge-based economy. The rapid development of capability and capacity in
S&T is therefore needed to enable the country to sustain its economic growth in
the future in line with the requirement of our Vision 2020.

Mr. Chairman
4.

Malaysia first introduced the Science and Technology Policy in1986 followed by the Industrial Technology Development Action Plan in 1990.
Within a span of 20 years, among other things Malaysia

has successfully

integrated S&T in the national development plan, strengthening out S&T
infrastructure, built up human resources for S&T and establishing funding
mechanism for R&D. Science and technology offers Malaysia its greatest
opportunity to turn ideas and creativity into highly competitive business in the 21st.
century. The Nation is at critical phase for its economic development , where
sustained growth and prosperity depend on how quickly technology andinnovation are applied across both the traditional and new industry such asInformation

andCommunication

Technology(ICT)

andbiotechnology.

Proficiency in S&T is imperative if Malaysia aspires to be an advanced andaffluent nation.
5.

The Government has undertaken a review of the S&T Policy andhas launched the Second National Science and Technology Policy and Plan ofAction in June 2003. It was formulated to create a conducive environment tofurther spur the development of science and technology and hence Malaysia’scompetitiveness. The Second S&T Policy focused on strengthening research andtechnologicalcapacityandcapability

inMalaysia

withemphasisoncommercialisation of research outputs, strengthening of institutional frameworkand management of S&T. Central to all these strategic thrusts is the need to3

bring government, industry , universities and public research institutions together
in a synergistic partnership.
Mr. Chairman
6.

The Second S&T Policy has identified seven key strategic thrusts totransform the country into knowledge -driven economy so as to maximise
economic and social return. They are as follows:•

Strengthening research and technological capacity and capability•

Promoting commercialization of research outputs•

Developing human resource capacity and capability•

Promoting a culture for science, innovation and techno-entrepreneurship•

Strengthening institutional framework and management of S&T andmonitoring of S&T policy implementation•

Ensuring widespread diffusion and application of technology, leading toenhanced market-driven R&D to adapt and improve technologies, and•

Building competence for specialization in key emerging technologies.
7.

To support the implementation of thes e

strategic thrusts, thegovernment had also identified 55 action plans or specific initiatives.

The

implementation of the Second S&T Policy will involve a large financial outlay by
the government. However, the government is committed to provide the allocationneeded for such purposes.

4Mr. Chairman
8.

May I now turn to ourregional

cooperation under the FNCAframework. In this regards, let me from the very outset express our satisfaction
with the steady progress and achievement made so far. Malaysia

hasparticipated in all the activities conducted under FNCA framework and has
benefited in strengthening our national nuclear technology capability to enhance
our socio-economic and well-being. In this respect we will continue to actively
participate in FNCA programmes and activities in the future. We are very pleased
that even though there were some problems affecting the region recently suchas the outbreak of SARS, we still managed to carry out all the activities of theFNCA as scheduled. For Malaysia, this year we have successfully hosted twoFNCA activities namely the Workshop on Application of Electron Accelerator andalso receiving an expert mission from Task Force on TENORM, both of them inAugust. As for the future, Malaysia would like to host the FNCA Workshop on
Human Resource Development next year and in 2005 to host Workshop on
Mutation Breeding to coincide with the completion of the gamma green housefacility for chronic irradiation at MINT. We also would like to offer Malaysia as thevenue for the seventh FNCA Meeting in 2006.

Mr. Chairman
9.

As the cooperation under the FNCA framework has produced somegood results to benefit all the participating countries under the existing
programmes, it is logical that we should explore to continue to build up from oursuccessand cooperate in other new nuclear technology areas of common

interest to the region. In this regards Malaysia would like to propose a new
project on the Expansion of Nuclear Medicine Services: Medical Application andUsage of Positron Emission Tomography, Cyclotron and Radioisotopes.
Malaysia is embarking on the expansion of nuclear medicine services in the5

country to include the use of PET and very short-lived radioisotopes andradiopharmaceuticals to enhance health care services in the country. The
introduction of this programme is not only for the routine clinical use at thehospitals, but it will also include the support from nuclear research institution in
the development of special radiopharmaceuticals and in ensuring the safety
aspect. In addition the support from R&D is also required to enhance theprogramme. We believe many countries in the region will be interested in thisarea of cooperation that will contribute towards enhancing the quality of life of thepeople and the cooperation under FNCA is best suited for the above purpose.
Mr. Chairman
10.

In conclusion, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to theGovernment of Japan for it’s tremendous effort in making the cooperation underFNCA successful. Let me assure you once again our continual support andcommitment to ensure the success of the regional nuclear cooperation under theFNCA framework in the future.
Thank you for your attention.

6