Ladies and Gentlemen, Malaysia aspires to be a fully developed country by 2020. The economic agenda of the nation as set out in Vision 2020 is reflected, in large part, by the ninth challenge, that is of establishing a prosperous society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. Towards meeting this challenge, various strategies and programmes have been put in place by the Government to ensure rapid and sustainable growth of the country s economy. Our people is our ultimate resource. The emphasis on human resource development is reflective of our awareness of the importance of knowledge to national development.
Today s most technologically advanced economies are truly knowledge-based.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The knowledge economy is thus one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge play a predominant part in the creation of wealth. Knowledge is considered the basic form of capital and economic growth is driven by the accumulation of knowledge. Technology, and the knowledge on which it is based, is an intrinsic part of the economic system. Knowledge, productivity, education, and intellectual capital were all regarded as exogenous factors. Firstly, K-economy recognises knowledge as the driver of economic growth that will increase the production capacity of the other factors of production and transform them into new products and processes.