NEWLY minted prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has his hands full with a daunting task to pick and choose cabinet members from a wide selection list – based on the aspirations of one too many wannabes from the various coalitions – not to mention a slate of feedback reaching his inbox.
While governance and integrity were the top agendas in the past few elections, it is time to focus on placing Malaysia in the same tier as developed nations.
Malaysians are eagerly waiting for transformed healthcare and education systems; improvements in food security, transportation, housing, and the environment (read waste management, conservation, and climate change); as well as water and energy sectors. Not to mention women and youth empowerment.
All these are tied to many international goals like the Sustainable Development Goals, crisis preparedness, and food security – which are the focus of many countries and intergovernmental agencies and the United Nations Climate Change conferences.
It is undeniable that most of these goals can be achieved if science, technology, and innovation (STI) are revitalised, and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) is transformed into a key ministry and not sidelined.
At this juncture, I must congratulate the former science, technology, and innovation ministers, Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and Khairy Jamaluddin, for rebuilding the ministry.
Both ministers took a keen interest in a holistic manner by not neglecting any STI sectors, which encompass a wide array of specialised areas. Many policies that were shelved previously came to light and were launched – MySTIE and the National Biotechnology Policy 2.0 are some examples.
Mosti also quickly responded to the pandemic and developed the National Vaccine Development Roadmap.
My humble request to our prime minister and his coalition members is to choose the Mosti minister carefully, as well as rebrand and transform the ministry into a key ministry for nation-building.
I trust the scientific community is not expecting a minister who is trained in science or has a PhD in the sciences.
Being part of the science community for the last two decades, I can read the sentiments and dare say the expectation is for a minister who respects Malaysian experts, professors, and academia.
Choose someone who is willing to engage and listen to us – the scientific fraternity. Malaysia is not short of internationally recognised and renowned experts.
The science community in the country must be represented by highly intellectual policymakers or politicians.
The science community expects someone who can work with them and co-learn, where due respect is given to scientists and academicians.
The eventual science minister should also not come with personal ideologies that favour one sector over another.
We do not want any sectors to be “dianaktirikan” (sidelined). As science is becoming multidisciplinary, no field can stand alone. As someone who is engaged internationally, it is sad for me to see Malaysia losing out in science even to our South East Asian neighbours, what more the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, where years of catching up is needed.
It is increasingly becoming impossible to catch up with science advancing so rapidly and for every one step we take, others are moving in leaps and bounds.
Another point that needs to be highlighted is not to revive the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment, and Climate Change Ministry.
It is an extremely broad area to manage. To meet a lean cabinet, Mosti could be merged with the Higher Education Ministry where research funds and talent development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can be streamlined.
I take this opportunity to congratulate our 10th prime minister, YAB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and I am looking forward to working closely with his government. – The Vibes, November 30, 2022
Mahaletchumy Arujanan is executive director of the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre. She is listed as among the world’s 100 most influential people in biotechnology by The Scientific American Worldwide View: A Global Biotechnology Perspective Journal
