SIEM REAP CITY, Oct 31 – Malaysia believes that the future of ASEAN depends on the ability to embrace and forecast the emerging technologies.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau during the 9th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology (IAMMST-9) said that Malaysia is ready to reap the benefits of the incoming Fourth Industrial Revolution. He quoted the “Fourth Industrial Revolution as the beginning of a new industrial revolution, assimilating the physical, digital and biological technologies and influencing all disciplines, economies and industries”.
IAMMST-9 was chaired by H.E. Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of Industry and Handicrafts of Cambodia. It was attended by Science and Technology Ministers and Senior Officials from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. This meeting was also attended by H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.
Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau highlighted that ASEAN must be able to foresight the challenges and opportunities arising from the 4th Industrial Revolution and to plan the necessary actions required for these future scenarios.
Malaysia’s proposal to host an ASEAN Foresight Forum in Q3 of 2017 was welcomed by IAMMST-9. The forum aims to foster open dialogue among policy makers from ASEAN Member States and contributes towards the formulation of feasible technological and industrial policies, which would enhance ASEAN’s ability to improve its competitive position to achieve meaningful economic development through STI.
Apart of delegation from Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to IAMMST-9, start-up companies such as Eclimo Sdn. Bhd, Duospark Resources Sdn. Bhd and Cyber Intelligence Sdn. Bhd also showcased their products and services on the sideline of IAMMST-9.
Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau also had bilateral meetings with Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Myanmar and the Philippines to reinvigorate cooperation in various areas of STI such as cyber security, Internet of Things (IoT), standards, remote sensing, oceanography, volcanology and seismology and to share experiences in S&T through capacity building programme. Datuk Fadhilah Baharin, Director General of Department of Standards Malaysia delivered a presentation titled “Talent Mobility on Personnel Certification Initiatives” during IAMMST-9.
Several Malaysians were also given due recognitions recognized during IAMMST-9. Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Sharifah Rafidah Wan Alwi of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) was selected as the runner-up of the ASEAN-US Prize for Women in Science 2016 while the iSEA Forces Team of INTI International University won the third place of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Innovation Challenge. Both were initiatives undertaken between ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN COST) with the U.S. as ASEAN COST Dialogue Partner.
Prior to IAMMST-9, senior officials met and discussed in the meeting of the nine Sub-Committees of ASEAN COST and the Board of Advisers to COST to identify the priority areas for the implementation plan of ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) 2016-2025. Meeting with ASEAN Dialogue Partners i.e. Japan and the U.S. were also held. Malaysia’s delegation to ASEAN COST was led by Dato’ Dr. Mohd Azhar Hj. Yahaya, Secretary General of Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
