Friday, May 31, 2019

Crank up the wheels of our S&T sector


THERE seems to be too much on Pakatan Harapan’s plate – as there are many matters that are not readily getting the coalition’s attention. One of the prime minister’s favourite subjects – Science & Technology – too, seems to be lying lifeless in the back burner. It has been ten months since the Pakatan Harapan pact took over the administration of the country, but very little has been spoken by the powers that be on steps to reform the science and technology sector (S&T).

In Australia there is a regular Science Meet Parliament session, running into its 20th year. Last year the Canadian Parliament launched its pilot Science Meet Parliament session modelled after the Australian initiative. Can we have a “Science Meet Parliament” slot also in our august House?

Wrong move
I would also like to point out that the  “relocation” of the Malaysian Bioeconomy Corporation (BioeconomyCorp) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry (MOA) is a glaring mistake. It is mind-boggling how this decision was made in the first place.

The National Biotechnology Policy is under the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) but now the implementation agency is under MOA.

The biggest GDP generator is Biocon and it comes under the medical biotechnology thrust. The number of agriculture based BioNexus companies might be in the majority but what is the percentage of their GDP? How many of them are real biotechnology companies? Most research institutes related to biotechnology are under MESTECC and research collaboration between BioNexus companies and research institutes is one of the key criteria under the Policy.

It is indeed sad that the agency that was poised to bring Malaysia into the global biotech map is now reduced to selling vegetables and planting trees in schools. Millions of ringgit was ploughed into this agency. Where is the return of investment? I sincerely hope the prime minister will set some of his precious time to look into this.

If MESTECC is too big to give equal attention to S&T, it is time to place S&T under another ministry – possibly higher education and S&T together, so that research and S&T can be monitored seamlessly. With over 20 universities offering bio-based degrees and post graduate programmes, the government will only do justice to these aspiring graduates if it embarks on an S&T reform mission.

Action Council for S&T?
The Economic Action Council was recently announced. Will there also be a Council on S&T? Will knowledge-based economy, high income nation, IR 4.0, and bioeconomy just remain the politician’s rhetoric or a tangible vehicle to help propel the national economy? I am afraid, without a constellation of cutting-edge signature schemes by our policy makers and stakeholders, our S&T sector is quite unlikely to witness its Midas-touch era.

There are talks about brain drain all the time, but unless our S&T ecosystem is reformed, this long-drawn snafu might never find a neat solution, in fact more scientists might set their foot to foreign shores.

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