Malaysia

Regardless of whether or not one agrees with his policies or his opinions, it is difficult to find anyone living or working in Malaysia who doesn't respect the accomplishments and resolve of its long-serving prime minister, Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. He is stepping down voluntarily this October but the marks he will have left will continue to shape the country's future for decades to come.

Dr. Mahathir's close guidance, strong will and genuine passion for the continued evolution of his homeland has not only put the country on the road to developed nation status but has also kept it steadily on course through the bumpy stretches along the way. His effective leadership has kept him in office for 23 years while his business savvy earned him epithets such as the "CEO of Malaysia, Inc." and "Malaysia's Best Known Brand Name".

But the so-called "Era of Dr. M" will come to a close this October when the man who set the ambitious "Vision 2020" development plan in motion and encouraged his countrymen to learn from Japan and Korea through his "Look East" policy steps down and tastes retirement.

He will be missed. Not only by the majority of Malaysia's who have derived a significant portion of their sense of national pride from him - but also by countless foreigners whose investments in Malaysia have thrived due to many of the opportunities made available through Dr. Mahathir's administration.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. ahathir Mohamad

"The government is very stable and dynamic under the leadership of the prime minister and his team of cabinet ministers. Government policies have always been very business-friendly," comments Lee Buck Siang, managing director of Nippon Paint (Malaysia). "When you look at the policies and incentives, it is clear that the government here listens, and is flexible and willing to adjust to changes in the market. As a company based here, we have really feel the benefits of this."

Striving for perfect vision

At the heart of Dr Mahathir's accomplishments lies his Vision 2020 plan. The complex endeavor was designed to encourage Malaysians to work together to reinvent their country as a respected and competitive country on the world stage.

Some of the challenges put forth by the plan include fostering a strong sense of a common destiny, building a mature democracy and a moral and ethical society, expanding technological achievements and striving toward a more stable and prosperous economic climate.

In a paper presented to the Malaysian Business Council outlining Vision 2020, the prime minister wrote, "Hopefully the Malaysian who is born today and in years to come will be the last generation of our citizens who will be living in a country that is called 'developing'. The ultimate objective that we should aim for is a Malaysia that is a fully developed country by the year 2020."

There is still much to be done in the next 17 years and there have been several stumbling blocks along the way so far. But he has always attempted to guide Malaysia over and around every crisis that has come along.

After the Thai baht devalued in July 1997 and the entire South East Asian region was thrown into crisis, Dr. Mahathir refused his country's entry into the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a controversial and unpopular decision at the time. In the first years of the 21st century, as Malaysia's economy performs better than many of its neighbors who accepted help from the IMF and the World Bank, those who once criticized the his actions now look to him for advice.

Achievements such as this have not gone unnoticed by Malaysia's international business community.

"Dr. Mahathir has throughout his tenure as prime minister had a vision of Malaysia as an industrialized and developed nation. Despite criticism and opposition from both within and without, Malaysia has had the strength of purpose to put in place policies directed towards developing that aim," remarks Jose Lopez, president of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"At the same time his firm control over society has maintained for the most part a significant degree of stability and security so that the business policies have had time to succeed and not get derailed by social unrest," Lopez adds.

Keeping eyes looking East

Part of Mahathir's development plan involved looking towards and learning from developed countries. But instead of looking to the West as many other developing nations chose to do, Mahathir looked eastwards to Korea and Japan.

Mahathir unveiled the "Look East" policy just six months after taking office in July 1981. He believed that the success of a country like Japan came from its work ethic, management styles and overall morale. To tap into those elements and apply them to Malaysia, he began a program to send Malaysians to Japan to study and learn its business methods and attitudes.

To this day, the Malaysia government maintains close ties with Japan and continues to send students there. Malaysia also offers a range of investment incentives to Japanese and other multinational companies that offer continuous training to their Malaysian employees.

It is a system many Japanese managers are not only pleased with, but directly benefiting from.

"Because of Mahathir's policy for developing the country with slogans such as "Look East" and the push for a more IT-oriented country, the government has invested more money to improve infrastructure and encourage Malaysians to purchase more computers," says Satoshi Kimura, president and CEO of Canon Marketing (Malaysia).

Looking to the future

There is a range of opinion regarding how "Malaysia Inc." will fare in the absence of Dr. Mahathir. Upon stepping down, he will pass the baton to deputy prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. All indications are that Badawi will take a firm hold of the reins and keep the country on its present course toward continued economic, technological and social success.

"Based on Dr. Mahathir's strong leadership and excellent relationship with Japan, we have fortunately been able to expand our business because of the strong supporting industries in Malaysia," says Jiro Maeda, outgoing managing director of Toshiba Electronics Malaysia. "We are confident this will continue in the future."

TOP