Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	HILTON HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	22/08/83 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 12TH. 
			PAN PACIFIC CONGRESS OF VALUERS, 
			APPRAISERS AND REAL 
			ESTATE COUNSELLORS 




Mr. R. Dass, Chairman Co-Odinator of the 12th. Pan Pacifik
Congress; Honoured Guest; Ladies and Gentlemen; I wish to thank the
Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, the organisers and host of the Pan
Pacific Congress of Valuers, Appraisers and Real Estate Counsellors, for
inviting me to say a few words to-day. I take this opportunity to extend a
warm welcome to all the delegates, and to wish the foreign participants a
very happy stay in Malaysia.

Challenges Ahead' -- is indeed one of great importance to the world in
general, particularly at this point in time when the increase in
population demands more living space and greater food production. Recent
United Nations estimates indicate that in the last quarter of this
century, the world population is expected to grow from 4,000 million to
6,500 million; the world's urban population will surge from 1,500 million
to 3,200 million. Of particular concern to us is the population in Asia
which will reach 3,600 million.

3. This scenario of population growth will no doubt throw up mammoth-sized
problems which in turn will demand all the ingenuity and skills of
governments all over the world to tackle. Merely to accomodate this huge
additional population within the constraints of limited resources
available to them is in itself a formidable task.

4. Malaysia is fortunate that with its size and resources, it has the
capacity to accommodate a bigger population. However, it must always bear
in mind that size and resources in themselves do not guarantee the
capacity to support a large population. The most important factor is the
productivity of the people. It is here that the diligence, drive and
ingenuity of the people are most needed. Without these the resources will
remain unexploited and will contribute nothing to the improvement in the
quality of life for the inhabitants. With diligence, drive and ingenuity,
even barren and limited land can support vast populations.

5. It is clear that for a fast growing population, the judicious use of
available land will be of prime concern to most nations. Land remains the
most valuable resource available to man. Failure to utilise this resource
economically will retard the improvement of the quality of life. Indeed
the quality might even retrogress. Already we see vast areas turning into
deserts as man and animals destroy the vegetation. Questions must
therefore be asked regarding land utilisation, if we are to survive and
promote reasonable standards of living.

6. Answers to the questions -- "Will the world be able to feed the
people?" and "Will it be able to provide them with a better quality of
life?" will hinge not only upon economic, social and political
considerations, but also, and to a large extent, on the manner that land
is viewed by the people and administered by Government.

7. As an example let us take Kuala Lumpur. It is a well-known fact that
the Kelang Valley in which Kuala Lumpur is situated is still rich in
tin. Indeed it was tin that created Kuala Lumpur. The question is, do we
mine the tin first and then build, in which case there will be no growth
for Kuala Lumpur for a long while or do we build Kuala Lumpur and forget
the tin? The mistake was made by the founders and subsequent settlers. By
the time the people became sophisticated enough to worry about land and
resources, Kuala Lumpur had already been established as the Federal
Capital with a very substantial population and all the complex systems of
a big city. It would certainly cost the nation much more to move the
capital than the value of tin recoverable. And so a natural resource has
to be foregone, when such resource could well enrich the nation if land
use had been better planned.

9. Another example is the cutting down of the ancient tropical forests all
over Malaysia. It is very easy for conservationists living in countries
that had waxed rich on the rapacious exploitations of the worlds resources
in the past to condemn the systematic elimination of these forests. But
for Malaysia which is faced with all kinds of restrictions to the export
of manufactured goods, there is no choice but to exploit natural wealth
like timber. In any case the land has to be cleared in order to grow
rubber or palm-oil or to mine tin. These are the only things that we can
sell. The world will not pay us to preserve the forests. And so a choice
has to be made -- deforest and develop economically or remain poor so that
the rich can glorify in the beauty of the Malaysian rain-forest with their
majestic trees.

10. Land as a natural resource can be subjected to planned exploitation,
but such planning cannot be too idealistic. Other factors must be taken
into consideration. And the cost must be borne by the world if the world
feels so strongly about the exploitation of land. In the case of Malaysia,
if the world wants it to preserve its forests, than the world should buy
it manufactured goods at least.

11. Having said all that, let me assure you that we are not unmindful of
the need to control land use. We do plan and we do conserve. Vast tracts
of jungle have been designated as reserves. All land exploitations are
subject to planning. We are aware that unrestricted development can lead
to disasters like floods, etc. We have, therefore, within our limited
means taken the necessary planning precautions. But of course there is no
way we can completely avoid mishaps.

12. Land in Malaysia is not in the Central (Federal) Government's
list. Land administration is vested with the 13 States that make up
Malaysia. To a certain extent this hampers administration and uniformity
of policies. It is for this reason that a National Land Code was
formulated and a National Land Council established. The Prime Minister or
his Deputy presides over the National Land Council. Over the years a
degree of uniformity of policies has been established. Nevertheless, as
the states have limited sources of revenue, conservationist policies do
not get quite the same priority as the Central Government
wishes. Fortunately for Malaysia most of the forests which have been
cleared are replanted with rubber or palm-oil. Consequently, the greeness
of Malaysia has been maintained.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

13. Today, more than ever before, professionals are playing a vital role
in shaping and designing our living style, that is, our life
itself. Unfortunately, the development of the various professions cannot
be separated from individualistic and commercially selfish
interests. Consequently, professionals have to work to the tune of
seemingly conflicting demands. The integrity and credibility of the
professionals depends on their capacity to maintain good ethics while
satisfying their own needs. In actual fact there is no conflict, for good
ethics will, in the final analysis, yield the best returns for the
individual professional as well as the profession in general.

14. Coming now to the valuation profession in this country, I am aware of
its important role both in the Government and the private sector. The
Government, in order to ensure an orderly growth of the profession has
provided legal protection for most of the professions. The Valuers and
Appraisers Act, 1981 is an example of such protection and is administered
by a Board which has members from both the Government and the Institute of
Surveyors Malaysia.

15. The Government also ensured that the University Teknologi Malaysia and
the MARA Institute of Technology run degree and diploma level courses in
Valuation and Property Management, so that the needs of both Government
and private sector for trained manpower are met. The Government is also at
present building a Valuation Training and Research Institute at Bangi, so
that in-service training can be provided not only for Valuation Department
staff, but also for staff in land offices and local authorities. We hope
that in the spirit of greater cooperation between the public and private
sectors as reflected in our Malaysia Incorporated concept, the facilities
of this Centre would also be extended to the private sector. It is
abundantly clear that the Government has looked after the valuation
profession just as it has done for other professions in this country.

16. In this context, it is only proper that I remind all valuers that the
Government has initiated the Act and the Board, not solely to protect the
interests of the profession. It is also to see that the profession serves
the public efficiently, and that it will maintain high professional
standards with regard to the services it provides. Consequently, I would
like to urge the professional institutions in this country to take greater
interest in ensuring that public complaints against their members are
looked into more seriously.

17. We must be sensitive to the fact that the professions have always been
held under suspicion because by their very nature they are closed-shop
trade unions. The desire to use the authority conferred on the
professional bodies, and the exclusive privileges of the professionals
merely to protect and enhance the position of the profession, is quite
irresistable. Consequently, the rights of the public to be protected from
unscrupulous members are often ingored. The stature and integrity of a
profession will be tarnished unless the public is protected from the black
sheep. As a professional myself, although non-practicing, I feel it is my
duty to re-emphasise this. No society can prosper without good ethics and
the honest practice of the ethical code.

18. Finally, may I once again welcome all foreign delegates to Malaysia,
and hope that you will have the opportunity to move outside the walls of
this Hotel and see a little more of our country. To all, I wish you every
success in your deliberations.

19. With these words, it gives me great pleasure to declare the 12th Pan
Pacific Congress of Valuers, Appraisers and Real Estate Counsellors open.

Thank You