Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	THE PJ HILTON 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	28/12/84 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF 
			MANAGEMENT DINNER 




Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Raja Mohar, Presiden Yayasan Pengurusan
Malaysia; Dif-Dif Kehormat; Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan sekalian.

Saya terlebih dahulu ingin merakamkan setinggi penghargaan kepada Yayasan
Pengurusan Malaysia kerana sudi menganugerahkan kepada saya Fellow
Kehormat atau "Honorary Felllowship" ini. Saya juga menghargai 'citation'
mengenai diri saya sebentar tadi.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

2. Firstly I would like to express my gratitude to the Malaysian Institute
of Management for conferring on me the Honorary Fellowship. I am also
grateful for the kind words in the citation just now. In return I would
like to express my opinion on a subject of interest to all of us i.e. the
government's aspiration to promote 'resilient entrepreneurship' among
Malaysians.

3. Ladies and gentlemen, so much has been said about increasing
productivity, Malaysia Incorporated, Look East Policy, Privatisation,
positive values, outward-looking industrialisation and eradication of the
dole-mentality, all of which are intended to promote an economy that
allows for the growth of good entrepreneurship. These new directions,
concepts and policies will also promote an economy that is resilient and
able to withstand external pressures, and protect the welfare of the
nation.

4. Firstly may I take privatisation. We know that it is a form of
encouragement for greater private investment and expertise in the
development of the economy. Incidentally it will also reduce the size and
extent of the direct participation of the Government in the economy, a
participation that is often costly and with due respect to everyone
concerned, inefficient. Privatisation is in effect an encouragement for
greater competitiveness in economic activities instead of survival through
monopoly and highhanded Government action. Such competition calls for
entrepreneurship, skilled management and constant innovation. A
competitive environment which is believed to prevail in the private sector
should be conducive to high productivity and efficiency.

5. Malaysia Incorporated emphasises cooperation between the Government and
the private sector for their mutual benefit which ultimately means the
benefit of the nation.

The private sector will form the commercial arm of the national enterprise
so to speak, while the Government provides the major policy framework,
direction and the necessary back up services. By going hand in hand in
achieving our common goals we should be able to improve each others'
performance in both commercial and administrative procedures. The Malaysia
Incorporated concept therefore provides a conducive environment for the
development of entrepreneurship.

6. The Government has been inculcating progressive values that we need for
modernising and industrialising the nation.

Hard work is the key to higher productivity and it should ensure that the
resources of the nation are fully utilised.

Other important values include the need to be more disciplined, self
reliant, to strive for excellence, thriftiness and to have a more rational
and scientific approach in overcoming problems. Striving for excellence
among our traders, for example, will include high ethics and attention to
standards of quality especially when exporting our products. We should
have direct trade relations wherein we should be able to place our
products, if need be, on the shelves of foreign retail outlets. No doubt
it would be easier to sit at home and wait for the middlemen to come.

But that way you will not only lose much of your profit, but you can be
made perpetually dependent on others when marketing your products.

7. A weakness of Malaysian entrepreneurs is their inability to work
together. This applies not only to multiracial enterprises but also those
involving a single ethnic group. In other words Malaysians just do not
know how to work as a team. Tolerence and understanding is not their
forte. Management seminars and courses should focus on this until the
right attitudes are ingrained in our businessmen. It is only then that our
business can grow sufficiently big, can survive the demise of their
founders and can really ensure the success of the NEP. Of course the
ability to work together as a team is required not only for entrepreneurs
but all the members of a business enterprise and at times, between
business enterprises.

8. We are gradually eradicating the dole-mentality among
Malaysians. Individual self-reliance would lead to less dependence on the
Government for support and protection as this contributes to the dignity
and self-esteem of an individual or institution. We can easily see the
subsidies extended to our farmers and rural folks, but indirect subsidies
and protective measures are also prevalent among our enterprises and
commercial concerns. It is therefore pertinent for business and commercial
leaders to look closely at themselves to ensure that they are more
self-reliant and bid less and less for Government protection in the
future.

9. We have achieved to date some progress in increasing Malaysian
ownership and control of a number of large Malaysian-based foreign
corporations. The intention is not just to replace foreign executives with
Malaysian executives but to utilise these corporations for maximising
profits for ourselves and for enlarging our operating base. With the kind
of contacts and subsidiaries worldwide that these corporations have, we
should be able to make a quantum leap in terms of foreign trade and
industrial expansion.

Malaysians who will be exposed to these new fields should acquire inside
knowledge and skills to make good entrepreneurs.

10. At another level the Government has introduced a new curriculum in
schools designed to create management and manipulative skills among future
entrepreneurs and the work force. Whether we like it or not the world is
moving towards a greater degree of organisation in the management of its
affairs and greater reliance on things mechanical. A people with poor
organisation and management skills and bereft of mecahnical knowhow will
soon lose its independence and internal resilience. Certainly it cannot
have successful enterprises to support a reasonable standard of
living. The introduction of the curriculum is evidence of the concern for
the future that the Government has.

Entrepreneurs will eventually benefit by it. But they should not wait for
the fruits of this experiment. They should apply their minds to the early
production of the kind of managers, workers and entrepreneurs which they
need and will need more and more.

11. In the agricultural sector, the Government is emphasising the
commercialisation of agriculture rather than maintaining it at subsistence
level. Here, cooperative farming will be the basis for further
accelerating the monetization of the rural economy. It should emphasise
the commercialisation of resources and wealth of the rural community. This
emphasis will gradually reduce the subsistence and traditional livelihood
which has been the characteristic of a large portion of our agricultural
sector. Unfortunately it is easier for Government to formulate new
strategies than to implement them. The commercialization of the rural
farms will need entrepreneurs and managers, initially from among
Government staff, but eventually and finally from among the farmers or
their children. Tens of thousands of farmers children have gone to the
universities. Unfortunately entrepreneurship and management are not the
subjects they learn. This will obviously have to change.

12. All in all, these new directions, policies and concepts reflect the
determination of the Government to promote an economy that encourages
'resilient entrepreneurship'. Of course the Government cannot be permanent
patrons of every individual in order to make him a resilient entrepreneur
but providing the necessary climate, policies and encouragement is well
within its capacity and this the Government will do.

It is up to our business and commercial leaders and training institutions
like MIM and INTAN to help realise this vision.

13. It is my belief that the Government has provided the necessary
infrastructure and incentives and will continue to improve upon these so
as to be able to better serve our entrepreneurial community. I am
confident the present climate is the best that can be offerred to you
since our independence. Ultimately, the initiative lies with you. The
Government can go on cajoling but if you wish to remain passive and
apathetic nothing much will result. It is to your benefit to take up the
challenge.

14. In line with this, MIM has a role to play in promoting a strong group
of entrepreneurs, determined to do well in their ventures and indirectly
contribute to our economy. In this direction I am pleased to note that MIM
has taken upon itself the responsibility of promoting an effective
management system for the private sector. Still there is room for
improvement especially in the areas that I have mentioned. At the same
time it is heartening to observe the confidence placed by our business and
industrial leaders in this Institute so far. I hope MIM will develop into
a leading Malaysian representative not only at regional and Asian
conferences but also at world-wide management gatherings. I take this
opportunity to wish all the best in your preparations to hold the World
Management Congress late next year.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

15. We must prepare for the coming year and make it our resolution to
strive for greater utilisation of the opportunities available. We are
leaving 1984 in 3 days time and 1985 is all there to receive us. It should
be a year of consolidation for our economy. It is not only that the
position of our balance of payment has to be improved, but our
determination to promote our future well-being has also to be
consolidated. Some hardship and sacrifice now will go a long way towards
creating a better future.

16. I wish to express once again my gratitude to MIM for conferring upon
me this honour. I hope to prove that I deserve it.

17. Finally I wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year.

Thank you.