Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : TAMAN TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA,
KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 23/03/98
Tajuk/Title : PERASMIAN KOMPLEKS PINTAR IRIS
1. Saya ucapkan berbanyak terima kasih kepada
Pengurusan dan kakitangan IRIS Technologies (M) Sdn. Bhd.
yang telah menjemput saya untuk merasmikan Kompleks
Pintar IRIS (IRIS Smart Complex) hari ini.
2. When I first heard about the potential of smart
technology, and that one of the best brains behind the
leading edge smart technologies may belong to a Malaysian
residing abroad, I was intrigued. I have always believed
that Malaysians have the capabilities and skills to
participate aggressively in the Information Age, but that
we had an intellectual gem amongst us was very exciting.
3. For a long time now the Government has advocated a
policy of bringing home Malaysian experts who are working
overseas. This applies not only to doctors and engineers
but to anyone who can contribute positively to the
development of S & T in our country. Intellectual wealth
is a cornerstone of our future in the Information Age.
Inventors are especially important as they have the
capacity to innovate and develop ideas into products
which we can manufacture and export worldwide.
4. These inventors, especially information age
technologists, can also contribute to the country's
overall intellectual capacity and eventually inspire more
people into taking research and development to new
heights.
5. In this respect, we are indeed fortunate that IRIS
Technologies brought home an inventor who had innovated
several core technologies for further development.
6. Today, I stand in Malaysia's first smart technology
complex, conceived by Malaysians, built by Malaysians,
and staffed by Malaysians who are developing 21st century
products and applications based on technology innovated
and owned by Malaysians.
7. It is precisely this kind of spirit of innovation
that I was talking about for the past decade, and which I
reiterated barely a month ago, also in Technology Park
Malaysia.
8. For too long we have been overlooking talented and
ingenious people within our midst because we believe only
foreigners are competent. But I believe that
intellectual capabilities are not restricted according to
region. Malaysians, too, have the capacity to design,
innovate, develop and apply technologies and products
that can be used both in the country and overseas.
9. We have had several success stories where Malaysian
technology and products have reached the international
markets. And as a Malaysian I am very proud of these
achievements and of the companies concerned.
10. In this day and age of the microelectronic
processor, the Internet and satellite communications,
there are so many opportunities to bring forth new ideas
to be developed into products and services that can
propel us into the information age.
11. The Multimedia Super Corridor is being developed for
the benefit of the country. While it is formulated to
attract foreign investment and facilitate the transfer of
technology, it also aims to identify and encourage
creative experts among Malaysians, people who have the
ability to anticipate this world's needs and develop
products and services to serve those needs using home-
grown technology.
12. We know of Malaysians working in multinational
corporations in Malaysia who have designed products for
their employers based on the latest technologies;
Malaysians who have innovated manufacturing methods, and
designed new machine tools to manufacture those new
products. These Malaysians are among the assets which
draw foreign companies to invest in the country, and we
are most appreciative of their contributions to the
country.
13. In IRIS Technologies we can find some of those
Malaysians doing what they do best, but this time for a
Malaysian company.
14. But as we sit in this auditorium, let us not forget
the challenges these pioneers faced in their quest to
establish a technology bulkhead. From their experiences,
we can see that there is a need for the finance sector
and venture capitalists to keep an open mind and
understand the value of intellectual property.
15. While it is true that investors have to exercise
prudence before they put in a single ringgit into their
ventures, it is advisable that they understand emerging
technologies and their impact on the future. New and
emerging technologies have the potential to bring
tremendous rewards to investors, and subsequently to the
country. If investors do not take the effort to
understand the technology, it is unlikely that they will
invest, and if they do not invest, not only will they
eventually lose out, but the country will have also
missed an opportunity to increase its wealth, raise
gainful employment, educate the people and pursue
profitable follow-up technologies and corresponding
products.
16. Perhaps it would also help if potential investors
realise that Malaysians are capable of innovating,
inventing, designing, manufacturing and delivering on
their promises. We should not disregard the skills and
ideas possessed by locals because of an inherent
inferiority complex which rejects everything local. More
importantly, we should take note that technology is an
intellectual property conceived far ahead before any
product gets manufactured or produced, and that nobody
has a monopoly on ideas.
17. It is heartening to note that IRIS Technologies Sdn.
Bhd. has developed a set of core technologies that
provide a secure environment for smart applications. The
IRIS core technology - Image Retrieval Identification
System - provides many enabling derivative technologies
which can be adapted to a myriad of global applications.
18. Since 1995 until the present, IRIS Technologies has
registered one generic technology for copyright and seven
other technology derivatives as patents at the Patents
Office in Washington D.C., USA. This proves that
Malaysian technology is recognised worldwide and that
Malaysians can lead in the technology sector. IRIS also
has to be commended on its adoption of existing
technologies. The IRIS team has decided not to re-invent
the wheel, but it does believe that even the wheel can be
improved. It is the same with all technologies.
19. It has been pointed out to me that when IRIS needed
an antenna for its contactless passport book insert, it
found that such a device was not available as it did not
exist. Reverting to its in-house R & D capability, IRIS
developed a very stable and reliable antenna for its own
use in the unique book insert product. The antenna was
also designed to be low cost as well as for ease of
manufacturing. Having developed this special state of
the art antenna design capability, IRIS Technologies
realised that it was also suitable for contactless
chipcard application.
20. It is without doubt that technology advancements
made by IRIS Technologies are being closely monitored by
others in the industry. Companies in Australia and in
the USA have worked out technology sharing agreements
with IRIS Technologies.
21. At present, I have been informed that IRIS has
contracts with several companies in Australia and USA, to
manufacture antennas for their requirements. These
companies recognise the expertise of IRIS in antenna
design and manufacturing, and has selected IRIS as their
preferred technology partner in the development of state
of the art antennas for their contactless chipcard
products. IRIS is now assisting these companies in
lowering the cost, extending the read range and reducing
the size of their antennas.
22. IRIS Technologies has also developed a printable
antenna that is made from high conductivity ink, bonded
together with an adhesive which has low residue
properties. The technologies combined to develop the
newest antenna come from the printing and adhesive
industries, reflecting on IRIS Technologies' ability to
source and combine disparate technologies in innovative
ways.
23. An example of an innovation here is the security
aspects for authenticating electronic travel documents.
In these times, the need for security is overwhelming,
and new ways are necessary to combat fraud and terrorism.
24. Government-issued travel documents are increasingly
being upgraded to accommodate new security features, the
most recent additions being loosely termed as electronic-
based security features. There has been much confusion
caused as most of the so-called electronic features are
nothing more that paper-based security features that are
read electronically. The most common feature in travel
documents today are Machine Readable Passports (MRP).
These documents offer a printed code that can be read by
an optical reader and to automatically load simple
details -- such as the bearer's name and passport number
-- into an electronic medium such as a computer file.
25. True electronic passports are now emerging. These
passports incorporate a silicon chip with many orders of
magnitude higher than paper-based security. The chip
cannot be electronically tampered without destroying the
chip, and the chip cannot be duplicated. The data can be
digitally encrypted and even configured to be non-
erasable after encoding to prevent fraud. These vastly
superior security features, differentiate the true
electronic passport from its lesser cousins, the passport
with paper-based security features that are read
electronically and which are sometimes regarded as
'electronic' passports.
26. We have all seen what these people here at IRIS
Technologies are capable of, and we must acknowledge
their capabilities in this field. When we have a problem
that may lend itself to an electronic solution we should
consult and give them a chance.
27. It is hoped that such achievements do not end here
and that many more Malaysian companies will emerge with
the same spirit and determination to succeed with
indigenous technologies.
28. Dengan ini, saya dengan sukacitanya merasmikan
pembukaan Kompleks Pintar IRIS.
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