Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR.
MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : CYBERJAYA, SELANGOR
Tarikh/Date : 09/07/99
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MUL
TIMEDIA UNIVERSITY
Terlebih dahulu, saya mengucapkan terima kasih
kepada pihak Universiti Multimedia dan Telekom Malaysia
selaku pelabur terbesar dalam projek ini, kerana
menjemput saya untuk merasmikan institusi pengajian
tinggi yang unik ini. Universiti ini bukan sahaja
dibina untuk memenuhi keperluan tenaga mahir Koridor
Raya Multimedia, malah ianya juga telah dikenalpasti
sebagai sebuah institusi yang akan memainkan peranan
utama dalam membentuk masyarakat yang bermaklumat
tinggi di negara ini. Dengan itu, `eksperimen' ini
adalah begitu bermakna bagi seluruh rakyat Malaysia dan
merupakan satu langkah yang besar dalam usaha
menjadikan negara pesaing hebat dalam ekonomi abad baru
yang akan datang.
2. Today's long-awaited event marks a milestone in
Malaysia's journey towards the Information Age. The
Multimedia University is no ordinary university since
it will become the cultural heart and intellectual
nerve centre of the learning society to be created
within the Cyberjaya community. Its opening signifies
the readiness and capability of the MSC to generate a
critical mass of quality knowledge workers for MSC-
status companies. It is designed to spawn creative
ideas and technopreneurs - very much like the role that
Stanford University plays in the success of the
Silicon Valley. It will also be the nerve centre of
the Cyberjaya intelligent city, networking academia,
enterprise and the community into a learning society.
It is envisioned as a centre of knowledge creation,
capture and dissemination, not only for the MSC but for
the entire region. I am encouraged that already some
100 international students from Asia and Africa are
studying in the MMU.
3. Evidently, the MMU's mission will extend far
beyond the mere provision of specialised IT and
multimedia courses. It is designed to venture beyond
the concept of traditional institutions of higher
learning in order to meet the changing needs of the new
Digital Age. A key success indicator will be its
ability to become truly world-class in order to attract
and produce the best in terms of its faculties and
students. These best and brightest will form
synergistic networks with industry and the community.
The Multimedia University will function as a regional
centre for knowledge creation, capture and technology
transfer.
4. To gain knowledge, we must seek out and attract
such knowledge from every corner of the world. By such
networking, we can build the synergistic links that can
expedite the creation of a knowledge-based society for
as much of the world's population as possible. It is
partly in this context that we have set up the MSC
International Advisory Panel comprising industry
leaders and leading thinkers in the multimedia industry
from around the world. I would like to thank again
members of the IAP who are here today, for joining us
in this ceremony which represents another critical
building block of the MSC. Embracing an open liberal
philosophy of learning transcending language and
cultural barriers, the Multimedia University will one
day become a leading centre for knowledge for the
Digital Age. Embracing an open philosophy of learning,
it will transcend cultural and national barriers. In
fact we would encourage institutions using even
foreign languages as medium of instruction to be based
in the MMU.
5. To become such an extraordinary institution, the
challenges it must overcome will also be equally
extraordinary. Indeed, we have to reinvent
universities to meet the changing needs of the
emerging digital society. Several scholars have
studied the transformation of the university to serve
the Digital Age. Some key trends identified, which we
have to cater for are as follows:
* As new technologies bring about new demands from the
workplace, more and more adults from diverse socio-
economic backgrounds who are already in the workplace,
are seeking the special education and skills necessary
for their careers;
* New information and communications technologies have
enabled the transition from student to learner, from
faculty-centred to learner-centred, from student to a
lifelong member of a learning community. Indeed the
MMU must strive to become the nerve centre of such an
interactive and collaborative learning society;
* the current style of education in which degree
programmes are completed long before the knowledge is
needed have shifted to "just-in-time" education, and
eventually to "just-for-you" educational programmes
tailored to meet specific lifelong learning
requirements;
* Emerging information and communications technologies
have also removed the constraints of space and time.
With powerful computers and high-speed networks,
educational services can be delivered to anyone at any
place and any time - they are no longer confined to the
campus or to academic schedules. Competition is
increased, as virtual education providers make their
entrance into this market place to compete with
traditional institutions.
6. The trends I referred to will provide substantial
spin-offs to the economy if we are geared to take
advantage of the opportunities. In the U.S. alone,
higher learning is a USD175 billion-a-year enterprise.
As society becomes more dependent upon knowledge
workers, the global knowledge business will become one
of the most active growth industries of our times.
Malaysian institutions of higher learning must
exploit this growing market.
7. Malaysia's continued emphasis on education is
based on our belief that the greatest long-term
challenge to our competitiveness may not lie in the
current financial regulations or exchange rate
management. It may lie in our ability to develop social
software such as quality of education and enhancement
of science and technology. In both these endeavours,
the MSC will play a pivotal role. We need to harness
the full power of technology and intellectual capital
in order to have sustained growth. To achieve this, we
must radically change our educational outlook. We have
started this process at the grass roots level by
starting our Smart Schools MSC Flagships Application.
We must now extend this upwards into tertiary education
with the MMU as the vanguard of our initiative.
8. Thus our investment in this Multimedia
University is necessary both because of the need to
catalyse change in our educational system and also to
create economic benefits. However, if we are to
succeed, the MMU must become truly world-class in the
wake of increasing competition. In order to stay
ahead, it has to maximise its output to its
stakeholders, in particular students themselves,
members of the academia, the industries and the
community.
9. Being in the heart of the MSC, the Multimedia
University can also leverage its position by forging
meaningful linkages with industries, especially leading
multinationals and web-shapers with cutting-edge
technologies. It will be in a unique position to jump-
start the networking effort among players in the MSC.
Apart from that, it also opens up a spectrum of
possible collaborative initiatives - faculty members,
for instance, will be able to partner with high-calibre
peers; resources may be shared in the form of joint
subscription to on-line journals and so on.
Sponsorship of Chairs, too, should be evaluated in
terms of its effectiveness in order to maximise the
learning and benefit from cutting-edge developments on
the technological front.
10. Intellectual capital and knowledge creation
capability is a major source of competitive edge for
institutions of higher learning, and as such, the
Multimedia University must be able to attract high-
calibre academic staff who are truly motivated and
driven by intellectual curiosity -- not by short-term
gains or monetary considerations. These are empowered
individuals who are driven by nothing but a commitment
to excellence and a desire to contribute the best that
one can. Such a culture would create a positive
influence on the quality of students that the
university will be able to produce. It is well known
that talented and knowledge faculty will attract the
best and brightest students who will in turn attract
others in the same league. One of the ways in which to
attract high-calibre staff is to offer them an
opportunity to learn from peers and above, and through
mentoring systems with leading-edge thinkers in various
disciplines.
11. Becoming a learning society means that we have to
make a conscious effort to eliminate cultural or
societal barriers that have, in the past, served as
stumbling blocks for innovative thinking and pursuits.
Only then will we be able to develop the intellectual
capital and achieve the competitive edge needed to
compete in the next millennium. Although we do not
expect an overnight transformation of our society, we
must expedite this process of change. As our society
develops and evolves, mindsets will change to become
more open and conducive to innovation. Innovation
alone, however, would not be enough to develop
competitive edge. We must be able to produce
individuals who are able to leverage on intellectual
capital in order to move from concept to explicit
knowledge and thereafter, the production of next
generation products and services.
12. Equally important is the commitment to continuous
innovation, the art of which the Japanese have mastered
-- by looking outside and into the future, anticipating
changes in the market, technology, competition, or
product. Often enough, it is the willingness to
challenge or abandon what has long been successful that
will lead to the design and production of more
successful products and services.
13. I am confident that the Multimedia University is
built on a strong foundation that will allow it to be
at the forefront of our effort in developing a
knowledge society. I am also confident that the
university will be able to carve a leading role for
itself among institutions of higher learning in the new
millennium. Like the MSC, it is a greenfield project
with no rigid and entrenched policies, traditions and
practices to hold it back. Thus there is no issue of
`reinvention' that is faced by long-established
universities. As it is one of the first of its kind,
its path will be a short cut to the development of a
world-class institution that is able to meet the
changing needs of the new Digital Age. If the
multimedia industry is to evolve successfully, it must
work with private enterprise as one. I am glad to note
that the Multimedia University is already involved in
collaborative efforts with more than 60 companies with
cutting-edge technologies, including NTT, Alcatel and
Lucent Technologies. This represents a good start in
networking within the MSC and I hope that this marks
the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial
relationship between the parties involved. We will see
today a showcase of the results of some of the ongoing
collaboration.
14. In conclusion, may I thank all who have worked so
hard to make this University a reality in so short a
time. I would also like to take the opportunity to
thank once again, Telekom Malaysia, for taking a lead
in this pioneering initiative and to all the partners
of the Multimedia University who I believe have
contributed invaluable resources to this project.
15. Dengan ini, saya dengan sukacitanya merasmikan
pembukaan Universiti Multimedia.
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