Malaysia: A Country with the Will but Not Yet the Way

Record levels of investment in education, STI infrastructure and entrepreneurship have reflected the Malaysian Government’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy by 2020. Malaysia’s rich cultural and ethnic mix afford it an extensive diaspora around the world, and its economic and political stability have made it an easy country with which to collaborate. But its oil palm industry casts doubt on its sustainability credentials and it remains weak on the implementation and realisation of its research ambitions: how might it best overcome these challenges to play a vital role in the global knowledge society?