The New Straits Times, July 8, 2001
By Professor Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
THE column this week pays a tribute to the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment that celebrated its 25th anniversary last week. In conjunction with this, the ministry hosted the biggest ever Expo Science and Technology between 30 June and 3 July 2001. It earned a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.
Science and technology are undoubtedly key factors in the development of any nation, and the ministry has been instrumental in seeing this through for Malaysia.
Under the Seventh Malaysia Plan, beginning 1996, more than RM950 million have been spent on research and development. Under the Eighth Plan, the R&D allocation is expected to be about RM1.5 billion.
In promoting science and technology, there are at least four programmes under which research funds can be made available. These include the grant under the Intensification of Research in Priority Areas (IRPA), Industry Grant Scheme (IGS), Multimedia Grant Scheme (MGS) and also Demonstrator Application Grant Scheme (DAGS).
They have enabled much research to be carried out. The results were exhibited at the Expo this year held at the Dewan Merdeka, Putra World Trade Centre.
Taking Universiti Sains Malaysia as an example, much of its research is IPRA-driven. In fact in the 2001 Expo, USM bagged 12 prizes, a testimony to the quality of the research promoted by IRPA. Of the10 gold medals offered, USM got three, apart from two silver and four bronze medals. In addition, USN took first and third prizes under the Special Design Booth Category; and was also awarded The Most Visitor-Friendly Booth.
In all this MOSTE must be recognised and commended as the agency most responsible for the various R&D achievements thus far. And now it has moved the research agenda up a notch by introducing newer mechanisms to expedite R&D nationwide in tandem with the K-economy.
Malaysia is also actively seeking its own Nobel laureate, a challenge facing everyone in the Malaysian scientific community.
To this end, last year, three students were given a rare opportunity to witness the Nobel Prize Award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, after winning the National Science Quiz. A few more hope to go this year. But science and technology cannot be sustained if not founded on a strong cultural thrust. This is perhaps where Malaysia is still weak.
Much of its scientific cultural heritage is still evolving and needs reinforcing. After all, science and technology is in many ways a thought process, a frame of mind or attitude that takes time to nurture.
This is clearly observed in a Passionate Minds, a collection of interviews with prominent research scientists compiled by L. Wolpert and A. Richards. The views recorded show "the inner world of scientists", from chemists to mathematicians, biologists to immunologists, biochemists to pharmacologists. To quote Gerald Holton, a professor of physics, and history of science at Harvard University: "Genius is always measuring itself from the top down, from the prospect of some very large achievement. Genius in physics measures itself with respect not to what has already been accomplished, but, more like Newton, in terms of trying to reach an almost supernatural state of knowledge — supernatural for ordinary people like us — and of being driven towards this almost unattainable goal." As mentioned by John Horgan in his book, The End of Science:
"Scientists must endure not merely Shakespeare's King Lear, but Newton's laws of motion, Darwin's theory of natural selection, and Einstein's theory of general relativity. These theories are not merely beautiful; they are also true, empirically true, in a way no work of art can be".
It is towards this ideal of beauty that Malaysian scientific minds must be encouraged in our journey for a Nobel Prize. Meanwhile, we wish MOSTE a happy Silver Jubilee.
