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Malaysia – a bubbling, bustling melting-pot of races and religions where Malays, Indians, Chinese and many other ethnic groups live together in
peace and harmony
I
had the wonderful privilege of
spending 11 days in Kuala Lumpur
this October. If I were asked to summarise
my impressions, I would
use two words: beautiful potential.
I believe that Malaysia in all its beauty
holds the key to Asia’s green future.
I have lived in the global melting
pot of the United States all of my life.
Through my work with Green Project
Management® (GPM®), I have traveled
throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle
East, and Asia experiencing the best of
what each culture has to offer.
Looking at Malaysia through the
eyes of a global citizen, I see something
special. The best of Chinese and Indian
influences combines with the rich indigenous
Malay culture to create a unique
gem of a nation. In “The Way Forward,”
the former prime minister Dato Seri
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad called it “a
confident Malaysian society infused by
strong moral and ethical values”.
In an honorary doctorate acceptance
message at the University of Malaysia
in August 2010, Daisaku Ikeda stated
that “the key to building a peaceful
and humane global society in the 21st
century lies in developing our ability
to respect diversity and learn from
Malaysia’s great
green potential
Best of Chinese and Indian influences combines with the rich
indigenous Malay culture to create a unique gem of a nation
By Dr. Joel
Carboni
President
and founder
of Green Project
Management
different values and cultures.”
This is what I believe is the promise
to Southeast Asia and the rest of the
world that Malaysia represents.
I titled this article “Malaysia’s Great
Green Potential” as the foundational
building blocks necessary to realize
monumental achievements towards a
green Malaysian economy. Now, it is a
matter of bringing them to fruition.
The budget that was recently
released is one such aspect and is
critical that the government serves as a
driver. The 2015 budget provides opportunities
for growth and development,
the advancement of women, enhanced
job opportunities, and improved
education. All these components will
be critical in moving Malaysia up the
Value Chain. One such measurement
to look for is a higher ranking on the
UNDP Human Development list where
Malaysia is currently 62nd (neighboring
states Singapore 9th, Thailand 89th, and
Indonesia 108th).
Referring back to Dr. Mahathir’s
paper and the nine challenges he
presented, one comes to the forefront
in the context of unlocking Malaysia’s
great green potential; the challenge of
‘establishing a scientific and progressive
society, a society that is innovative
and forward-looking, one that is not
only a consumer or technology but
also a contributor to the scientific and
technological civilization of the future’.
The keys to achieving these goals
can be found in two places. The first is
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