Keynote Speech by the Rt. Hon. Mr. Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister on 9 October 2013 – Gartner Asia Pacific (APAC) Local Briefing, E&O Hotel, Penang.
This Gartner Asia Pacific (APAC) Local Briefing is the first ever Gartner event be held in Penang, and is a part of the local briefing series held in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. It offers a platform for industry professionals to come together to share new knowledge and exchange ideas. competitive advantage.
According to Gartner, worldwide IT spending is projected to rise 2% to total $3.7 trillion, where enterprise software spending is expected to grow 6.4 percent in 2013. In Malaysia, the IT spending is projected to rise 6% to RM61.9 billion in 2013.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Building Human Capital
In order to cope with these emerging technologies and IT innovation, the Penang State Government has established the Penang Science Council (PSC) to reinforce the talent pipeline from schools to industries and businesses, and to make Penang into the centre of excellence for science and technology.
Move towards hi-tech and high value automation production and activities
Penang is the backbone of the nation’s E&E manufacturing and exports for the past four decades. Penang’s economy was contributed 48% by manufacturing and 46% by services in 2012. Penang manufacturers have evolved to move-up the value chain to produce higher value-added products.
Penang must also develop our services sector so that we can seek convergence with products, technology and services. This convergence requires companies and governments not only to create new eco-systems but also adapt to changing eco-systems to survive. It is a Penang State Government’s policy to enhance the knowledge content of the economy.
Emphasis will also be made on the promotion of higher value added manufacturing and related services as well as knowledge-based services such as Shared services and Outsourcing (SSO) Centre, Regional Headquarter (RHQ), regional Distribution Centre (RDC) and International Procurement Centre (IPCC) in Penang.
In Penang, the Cybercity has been successful in catalyzing the growth of the IT industry in Penang. Today, many companies in the electronics industries have made Penang their administrative and manufacturing hub. To stimulate future growth, the Penang State Government has set aside 17 acres of land in Bayan Baru and Bayan Lepas to be the Penang BPO Hub. Bayan Baru (Phase 1) & Bayan Lepas (Phase 2) are to offer at least 1.7 million sq. ft. of exterior space within the next three to five years. The Penang BPO hub will be Penang’s biggest BPO project. I am confident that BPO’s success in Penang will also be Penang’s and Malaysia’s success.
In other words, the Penang state government is committed towards being competitive. To attracting investors to Penang, we realize that we can not rely only on our comparative advantages but also creating new competitive advantages. According to the World Competitiveness Report 2013-4, the top 5 problems for doing business in Malaysia are
1. Inefficient government bureaucracy
2. Corruption
3. Poor work ethic in the national labour force
4. Insufficient capacity to innovate
5. Inadequately educated workforce
Penang enjoys a well-deserved reputation of being the most efficient and cleanest government in Malaysia through implementation of CAT governance of competency, accountability and transparency. Penang is the only state government in Malaysian history that has been praised by Transparency International for implementing open competitive tenders.
We have an established reputation of a good work ethic in the manufacturing sector built up over 40 years of tradition and experience – making Penang one of the most dynamic electronic and medical devices cluster in the world. We will continue to increase productivity and good work ethic with retraining through centers of excellence such as the Penang Skills Development Corporation(PSDC).
Penang has established the Penang Science Council(PSC) to inspire innovation and build Penang as a center of excellence in science and technology. A Penang Tech Center will be set up to rekindle interest in science and technology. We have the most dynamic science fairs and successful exhibitions which have to be held in the sports stadium.
Finally to improve the quality of our workforce requires us to improve the quality of our educational institutions. Penang has managed to attract world-class universities. The Asian Women Leadership University driven by the No.1 women university in the US, Smith College, and the United Kingdom’s Hull University together with the local KDU University have committed to Penang offering liberal arts courses, engineering, accounting, business studies, logistics and law.
Clearly we have met the 5 challenges outlined in the World Competitiveness Report.
For two years in a row, the ECA International has voted Penang to the most liveable city in Malaysia, and the 8th in Asia due to our excellent healthcare and educational infrastructure. Being voted the most liveable city in Malaysia further enhances Penang’s attractiveness as a BPO centre by offering more to the best and the brightest talents. By having a pool of knowledge workers to support the knowledge intensive activities, the overall economy and wellbeing of Penang will be further enhanced, thus making in Penang an Intelligent City.
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槟城首长于2013年10月9日在槟城伊恩澳酒店举行的高德纳亚太地区汇报会的主嘉宾讲词:
题目: 解决2013-14年世界竞争力报告所提出的5大挑战，以建立创新与竞争的科技产业。
这次的高德纳亚太地区汇报会是高德纳首度在槟城举行的活动，这也是除了新加坡、韩国及台湾之外，其中一站高德纳亚太地区汇报会。这项汇报会为工业专才提供了分享新知与交流想法的平台，创造竞争优势。
根据高德纳的研究，全球资讯科技的开销上升了2%，总开销为3.7兆美元，预料2013年企业软体开销将上升6.4%。在大马，2013年资讯科技开销上升了6%，总开销为619亿令吉。
建立人力资本
为了应付这些崛起的科技及创新的资讯科技，槟政府创立了槟城科学理事会，以强化学校的人才投身工业及商业领域，让槟城成为一座科学与科技的卓越中心。
迈向高科技及高价值的自动化产品与活动
过去40年来槟城一直是国家电子与电气生产与出口的支柱。槟城2012年的经济48%来自制造业，46%则来自服务业。槟城制造业已经提升其价值链，专注生产高附加价值的产品。
槟城也亟需发展服务领域，好让产品、科技及服务能大汇整。这项大汇整不止要求企业与政府之间需要创造新的产业生态，同时必须有能力改变产业生态以生存。槟政府的政策是提高经济领域中的知识分量。
这些政策，体现在推广高附加价值的工业制造及其相关的服务、还有包括资源共享与外包中心、区域性总部、区域性通路中心及国际采购中心的知识型服务。
在槟城，因为资讯科技业的发展，我们可看到槟城网络城市已经成型。如今，许多电子工业领域的企业选择在槟城设立他们的管理与制造中心。槟政府为了刺激未来的发展，已经拟出峇 六拜及峇央峇鲁共17英亩地段作为业务流程外包中心。在未来的3至5年内，第一阶段的峇央峇鲁及第二阶段的峇六拜，将提供至少170万方尺的外部空间。槟城业务流程外包中心将会是槟城最大的业务流程外包计划。我坚信业务流程外包能在槟城成功，也将会是槟城及马来西亚的成功。
换句话说，槟政府承诺要更具竞争性，因此为了吸引投资者来槟，我们发现不能单靠我们原有的相对优势，而是创造新的竞争优势。根据2013至2014年世界竞争力报告，在大马经商的五大问题是：
1. 无效率的官僚政府
2. 贪污
3. 国家劳动力缺乏职业道德
4. 缺乏能创新的效率
5. 不恰当的员工教育
槟城欣慰能在能干、公信、透明的施政方针下，拥有全马最有效率及最干净的政府美誉。槟城是马来西亚历史上唯一因为实行公开招标而被国际透明组织称赞的州政府。
过去40年在制造业领域的传统与经验，我们建立拥有良好职业道德的良好的声誉，让槟城成为世界上其中一个最具活力的电子与医疗器具生产中心。我们将继续透过如槟城技能培训中心(PSDC)一样的卓越技能培训中心，增加生产力及良好的职业道德。
槟城成立了槟城科学理事会，启发创新力，同时让槟城成为科学与科技卓越中心。建造槟城科技中心就是要重燃人们对科学与科技的兴趣。我们甚至在体育馆举办生动的科学展。
最终，要提升员工的素质就必须要提升我们的教育品质。因此槟城着力吸引世界级的大学，如由世界第一女子大学美国史密斯学院管理的亚洲女性领袖大学、英国的胡尔大学及本地的KDU大学，已经承诺要在槟城提供文科、工程、会计、商学、物流及法学等科系。
很明显的，我们槟城已经能应付世界竞争力报告所提出的5大挑战。
槟城连续两年被ECA国际评为马来西亚最宜居的城市，在亚洲位列第8，原因是拥有卓越的医疗及教育设施。成为大马最宜居的城市及拥有最佳及前途光明的人才，提高了槟城在业务流程外包服务发展上的吸引力。透过槟城的知识员工，支援须以知识执行的活动，槟城的整体经济及繁荣将会进一步提升，让槟城成为一座智慧城市。