Multimedia Super Corridor Research Articles

(Re)positioning Malaysia: high-tech networks and the multicultural rescripting of national identity

Abstract Transnational processes and imaginings valorise the putative cultural networks, connections and affinities of Malaysia’s ‘non-Malay’ (Indian and Chinese) communities. In this paper, I argue that this signals neither the end of nation building—which naturalised such communal difference in the first place—nor of the nation-state as a social, political and economic actor. Rather, attention is given to discursive practices through which the state seeks to ‘reposition’ Malaysia in/for the ‘networked’ information economy and society. Multicultural ‘rescripting’ of the nation/national identity is thus highlighted as part of broader state strategies to negotiate, facilitate and capitalise upon transnational phenomena. Increasing state emphasis on multiculturalism unsettles Malay-centred constructions of post-colonial national identity. However, the paper cautions against a celebration of the high-profile accorded to multiculturalism in ‘information age’ Malaysia. The Malay ‘special position’ continues and the lowering of ethnic barriers in various domains remains dependent upon domestic political contest. In addition, the socio-economic benefits of less Malay-centred state means of development associated with Malaysia’s ‘k-economy’ push are highly uneven. Non-Malays wooed to the high-tech showcase Multimedia Super Corridor are a highly-skilled professional elite.

Developing Software for the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor: successful collaboration between business and university

Despite the recent economic slowdown, Malaysia still aspires to move from an industrial to an information economy. Malaysia’s ultimate goal is that, by the year 2020 the country will have become a fully developed nation and have created the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) which world class companies can use as a regional hub. One of seven flagship applications created to jumpstart the MSC is that for Smart Schools. With the advent of the information society a new system of education with information technology and multimedia as the enabling forces is needed. This paper describes the Collaborative Courseware Production Model (CCPM) adopted by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and a commercial firm, Digital Technologies (DTech), in bidding for the Smart School project. Describes the problems faced by the two organizations and how they were overcome. Concludes that this successful collaboration between a business organization and a university can be emulated by other business and academic organizations by leveraging on partnering intelligence or the respective strengths of the organizations.

Electronic records management in Malaysia: the need for an organisational and legal framework

Information technology has led to rapid and dynamic changes in the way government and business operate. The introduction of computers helps government administration in achieving efficiency and adding value to the conduct of government business transaction. The Malaysian Government has taken a pragmatic approach to the advancement of information technology by establishing a mega Electronic Government (EG) project in the form of a Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) amidst the legacy systems. This paper seeks to demonstrate the nature of the EG initiatives and the legacy systems and discusses how the National Archives of Malaysia responded to the mounting pressure to address records management problems associated with the legacy systems and the EG.

The untapped potential of Telehealth

The people of Malaysia generally enjoy a high standard of health. This is largely attributed to the comprehensive range of health services provided by the Government and the private sector at affordable costs. However, there are changing trends that now seriously challenge this status quo. The changing population structure, lifestyle, disease patterns and globalization are causing healthcare costs to rise. New and innovative ways will have to be devised to further improve the health status and at the same time contain costs. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) presents unprecedented opportunities to help the health sector in Malaysia reinvent itself and transform the way health and healthcare is managed and delivered in the future. Malaysia's Telehealth initiative under the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project is designed to realize Malaysia's health vision and goals and meet future health challenges. Multimedia and Internet technology will be fully harnessed to deploy services that will shift the emphasis from episodic management of illness to proactive promotion of lifelong wellness and disease prevention. Health information content and interactive applications will engage the people to work as partners of health with healthcare professionals in maintaining their own health or managing their illnesses.

Fostering IT human resources in Asia-Malaysia. Multimedia University in Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Project.

マレーシアは知識型社会構築のためのビジョン2020を国家計画として策定し，その実現を推進する戦略としてマルチメディアスーパーコリドーを実施している。最新の通信インフラとサイバー法を装備したインテリジェント環境のもと，外国の企業も誘致して，世界市場でのマレーシアのIT産業の競争力を高め，ひいては国内産業を発展させるというものである。マルチメディアスーパーコリドープロジェクトでは知識型社会構築のための人材開発も目標としている。このためマレーシア政府は質の高い高等教育を提供するための法律も新規に制定した。こういった環境下でのマルチメディア大学の果たす役割を述べる。大学の概要，大学院教育，4学部のうちエンジニアリング学部，情報技術学部について，その課程の特徴，両学部のマルチメディア専攻それぞれのコースの内訳を示す。

Research in medical informatics

Medical informatics is concerned with the application of computers in the medical and biological sciences and has been considered a field of research in its own right for more than twenty years. In Malaysia, however, there are very few published efforts in this area. To keep up with research activities carried out worldwide and to create expertise that will be in great demand once the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Telemedicine Flagship project is implemented, it is time that Malaysians involved themselves in medical informatics research activities. For this reason, we are proposing a project that will involve the application of an artificial neural network in the domain of cancer. As a prelude to our own research, we review current research in medical informatics. This paper subsequently proposes the use of an artificial neural networks as an alternative tool for investigating cancer survival.

Human factors of it-based solutions for worldwide manufacturing web

Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) is a regional technology hub and a launch site for companies developing or using multimedia technologies to enhance their Asian presence. MSC makes it possible to provide value-added products and services to customers in various so-called flagship applications, including Worldwide Manufacturing Web (WMW). The latter can be conceived of as a multisite agile manufacturing where companies—both real and virtual—contribute to the various activities in the life cycle of product development and manufacturing through distributed functions. Several manufacturing functions—including design integration and testing, production planning and control, engineering support, marketing, and sales—may be performed within the MSC by various companies, domestic as well as international. This article, based on a keynote address at HAAMAHA '98, describes some of the features of WMW in accordance with agile, distributed, and virtual manufacturing paradigms. It also addresses human factors issues in implementing IT-based solutions in the WMW, with reference to existing models. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Electronic data interchange (EDI) and formation of contract: a Malaysian perspective

Much has been written about Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and the legal issues surrounding its implementation albeit there is little discussion in the Malaysian context. The subject is still new to many Malaysians. EDI made its first appearance in Malaysia less than twenty years ago and with the advent of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), EDI was identified as the mainstay of electronic commerce infrastructure.

Betting on a New Silicon Valley

LINKS TO INDUSTRYKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA-- Buoyed by the vision of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia is developing a Multimedia Super Corridor that it hopes will rival Silicon Valley in 2020 and beyond. As part of that effort, university scientists are scrambling to link up with global corporate leaders in computer graphics and animation, educational software, and information technology.

Challenges facing information specialists in Malaysia's multimedia super corridor

This paper describes the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and challenges associated with the mega‐project such as the shortage of skilled information technology (IT) workers, and the need to increase the rate of adoption and innovative use of IT. It presents an analysis of strategies that are being implemented to meet the challenges. It analyses how librarians and others are planning, designing curricula, upgrading staff skills and organisation infrastructures, experimenting, and working to educate various segments of the Malaysian community to become IT, information, and network literate citizens to meet the demands of the MSC. It provides a case study of how librarians at the University of Science Malaysia (USM) systematically identified, analysed and responded to the Internet training and usage needs of faculties.

Multimedia Super Corridor(MSC) in Malaysia and its information infrastructure.

マルチメディアスーパーコリドー（MSC）は21世紀に到来する本格的な情報社会を世界の先進国に伍してマレーシアに実現しようとする大胆なプロジェクトで，世界の注目を集めている。同構想ではクアラルンプールとそれに続く一画に高速通信インフラとサイバー法を整備し，電子政府，多目的カードなどの実現を目指してアプリケーションの実験を行う。本稿ではMSCプロジェクトにおける情報流通に関する取り組み，実際に情報を提供する機関とその情報を紹介する。ほとんどが政府機関のホームページやディレクトリであり，情報流通のための仕組みは整ったもののコンテンツとなるべき電子情報はまだ不足している。最後に，今後のマレーシアの研究開発の方向および発信される情報を予測する。

National information infrastructure in Pacific Asia

Recently, many nations in Pacific Asia have begun to design and implement national information infrastructures. Examples are Singapore's IT2000 plan to transform the city-state into an intelligent island and Malaysia's Vision 2020 to create a ‘Multimedia Super Corridor’. We examine the information infrastructure programs in twelve Asia Pacific nations. These are the newly developing ‘Young Lions’ (China, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), the intermediate-stage ‘Growing Tigers’ (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan), and the more advanced ‘Mature Leopards’ (Australia, Japan, and New Zealand). We also discuss APEC's recent initiative to establish an APII—an Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure.

Malaysia´s Drive into High Technology Industries: Cruising into the Multimedia Super Corridor?

Malaysia´s Drive into High Technology Industries: Cruising into the Multimedia Super Corridor?

Malaysia’s MSC and Singapore’s Status as Southeast Asia’s Technology Capital

This paper presents the growth and prospect of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and its impact on the region especially on Singapore. Located at the hub of Asia’s fastest-growing markets, Malaysia’s MSC is a bold initiative–a regional launch site for companies developing or using leading multimedia technologies. Aiming to revolutionize how Malaysia does business, the MSC will unlock multimedia’s full potential by integrating ground-breaking cyberlaws and outstanding information infrastructure in an attractive physical environment.Malaysia’s ambitions to transform itself into a Southeast Asian hi-tech powerhouse clearly have implications for well-wired Singapore. This paper basically addresses the different questions: Is Malaysia a real threat to Singapore’s hi-tech supremacy? What are the conducive policy issues Malaysia will consider to achieve its goal? What are the obstacles Malaysia would face to implement its plan? Is there any provision to protect cyberproperty?The paper concludes with a look at the prospect of entropy and shows that it will not affect Singapore because that country keeps abreast of technology and preserves its cutting edge on competition and survival.

The Social Impact of New Communication Technologies

New technological trends accompanying microelectronics include dimunition, digitalization, computerization, globalization of communication, instantization, customatization, automation, robotization, and leisurization. Each of these has a profound and extensive effect in both work and social relations.While the overall prognosis of new communication technologies is favourable and enables mankind move to a higher stage of growth and development and quality of life, a few issues are tendered which maybe especially germane in the Asian context.One is the varying relative speed of development in communication technologies between the East and West and even among Asian countries. The usual inhibiting factors include the ability to design and implement policies which favour investment in national information infrastructures, including the ability to supply skilled manpower, an appropriate legal framework and the environment.The cases of the Singapore ONE Network and Malaysia's Multimedia Supercorridor are strong demonstrations of these countries efforts and commitments to get into the electronic age. A clear demonstration of social and political willpower is seen in both countries. So much so, a competitive struggle to be the region's communication hub is discerned although a more cooperative complementarity approach between Singapore and Malaysia would have given them a clearer edge over the rest of the Asia-Pacific countries.

Small is Beautiful

This paper reviews the arguments of the Utopians and the dystopians on the current communication revolution, and makes the case that countries have no alternative but to join that revolution to compete in the world material economy. It uses a revised version of Kuo’s (1993, 1994) model to document and analyze the three main dimensions of informatization–people, infrastructure and economy–as they pertain to three relatively small Indian Ocean Rim countries–Malaysia, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Using the backdrop of the countries constituting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, it argues that smaller countries, as well as ‘fertile spots’ in larger countries, with high achievements on the people dimension can leapfrog into ‘cyberspatial heights’ in the global information society. Malaysia is in the process of setting up its Multimedia Super Corridor determined to implement its Vision 2020. Mauritius, with its Informatics Park set up in 1994, has the potential of beating Malaysia in mainline telephone density at the turn of the century. Sri Lanka, though well situated on the people’s dimension, lags behind because of its stop-and-go economic policies and other reasons. Although, under current projections, Sri Lanka is likely to be telecommunications poor even at the turn of the century, it may yet achieve its goal of becoming the ‘telecommunications gateway to South Asia’ if it adopts better policies to attract capital and develop high-performance computing capability.