That is one area Singapore has stagnated i.e. technological and
innovative endeavours in recent years. The leaders are educated in
laws and general administration not on scientific areas, or
technologies so their general mindset is in trading. investment,
legalistic and managerial schemes of things.
They cannot see new ways of making the same products, develping new
capabilities in existing technologies which are just as important
to promote. In the areas of applying existing knowledge we could
have promoted many new capabilities and competitiveness and
challenges as much as in new frontiers of scientific and process
excellences. Both these new areas of competitiveness are
important.
another point to note is that, science and technology
communities requires time, patience, freespace and resources to
nuture. take for example somthing that we may have watched on TV.
discovery channel recently highlighted taiwan's farming community
and the gains they have reap from the decades (YES decades) it has
put into this field. the docu focused on a single very old man who
spent his entire life into research of flora for profitable
farming. from the program, one can easily note it is a very long
time and he is very fortunate to have good understanding and
support from taiwan government. his specialty is watermelons, and
more than half the world carries his breed of watermelon, will you
call this a commendable achievement?
based on above, and looking at our local science and research
community, does anybody know what we have achieved based on
that?
I agree that a common man and a humble farmer being
appropriately motivated will strive to improve and eventually
produce his best in applying existing knowledge in whatever he has
learned even in areas deemed as low in technology. The past
policies of trying to phase out certain businesses or industries
have been too narrow and should be revised and amended.
Innovations can happen in any field and should not be confined to
biotech or marine biological R&D or new drugs but in every
field. So when our many academic EDB scholars tried for many years
to promote foreign investments and scholarships we have neglected
promotion of innovations and application of knowhow and humble
existing knowledge in broader fields.
If they have had better understanding of overall creative
endeavours among the people and the needs and aspirations in
grooming our domestic sector of the economy, we could have promoted
many new business opportunities and new start-ups and we could have
done much better. So it is wrong to have such pro-foreign mindset
all the time as we cannot keep promoting only the foreign
businesses and must look after and groom our own economic
competitiveness in larger perspectives.
Problem is the old mindsets of stereotyping the businesses and
industries or talents that we want should give way to new
motivational forces that will promote practical knowledge
application even in existing knowledge and humble businesses. We
should not allow our ministers or civil servants to become too
narrow in their pursuing of foreign investments or pro-foreign
talents as they will only end up neglecting alternative solutions
by the common men and people with passion and do not understand
enough in wanting to promote them. The old mindset is only foreign
companies of MNC status will be the industries or businesses we
want but not the domestic sector of the economy.
taking it a step further, if we do have the local talents then
there must be a lack of opportunities (because of government
policies, focus of our EDB, critical mass of local support groups
in similar field, etc). we take an example, graphic
artists/programmers. commercial 3D software giants have shifted
their focus to neighboring states up north and have successfully
organised many 3D related industrial showcases for the public and
enthusias. did their government have a hand in helping them out or
was it because they had the luxury of freeplay in the media
industry?
in another thread (and other forums) regarding playing of massive
online games, our games sucks big time. not enough programmers? or
is it programmers feel that it is not an iron rice bowl? as it
stands, due to malaysia's very successful gaming/programming
industry (comparatively around this neighborhood of ASEAN), is that
the reason why EDB coaxed ILM (starwars maker) to open a regional
HQ here to save our own face? IMO our media industry (or lack of
it) does not have the fuel to "finance" this sector to the end of
having great success. end of the day, we are all still
consumers(players) and not producers.
end of the day, we have all been trained day to day in school and
society that we only do things for good profit, pushing for
entrepeneurs day in and day out, reaping in Mr Sim Wong Woo to give
more talks. what else do we have imprinted in our minds from
society that will relate to building a society focused on advancing
the scientific barriers, a more science-driven think tank breed?
and what is this society we have today being shaped by?[/b]
I have to agree with you that software engineering in developing
games and new capabilities in design of equipment and tools is a
very large area which we are not promoting. If we do not have
leaders who are well versed in such areas at least they should keep
an open mind and not close up all the venues and perspectives.
People when given some help and empowerments by understanding
environmental support can do wonders and produce wonders.
Do our First-world leaders understand these factors of
competitiveness and do they still want to manage the country by
their own micro-manage style based on some simplistic
assumptions.
