ID :
166428
Tue, 03/08/2011 - 07:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/166428
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DOES MALAYSIA HAVE THE CREDENTIALS TO QUALIFY AS PARTNER COUNTRY?
By Manik Mehta
HANNOVER, March 8 (Bernama ) -- The key question raised among Malaysians and Germans at the just-conlcuded Hannover CeBIT IT fair for the information technology industry was whether Malaysia had the credentials to qualify for participation as a "partner country" and enjoy good patronage by exhibitors and buyers from around the world.
This year's "partner country" at the CeBIT IT fair was Turkey, which does not have the IT aura that is associated with India and China, but it hogged the limelight with 90 exhibitors creating awareness about its prowess in the information technology sector.
The "partner country" participation also acquired political glamour because both the German Chancellor and the head of government of the "partner country" personally come to inaugurate the show.
Besides India, which has twice participated as "partner country" in Hannover, other countries that have participated with this status are China, South Korea, Japan and the United States.
If Malaysia participated with the "partner country" status, it will be the first Asean country to do so.
Fifteen Malaysian exhibitors at CeBIT, with nine under the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and the remaining who came on their own accord, were asking why Malaysia could not obtain this participation status at one of the two fairs.
They argued that Malaysia, which ranked as the world's third most
attractive offshore destination by management consultancy, A.T. Kearny, had a strong information technology base and a wellspread industrial backbone.
"If Turkey, with its much smaller IT and industrial base can do it, why not Malaysia", asked one Penang-based businessman.
C.Y. Fong, Executive Director of Edaran Anfas (M) Sdn Bhd, the
representative in Malaysia for Deutsche Messe AG, the fair organiser in Hannover, told Bernama the world's industry could get a good overview of what the "real Malaysia" is through a "partner country" participation.
"The partner country participation will enable Malaysia to clear some wrong perception about Malaysia and also put it prominently on the world's IT and industrial map.
"We have to tell the world that we have very good companies. We can also attract investors to Malaysia through our partner country participation," Fong added.
Even as the Malaysian government has declared its aim to attract investments into the sector, the Multimedia Development Corporation, which is considered Malaysia's gatekeeper for the IT sector, was conspicuously missing at CeBIT.
Other countries such as Turkey, China, India and Vietnam were aggressively courting investors for their IT sector.
There is speculation in German industrial circles that German Chancellor Angela Merkel may visit Malaysia in May and she could extend an invitation to Prime Minister Najib Razak to visit Germany.
Najib can time his visit to coincide with Malaysia's "partner country" inauguration in Hannover.
Sabri Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's Senior Trade Commissioner in Frankfurt, agreed the "partner country" participation would provide a much bigger and high-profiled platform for Malaysia's IT sector.
Instead of coming to Hannover in smaller numbers, Malaysia will have an opportunity to present its entire industry.
"With its large IT and industrial base, Malaysia would be a good candidate for a partner country participation," Sabri said in an interview.
Rashid Mat, General Manager of Cyberview Sdn Bhd, said the idea of giving Malaysia a "partner country" status was an "exciting prospect", but it was necessary to sell an "entire package", including government incentives for settng up business in Malaysia.
"We need to lead foreign investors by the hand. We have 213 small-and-medium entreprenuers (SME) IT companies based in Cyberjaya.
"Since our organisation looks after the development of Cyberjaya, we also encourage SMEs in Cyberjaya, to come to fairs such as the CeBIT," Rashid added.
Frank Poerschmann, Senior Vice President at Deutsche Messe AG, said there were a number of criteria for the selection of "partner country".
"The number of exhibitors or the size of the contingent of exhibitors is not a criterion. It is the quality of the participation that is important," he maintained.
Poerschmann also said his organisation would be "open" to considering Malaysia as a "partner country" participation.
The ball is now in Malaysia's court.
The next move should come from the International Trade and Industry Ministry, which in concert with other ministries, will need to send feelers to the Deutsche Messe AG to set the ball rolling.
HANNOVER, March 8 (Bernama ) -- The key question raised among Malaysians and Germans at the just-conlcuded Hannover CeBIT IT fair for the information technology industry was whether Malaysia had the credentials to qualify for participation as a "partner country" and enjoy good patronage by exhibitors and buyers from around the world.
This year's "partner country" at the CeBIT IT fair was Turkey, which does not have the IT aura that is associated with India and China, but it hogged the limelight with 90 exhibitors creating awareness about its prowess in the information technology sector.
The "partner country" participation also acquired political glamour because both the German Chancellor and the head of government of the "partner country" personally come to inaugurate the show.
Besides India, which has twice participated as "partner country" in Hannover, other countries that have participated with this status are China, South Korea, Japan and the United States.
If Malaysia participated with the "partner country" status, it will be the first Asean country to do so.
Fifteen Malaysian exhibitors at CeBIT, with nine under the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and the remaining who came on their own accord, were asking why Malaysia could not obtain this participation status at one of the two fairs.
They argued that Malaysia, which ranked as the world's third most
attractive offshore destination by management consultancy, A.T. Kearny, had a strong information technology base and a wellspread industrial backbone.
"If Turkey, with its much smaller IT and industrial base can do it, why not Malaysia", asked one Penang-based businessman.
C.Y. Fong, Executive Director of Edaran Anfas (M) Sdn Bhd, the
representative in Malaysia for Deutsche Messe AG, the fair organiser in Hannover, told Bernama the world's industry could get a good overview of what the "real Malaysia" is through a "partner country" participation.
"The partner country participation will enable Malaysia to clear some wrong perception about Malaysia and also put it prominently on the world's IT and industrial map.
"We have to tell the world that we have very good companies. We can also attract investors to Malaysia through our partner country participation," Fong added.
Even as the Malaysian government has declared its aim to attract investments into the sector, the Multimedia Development Corporation, which is considered Malaysia's gatekeeper for the IT sector, was conspicuously missing at CeBIT.
Other countries such as Turkey, China, India and Vietnam were aggressively courting investors for their IT sector.
There is speculation in German industrial circles that German Chancellor Angela Merkel may visit Malaysia in May and she could extend an invitation to Prime Minister Najib Razak to visit Germany.
Najib can time his visit to coincide with Malaysia's "partner country" inauguration in Hannover.
Sabri Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's Senior Trade Commissioner in Frankfurt, agreed the "partner country" participation would provide a much bigger and high-profiled platform for Malaysia's IT sector.
Instead of coming to Hannover in smaller numbers, Malaysia will have an opportunity to present its entire industry.
"With its large IT and industrial base, Malaysia would be a good candidate for a partner country participation," Sabri said in an interview.
Rashid Mat, General Manager of Cyberview Sdn Bhd, said the idea of giving Malaysia a "partner country" status was an "exciting prospect", but it was necessary to sell an "entire package", including government incentives for settng up business in Malaysia.
"We need to lead foreign investors by the hand. We have 213 small-and-medium entreprenuers (SME) IT companies based in Cyberjaya.
"Since our organisation looks after the development of Cyberjaya, we also encourage SMEs in Cyberjaya, to come to fairs such as the CeBIT," Rashid added.
Frank Poerschmann, Senior Vice President at Deutsche Messe AG, said there were a number of criteria for the selection of "partner country".
"The number of exhibitors or the size of the contingent of exhibitors is not a criterion. It is the quality of the participation that is important," he maintained.
Poerschmann also said his organisation would be "open" to considering Malaysia as a "partner country" participation.
The ball is now in Malaysia's court.
The next move should come from the International Trade and Industry Ministry, which in concert with other ministries, will need to send feelers to the Deutsche Messe AG to set the ball rolling.
