A name change to change mindset?

Categories: Malaysia

Malaysia yesterday renamed the 10-year old Multimedia Super Corridor or MSC to MSC Malaysia. This rebranding is done as an effort to revitalise and empower it as a national initiative to be taken to the global stage. Despite retaining the original focus and objectives of the MSC in terms of the basics and principles, the methods, approaches and strategies employed to achieve the original objectives would be renewed and improved in meeting current needs and challenges.

In his speech, the Prime Minister also mentioned: "We have never been short of ideas but short of implementation, probably because of problems and obstacles. Failure is not an option, we must succeed. We have lost the staying power; the 9MP must be implemented quickly and effectively".

The PM has certainly hit the nail on the head. This is one of the many problems faced by the country. The clearest example will be that of the shopping centres and megamalls.

Malaysia had seen the building of many shopping malls and mega-projects especially in Kuala Lumpur. However, after a few years, many of these malls are rather neglected. Many of them could do with some paintings and renovations. Even the ones which started off as the posh and high-classed mega-shopping malls, tend to loose their shine and appeals as time goes by, with the best known brands leaving the malls, leaving the not-so-posh and lesser names behind. The posh and the well-known will transplant themselves to even newer shopping centres only to have the whole process duplicated later. The end results are neglected megamalls creating eyesores around the city.

Because the implementation is based on willingness and discipline, one wonders whether by just changing the name from Multimedia Super Corridor to MSC Malaysia will ever make any difference. A name is just a name. If the mindset remains the same, however much change in names or mottos will come to naught. What is important is that the people behind the MSC Malaysia should change their mindset to one that is pro-active rather than reactive.

What this means is that, there needs to be a leader who is only driven by one motive - and that is to succeed. Nothing less. There must also be projected targets with appropriate time frames so that the is a guidelines on what is to be achieved and when. The leader must also be able to motivate and resist any political distractions that may interfere with this need to succeed. Once the blueprint is laid down, that should serve as the basis for negotiations with companies. Only minor changes should be introduced so as to enable international companies with work with minimal disruptions to their plans.

With end-results driven motivations, only then can the problem with implementation be solved. Without such timetable, what is there to tell us that some implementation is behind time? Only through such guidelines and projections can the problem with implementation be solved.