Last updated 0100 Hrs IST, Saturday, June 2, 2001
MY WORD!
The mystique of the Malay land
The Malaysians became independent in 1957 and they've raced ahead in the
last 40 years, writes Paran Balakrishnan
>From my hotel window I can see the twin columns of the gleaming Petronas
Towers pointing into the clouds. The 88-storey stainless steel and glass
edifice in downtown Kuala Lumpur is a symbol both of Malaysia's gigantic
progress during the last 40 years and of its occasional stumbles.
Kuala Lumpur was once a sleepy colonial town surrounded by picturesque
hills. Now the city centre is dotted with more shopping malls than anyone
could ever possibly need and extravagant high rise buildings that have all
risen into the sky during the last decade.
But above them all are the twin Petronas Towers built to be the world's
tallest building and constructed at breakneck speed in under five years.
Unfortunately, South East Asia's economic crisis struck soon after it was
finished and large swathes of the building are still vacant.
For an Indian a journey to Malaysia is almost embarrassing. The Malaysians
became independent in 1957 and they've raced ahead in the last 40 years.
Broad highways connect the cities and the glitteringly new Kuala Lumpur
International Airport is one of the world's largest and most modern
airports.
Don't even try to compare Kuala Lumpur International and Delhi's Indira
Gandhi Airport. Certainly the Malaysians have their problems and their
political system leaves a lot to be desired. But it is instructive to see
how they've coped, especially after the Asian economic crisis in 1998 threw
the entire region out of gear.
The Malaysians were hit as badly as anyone else when the Asian Tigers were
brought to a screeching halt three years ago. But they moved aggressively to
combat the slowdown. For a start, they decided that it was important to be
less dependent on commodities like palm oil, the country's biggest export.
So how did the Malaysians broadbase their economy? Take a look at the
tourism industry which has grown by leaps and bounds during the last two
years. Back in 1998 about 5.5 million tourists travelled to Malaysia. In
1999, the figure jumped to 7.5 million and in 2000 it shot up once again to
10 million. Mind you, the country's population is only 23 million people.
Where are the tourists coming from? Well, the Malaysian Tourism Promotion
Board has focused efforts on nearby countries like India, China and, of
course, the other South East Asian countries. The number of tourists
travelling from India to Malaysia has shot up from about 50,000 three years
ago to 400,000 last year.
This tourist boom hasn't happened by accident. It is the result of a
concerted drive by the Malaysia Tourism Board. Says the country's tourism
minister Dato' Abdul Kadir: "I am convinced that for Indians and Chinese it
should be a natural destination. Indians will be very much at home but at
the same time there is everything else."
The Malaysians have pulled out all the stops to attract tourists. They've
created a new festival called the Colours of Malaysia in a bid to create a
carnival atmosphere that will attract tourists. They have Formula I races
which bring a large number of speed lovers into the country. And it is still
a shopping destination for the Indians, Chinese and others.
Of course, it shouldn't be all that surprising that Malaysia's tourism
industry has taken a great leap forward during the last three years. The
devaluation of the national currency, the ringgit, has made it a cheaper and
affordable destination. Also the tourism ministry actively encourages hotels
to keep their tariffs fairly low.
Should we compare India with Malaysia once again? The Malaysians have 10
million tourists while India has been stuck at around 2 million for as long
as anyone can remember. And take a look at Malaysia Airlines which has been
reinvigorated after privatisation. The airline which serves both domestic
and international routes has 100 planes. By contrast Indian Airlines and
Air-India have barely 75 between them.
Malaysia has just put together a blueprint of how it will become a developed
nation by 2020. It's probably better not to worry about where India will be
by then.
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