07/05/2025

WEDNESDAY | MAY 7, 2025

11

COMMENT by Tsubasa Nakazawa

Driving growth through digitalisation S MALL and medium enterprises (SME) in Malaysia comprise approximately 97% of the economy, contributing other commodities, is a keen example. Farmers and agricultural businesses are in a prime position to transform their operations. By exploring modern record

nearly 40% to the nation’s total GDP. As such, empowering SME with digital capabilities is not just a “nice to have”; it is essential for economic sustainability and growth. Malaysian businesses today have an opportunity to adopt emerging technologies that can streamline their operations and enhance productivity. Initiatives such as MyDigital, the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and the SME Digitalisation Grant as well as digital innovation initiatives for SME announced in Budget 2025 aim to make digital solutions accessible to small local businesses, the backbone of Malaysia’s economy. These initiatives illustrate an attempt to bridge the gap between traditional local practices and global modern expectations, facilitating greater market access and operational efficiency for businesses. By strategically investing in digital infrastructure and promoting robust policy initiatives, the government continues to lay the groundwork needed for widespread innovation. Greater digitalisation opportunities Malaysia’s economy has traditionally been anchored in three core sectors, with agriculture, manufacturing and services serving as three core pillars of economic prosperity. These industries, while navigating the complexities of digitalisation, possess opportunities for innovation and growth. They are strategically implementing digital solutions to overcome legacy systems and skills gaps for greater operational success. The agriculture sector, historically vital to Malaysia as a leading producer of palm oil, rubber and

keeping and data management, they can move away from traditional silos and achieve significant growth in operational transparency. Digital tools such as cloud-based inventory systems, logistics tracking applications and remote sensing technologies for crop monitoring can provide significant opportunities to improve these practices. For example, the cooperative can automate inventory tracking, enhance transparency across its supply chain, and enable data-driven decision-making. However, it is important to note that beyond acquiring technology, successful integration relies on empowering people through cultural adaptation and aligning these technologies with daily operational processes. Malaysia has been making actionable progress through the widespread adoption of digital agriculture technologies to boost its agricultural efficiency and resilience against climate change. As a result, the economic benefits from adopting technologies like GPS, drones and sensors align with the sector’s recent recovery, evidenced by its notable 7.2% growth in Q2 2024. The window of opportunity for meaningful change lies in the cultural and mindset adjustments needed to embrace advanced tools within an industry that has grown with generations. People and process Implementing digital upskilling programmes across Malaysian businesses is now more critical than ever. As of 2024, studies indicate that

Malaysian businesses today have an opportunity to adopt emerging technologies that

streamline their operations and enhance productivity. – BERNAMAPIC

four out of 10 Malaysian businesses experience difficulties due to the calibre of digital skills among employees. This presents an opportunity for businesses to prioritise ongoing training and continuous learning, thereby future-proofing their operations and enhancing industry wide competitiveness. SME especially stand to gain from digital training programmes tailored to their specific needs and capacities. Financial budgets also pose another significant barrier, especially for SME located away from major city hubs. This causes infrastructure costs, internet connectivity, hardware requirements and software subscriptions to be seen as prohibitively expensive. Some business owners may find these investments unsustainable burdens rather than opportunities for growth.

For

Malaysia,

whether

in

Thankfully,

the

advancing

was clearer, my thoughts more focused. Instead of rushing through the material, I taught with a calm I hadn’t felt in weeks. The discussion that followed was one of the liveliest of the semester – at least, as I remember it. That brief moment of stillness in the traffic jam did not just get me through the delay; it made me better for it. Because in the end, life isn’t about how fast we move or how much we achieve. It is about the moments we choose to linger in, the spaces where we allow ourselves to simply be. So, the next time you’re stuck in traffic – literal or metaphorical – don’t reach for the noise. Embrace the stillness. You may just find it is where the magic happens. DrNahrizul Adib Kadri is a professor of biomedical engineering and the principal of Ibnu Sina Residential College, Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com agriculture, or consumer services, the digital transformation journey must be gradual and carefully managed. Businesses must align digital initiatives closely with existing infrastructure and practical capabilities. Adopting tailored digital solutions combined with robust training and strategic support will enable businesses to confidently embark on their digital transformation journey. This will foster a culture of continuous innovation, stimulate economic growth in an interconnected global market and solidify Malaysia’s position as a digital-first, highly competitive nation on the international stage. Tsubasa Nakazawa is the managing director of Kintone Southeast Asia, a leading cloud system for teams. Comments:letters@thesundaily.com manufacturing

technology offers affordable, scalable digital solutions such as cloud computing services, mobile business management apps and flexible cybersecurity tools. Even no-code platforms now allow users with limited IT backgrounds to develop customised applications suited to their unique business requirements. This evolution in technology accessibility enables SME to digitalise operations with minimal initial investment. The success of digital transformation depends on effectively empowering the workforce. Businesses must partner with technology providers who offer comprehensive, ongoing training, dedicated customer support and scalable solutions that evolve alongside their needs. These elements will ensure smoother adoption, greater staff engagement and sustainable operational growth. landscape

COMMENT by Dr Nahrizul Adib Kadri

Savour the moment and enjoy the beauty of being still LAST week, I found myself stuck in traffic on the way back to Universiti Malaya after grabbing lunch with a long-lost friend at a banana leaf restaurant in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. It was one of those moments where every traffic light seems to conspire against you, and the clock is merciless. is easy to forget how to be still. We are conditioned to fill every gap with noise, whether it is scrolling through WhatsApp (both for new messages and statuses), replying to emails (work and personal) or playing out the script for your next appointment (meetings and meet ups). But what happens when we pause? What do we discover in the quiet spaces we so rarely allow ourselves to be in? relentless grinding but from stepping back – from letting the mind breathe. And this is not just about work or teaching; it is about life too. How often do we rush through our days, checking off to-do lists, only to realise we have missed the moments that matter? ourselves: Why am I doing this? Does this path still feel like mine? Being still is not easy. Our brains are wired for motion and distraction. That day in traffic, my fingers twitched to grab my phone, to fill the silence with something, anything, but the more I leaned into the discomfort, the more I realised how much I would be missing.

The way a student’s face lights up when they finally grasp a concept that you were explaining in class. The warmth of a quick terima kasih from a stranger for holding the door open. The simple joy of belanja (treating) your friends or colleagues for lunch on hari gaji (pay day). These moments are the colourful threads that weave the fabric of our lives but they are so easy to overlook when we are always racing against the clock. The Stoic philosopher Seneca once wrote: “You must linger where you are to know where you are going.” In our race to the next milestone, whether it is a research grant, a promotion or just making it to class on time after lunch hour, we forget to linger – to ask

My next class was set to start at 2pm, and it was already 1.45pm. My instinct was to fidget – check my phone for a quicker route, mentally rehearse my lecture or curse the slow crawl of cars. But then, for reasons I can’t quite pin down, I did something unusual: I turned off the radio, set my phone face-down and just sat there. I looked out the window. The late midday sun was casting shadows across the road, glinting off a row of motorcycles. A group of students walked by, laughing over something. And in that moment, I felt something I hadn’t in a while: stillness. In a world that glorifies hustle – where every minute must be productive, every task optimised – it

So, here’s the challenge: carve out a moment this week to be still. It does not have to be long – just five minutes. Turn off your devices, step away from your tasks and just be. Notice the world around you – the hum of the air-con, the weight of your mug, the rhythm of your breath. Write down what you feel and what you see. You may be surprised at how much clarity a single pause can bring. And as it turned out, I did not make it to my 2pm class on time that day. I walked into the lecture hall a few minutes late, my students already flipping (nowadays more like scrolling) through their notes. But something had changed. My mind

I am reminded of a line from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring , where Gandalf tells Frodo, “Not all those who wander are lost”. We often equate stillness with stagnation as if pausing means falling behind. But sometimes, it is in the wandering – in the quiet, unhurried moments – that we find clarity; that we find ourselves. As a biomedical engineering professor, I have spent years teaching students to tackle complex problems and to design systems that save lives. But I have also learned that the best solutions often come not from