Sunday, September 24, 2006

Academics on New Economic Policy

For those interested in hearing some of the top academics in the country speaking on the relevance, achievements and impact of the Malaysian New Economic Policy, there'll be a forum held at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on Tuesday evening this week.

Amongst the speakers are:

1. Professor Lim Teck Ghee

Dr Lim is currently the Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies of Asia Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), based in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to this, he was Regional Advisor with the Poverty and Development Division of UNESCAP (1994-99) and Senior Social Scientist at the World Bank, Washington DC (1999-2005). Earlier in his career, he was a Lecturer and Associate Professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, after graduate studies at the Australian National University, and also a Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Malaya (1987-1994).

He has received numerous academic awards including the Harry Benda prize in Southeast Asian Studies awarded by the Association for Asian Studies, USA; the Fulbright Fellowship Award (Visiting Professor at Columbia, Yale, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, etc); Rockefeller Foundation “Reflections on Development” Fellowship Award; East West Center Visiting Fellowship; Australian National University Visiting Fellowship; James Jackson Memorial Fellowship, Griffith University; and University of Toronto Visiting Chair in ASEAN Studies.

He has authored/edited over 80 books and articles on developmental issues and challenges in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. His writings have been published by major international publishers including Oxford University Press, United Nations University Press, University of California Press, Routledge, Pergamon and Kogan Page. His latest published works with the World Bank are “Social Cohesion and Conflict Prevention in Asia” (Wash. DC, 2001, coeditor) and Asian Interfaith Dialogue: Perspectives on Religion, Education and Social Cohesion (Wash DC, 2003,co-editor).

2. Professor P Ramasamy

Professor Ramasamy was an academic with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) for 25 years, before his post-retirement contract was unceremoniously and controversially terminated without valid reasons.

He was hired as a lecturer in the UKM Department of Political science in 1981, promoted to associate professor in 1993 and full professor of political economy in 1998. He has published four books and numerous articles in local and international journals.

In addition, he has acted as a consultant to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Shell Malaysia, Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and numerous other trade unions, social organisations and political parties.

His research projects included the major themes of labour and ethnicity funded by the Selangor state government (estate workers’ housing), Education Welfare and Research Foundation (socio-economic aspects of the Malaysian Indian community), University of Tokyo-Nissan Foundation (plantation workers’ in Riau, Sumatra), ILO (impact of AFTA on trade unions), Ministry of Rural Development, Malaysia (poverty among former estate workers) and ILO (impact of globalisation on trade unions in Malaysia).

Apart from research, he was awarded fellowships at the Centre for Developing Area Studies, McGill University, Canada, Nordic Institute for Asian Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark, University of Tokyo, University of Kyoto and recently he has been awarded a Guest Professorship at University of Kassel, Germany.

3. Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim

Tan Sri Abdul Khalid graduated with an MBA from University of Queensland. He recently completed his stay as a visiting fellow specialising in Islamic finance and the capital market at the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies, at Oxford University.

Tan Sri Abdul Khalid was also the former Chief Executive of Guthrie Group as well as Permodalan Nasional Berhad. He is also currently the Treasurer for Parti Keadilan Rakyat.


Other speakers include Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Sdr Lim Kit Siang as well as Secretary-General of Democratic Action Party (DAP), Sdr Lim Guan Eng.

Besides listening to the speakers, you'd also have the opportunity to voice your personal opinions with regards to the New Economic Policy and particularly relevant to this blog, its impact on the education sector.

Details of the Forum are as follows:
New Economicy Policy vs Vision 2020

Date: 26 September 2006 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
No. 1, Jalan Maharajalela
Kuala Lumpur
For enquiries, please contact Ng Wei Aik (019-2459305) or Lau Weng San (016-3231563)

See you there! (And feel free to say hello!) ;)

1 comment:

Kian Ming said...

Certainly, an august gathering of intellectuals. Wish I could be there. It would be interesting to see what Khalid Ibrahim has to say since he was unceremoniously kicked out of Guthrie. Would his views be reflective of the overall Keadilan position? Please let us know your impressions, Tony.