Malaysian Businesses Lack Innovation

That is my statement for today. It seems that we are always lacking in good ideas, and those with good ideas are lacking in marketing. I don't need to qualify this statement. I'm just making it as a premise for a rant piece. My father came over last night for coffee. We started talking about cars, (Sharizal and I are about to purchase a Kelisa as a second car), when he mentioned about the Super Kijang. This started an interesting discussion on Indonesia and its large pool of talent.

There is no doubt, compare Malaysians side by side with Indonesians and you will find a big differentiator. We Malaysians lack 'seni'. I can't seem to find the right English word for it, the closest I can think of is 'The Arts'. It's not that we have bad taste or no talent. They just have more - some even flawless. How is this relevant to business? Seni can also equate to the term 'a good idea'. Indonesia has many desirable goods, from textiles to flawless replicas of Nike shoes and wonderfully crafted furniture. They weren't always that good.

Those who remember Indonesia some years back remember products that
were the poor man's version of things. How did they get to be so good? It all goes back to practice. Look for the best example of what you want to do and imitate. I guess that's the only way for a nation that lacks such civilisational resources as a good education infrastructure, a stable economy and a strong government, to evolve. Imitate enough and you learn the tricks of the trade of being the best.

In our zest to mark our own identity, some pretty daft ideas have come out. The Juara is one. Those funny looking structures that double as fountains on our roundabouts are another. It is one thing to be unique - we should also strive to be desirable. Pity that Indonesia is still in such a bad state. Its pool of talent in many industries is wasted amidst its political/economic instability and territorial struggles. We Malaysians have the advantages that Indonesians do not - we should learn from what they have.