Science matters in manifestos

In this picture taken on March 24, 2017, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, 75, speaks to an audience by hologram (L) in Hong Kong, beamed live from his office in Cambridge, England.Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has spoken to a Hong Kong audience by hologram, showcasing the growing reach of a technology which is making inroads into politics, entertainment and business. The British scientist appeared on March 24 before an audience of hundreds who cheered and snapped pictures with their phones as he discussed his career and answered questions about the possibility of life on other planets, the use of technology in education and the impact of Brexit on Britain. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony WALLACE

THE nation is in a state of suspense. There is a lot of guessing about when the 14th General Election (GE14) will be held. The Prime Minister is keeping everything close to his chest. But most agree that GE14 is history in the making. For the first time in the nation’s history, a former PM, at a ripe age past 90, is trying to make a comeback. The entire political equation of the nation is being rewritten. Like they say, in politics there is no enemy or friend. An enemy today can become a friend tomorrow. This explains why literally everyone is waiting with bated breath for that special announcement.

Meanwhile, the political parties have started unveiling their manifestos. These contain promises of what they will do if elected. The ruling party promises to continue delivering prosperity to the people. The opposition, on the other hand, talks about abolishing the GST and all road tolls. Whether the promises are realistic or not are being evaluated by the so-called experts.

For us scientists, we are quite disappointed that there is not much mention of what will be done for science in all the manifestos. It is time the political parties take more notice of science. After all, looking at the issues confronting the nation, much of the solutions lie in science. Take the water issue which recently created havoc among the households in the Klang Valley. Science can be a big help to resolve the management of the nation’s water resources. Over the years, the Academy of Sciences has produced recommendation upon recommendation on how best to deal with the country’s water. Sadly, not much has been translated into actions Water is only one of the many issues which need the help of science.

Unfortunately, science itself needs a lot of help. The cry to get more students to take up science has not been very successful. Many still do not see a career in science as lucrative enough. What this means is that the nation will continue to be short of science talents in the future. If this is so, what will happen to our plan to strengthen our innovation-driven economy. Whether we like it or not, global competitiveness in the coming years will be determined not by how much resources you have but how you can deploy science and innovation to effectively convert such resources into prosperity and well-being.

We talk a lot about building the digital economy, the bioeconomy and embracing Indusry 4.0 and sustainable development. All these can only happen if we have adequate science talents. So if none of the manifestos give the necessary attention to build such talents, what we will eventually end up with is a cupboard full of blueprints and masterplans. Without the right human capital, there is no way we can implement all those plans. Even with a big budget allocation, nothing can materialise in the innovation economy without the talents. It will make it even worse with no budget. Already, the R&D, which is also sorely needed to drive innovation, has been witnessing cuts in allocation.

It is time for all the parties to rethink their manifestos. At least if they want votes from the science community.

Some of the things our scientists are asking for include - increase the nation’s R&D spending to at least 2% of GDP, create a more attractive job scheme for science graduates involved in R&D, provide more support for collaborative projects with the international scientific community, implement the many plans which have been conjured up all these years instead of drawing up new ones and invoke more professionalism in the management of scientific institutions in the country. It can be assured that the party which can promise all the above will get the most votes from the scientists. Science definitely needs a renewed vigour!

PROFESSOR DATUK DR AHMAD IBRAHIM

Fellow, Academy of Sciences Malaysia

UCSI University