Acknowledging a Malaysian icon on its 50th birthday

Photo courtesy of Resak Platform / Carigali

AS PETRONAS will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Aug 17, I thought I’d write to express my thoughts. Because for many Malaysians, PETRONAS is not just a company; it’s a symbol of national pride and progress. Over the past five decades, it has grown from a fledgling state enterprise into a global energy powerhouse, and its journey has been nothing short of remarkable.

In recent years, there have been debates about how the company contributes back to the nation from a monetary standpoint. That is not a debate I wish to get into as the questions that arise will have different answers depending on who you ask. What I do want to highlight, however, are the intangible things that PETRONAS has achieved, such as human capital and technology development.