KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani government's approach in formulating national policies that involve all departments and ministries aims to ensure more inclusive and successful policies, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said government departments and ministries must not work in silos, as emphasised in the Madani economy framework.
"As the Prime Minister, I am committed to seeing the biotechnology industry grow in an inclusive and sustainable way, where technological and economic advancements do not compromise human values.
"This is the true meaning of Bioeconomy For All - a vision where advancements in biotechnology bring welfare and justice to all segments of society,” he said in his keynote address at the launch of the National Bioeconomy Showcase 2024 here on Wednesday (July 17).
The Prime Minister added that he has also asked the Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang, to list 100 scientists in the field of biotechnology to organise programmes aimed at attracting students' interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in 100 schools across Malaysia.
Anwar also wanted a report on the matter to be sent to him within two weeks.
"I have informed Chang to work more closely with the Education Ministry so that the organising of programmes can be accelerated and increase the interest of young people in STEM.
"My concern is that we are talking about digitilisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and bioeconomy, and we want to ensure our approach reaches as many people as possible.
"So can biotechnology companies, agencies and the relevant ministries go down to schools and give some exposure to the students like once a month, just two or three hours?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Anwar also announced that the government will provide an additional allocation of RM2mil for the implementation of the Bio-based Accelerator (BBA) programme this year in order to help the bio-based industry become more innovative and technologically savvy and further increase the workforce in STEM.
"With the encouragement from the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the cooperation of Bioeconomy Corporation, BioNexus and BBA companies can ensure Malaysia has a highly qualified STEM workforce to drive innovation and sustainable development in the bioeconomy sector.
"That’s why, I fully support the ministry and Bioeconomy Corporation to further improve the BBA programme and BioNexus status,” he said. - Bernama
