Malaysia, and more importantly Kuala Lumpur (the city in which I spent most of my time), is a mixture of such different experiences: constant motion, absolute beauty, incredible growth, and hunger for technology. The midday is more hot and humid than is comfortable, but the buildings are so well air-conditioned that you need a light jacket. Since many Malaysians are Muslim, most women are dressed in traditional Muslim garb: a long skirt, covered by a long tunic, and a scarf covering the head and neck. . . but you will often find a cellular phone pressed to her ear as well! I was told, though, that although a high percentage of Malaysians use celluar phones, the service can be terribly unreliable. Local food was excellent but from my hotel window, I could also see Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr., and McDonald's. Traffic is very crowded and often overwhelming for visitors. It's not uncommon for a moped, a car, and one's taxi to share the same basic lane space with possibly an inch or two between. Nobody ever seemed to flinch, except for me! I expected Kuala Lumpur to be a medium-sized city, closely surrounded by lush vegetation of the rainforest. But with a population of more than 1 million, Kuala Lumpur is growing at an amazing rate and was much larger than I imagined. The most exciting and controversial technology focus in Kuala Lumpur today is the development of the MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor). I plan to make a return visit to Malaysia because it is such a beautiful part of the world, and so many exciting things are happening there!

The Multimedia Super Corridor

Malaysia's MSC is an aggressive plan to bring Malaysia into the next century with a strong global presence. A $40 billion project to develop a 9-by-30-mile zone within which a commercial "hub" in Southeast Asia will be developed, MSC stretches from Kuala Lumpur's Twin Petronas Towers (currently the tallest in the world) to the new International Airport opening next year.

Prime Minister Mohamed intends the MSC to be an experiment in the development of policies and laws for a borderless world in the Information Age. Occupants of the "Cyberjaya" (Cyber City) will have smart ID cards, express rail, light rail, fully wired office space, resort hotels, a greenbelt, schools and universities, shopping, residential and recre ational areas, and a paperless government at their disposal. Citizens of this "city" will be able to live, work, play, and conduct their lives within the MSC if they so desire. Corporations that wish to participate in the MSC will need to qualify for special status by forming a separate subsidiary that only exists within the MSC and employs a high percent age of white collar workers. In return, these corporations will receive tax breaks and certain "privileges," such as a guarantee against Internet censorship. This specific guarantee is very important in a country where incoming media of all kinds is filtered by the government, including television and Internet resources such as Web sites. Many compa nies from Silicon Valley and Redmond, Washington have announced plans or strong interest in participating in the MSC. MSC is an exciting possibility (even with the potential for failure) because developing nations often provide a real potential for leapfrogging the types of infrastructure that exists elsewhere. In other words, there is a better chance to build an MSC in Malaysia than try to build it in Silicon Valley, Japan, or any other advanced nation. I know that I will be watching their progress with great interest.


About the Author

Overview | Digital Photography Course | Science with eMates | Spotlight
Essay | Book Review | Community Networking | INET '97 | News


Page One | Find It | Apple Computer, Inc. | Contact Us | Help