AS Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin toured SG Academy, the training provider for drone economy-related courses, and was briefed on its operations, one thing was made abundantly clear: there were limited teaching resources for drone technology in Malaysia.
This is something that quite baffles the mind. Malaysia has, for years now, wanted to enter the drone economy.
We have wanted to build drones and, in fact, have been building components for years. It was a natural progression, then, to step up to building drones and we have done that as well.
This also comes as a bit of a shocker on the back of news that a team of researchers have been able to turn fibre from pineapple leaves into bio-composite material sturdy enough to be made into drone frames. It is environmentally friendly too, considering that damaged frames will degrade after two weeks when buried.
The issue of limited teaching resources is something the government should look into if we want to develop our fledgling drone-production industry further and make drone economy work for the country.
It is an ever-evolving world as far as technology is concerned, and the benefits of a drone economy are, at least at this point in time, quite limitless.
At a time when our economy is suffering, going big in the drone economy would see job creation.
Commercial drones could even see industries save money as the use of these small, flying machines could be a cost effective means of inventory, distribution and even transportation.
Drones have proven useful in many sectors. In Malaysia, drones are being used to beef up security at borders as they afford security agencies a bird's eye view of things. Their use against smuggling activities, in fact, has the added benefit of helping the economy as billions of ringgit are lost each year due to these activities.
The world over, drones have also proven useful during times of natural disaster such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.
They can be used to assess damage, locate victims, deliver aid, among others. In Malaysia, drones have been used during floods since 2015. It is not just natural disasters, though, that we have found a use for them.
The frequent water disruptions, especially in the Klang Valley, is one example of how drones can be used in times of "unnatural" disaster.
Drones are now being used to monitor rivers in Selangor to ensure that pollution does not occur and the number of times we have to put up with water cuts is brought to a minimum.
A word of caution, though. As with all technology, drones can be used for less beneficial means. If the authorities can use drones against smugglers, for instance, these people can also use the same methods against security forces.
The proliferation of drone technology can also lead to invasion of privacy issues, interference with air activity, intentional or otherwise, and other illegal activities.
So, while we laud the development of the drone economy, we must be cautious, as it is with every other development. What we need are strict licensing laws and stepped-up enforcement to ensure drones are not misused.