If there ever was a state in Malaya that started globalisation long before the word was coined, then Perak was it. Thanks largely to tin and rubber, two commodities that put the state on the world map in the early 19th and 20th centuries.
Until the industry's crash in 1985, tin was the "protagonist" of Perak's globalisation story. Palm oil put Perak on the world map again when rubber began stagnating in the early 1970s. But the tin story was hard to beat.
Globalisation is in fact the title of Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah's book launched on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. It tells the story of Perak's rise, relative decline and regeneration. There is much history there, as it must. Context is all important, especially when the past is viewed with a particular future in mind. After all, economics has its history, too. And there is lots of it between the covers of this 566-page hardcover book.
What then is this particular future for Perak? Sultan Nazrin sees this as one being built around a bold "New Vision" based on five building blocks. The first is ensuring efficient and transparent institutions. This is a good starting point. After all, an effective state government is one that delivers in the most efficient and cost-disciplined way, as the Perak ruler puts it. The book points out that today, responsibility for Perak's development is spread across multiple state agencies. Add to this, "deficits in capabilities" and "inefficiencies in managing resources." The royal suggestion for a review of the relevance of the current mandates and the performance of entities is only to be expected. Or better yet, establish a new state development agency or repurpose an existing one to help steer the New Vision holistically.
The second is rebuilding human capital and increasing employability. Talent outflow has long been a problem for Perak. Not only must such human capital be kept at home, but Perak's diaspora must be enticed to return home. This means pitching higher education to world-class standards, Sultan Nazrin writes. Upskilling and reskilling of workers are also a must.
The third is investing in global gateways. Unlike Selangor and Penang, which have major ports and airports, Perak has no international gateway to speak of. Investments that could have headed to Perak instead headed to Selangor or Penang. Ipoh's airport needs to grow if it wants to attract investments. So must Lumut's maritime facilities.
Leveraging and enhancing Perak's natural and historical assets is the fourth building block. Perak is blessed with spectacular ones. Belum Temenggor, the world's most ancient rainforest—some have aged it at 130 million years—is one. Yet, federal and state laws have systematically discounted the conservation value of environmental assets while undervaluing the services they provide, the book notes. This may be a push too near the ecological ceiling, thus challenging intergenerational equity to the limit. But there is a royal cure for this, though. Careful policy choices, along with the right economic incentives and regulatory and administrative guidance from the state government, could avoid extensive trade-offs between development and environmental objectives, points out Sultan Nazrin.
Finally, the book concludes with decentralising more revenue-raising and decision-making powers to Perak.