To imagine that we could solve the problems of this magnitude                                                                                         
in one conference is, presumptuos. While the Global Knowledge                                                                                         
Partners (GKP) are putting drafts together for futher action,                                                                                         
half of the six billion people of the world are living in                                                                                             
abject and absolute poverty. On the other hand, there are                                                                                             
those who are celebrating in a "giddy mood of affluence"                                                                                    
having struck gold in the high-tech sectors.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Of course, when all are eyeing the "untold riches" in the                                                                                   
Internet "goldrush," the so-called old economy companies are                                                                                
in the doldrums. Some have even abandoned the time-tested                                                                                             
backbone of the economies - the industries, the banks, the                                                                                            
power companies, the retailers and all other old- economy                                                                                             
companies.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
In this crazy frenzy, many did not stop to ponder that some                                                                                           
Internet companies will not exist after the Internet stock                                                                                            
speculative mania ends.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
It is no wonder that when we talk about the levels of                                                                                                 
disparities, some have immediately concluded that to have a                                                                                           
computer with access to the Internet equals riches, while the                                                                                         
poor are those with no computers.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Should that be the case, all we need to do is to prov4,de                                                                                             
everyone with computers and bingo! the problems are solved.                                                                                           
Why then would our Prime Minister worry about transcending the                                                                                        
divide in a meaningful way?                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Knowledge has always been power and wealth, provided it is                                                                                            
effectively applied and disseminated. The ICT revolution is                                                                                           
here, bringing with it a sea of change. Its impact on the                                                                                             
information and communication technologies is dramatic.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
With it, globalisation is inevitable. So as not to be stranded                                                                                        
in the sea of change, in the true spirit of "Malaysia Boleh,"                                                                               
Dr Mahathir has announced the K-Economy Master Plan,                                                                                                  
Malaysia's second leap after Vision 2020 into the information                                                                                         
age that would transform Malaysia into a"knowledge-driven                                                                                        
economy.                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
For us to succeed, all Malaysians will have to be involved.                                                                                           
Fired by Vision 2020 the goal of becoming a fully developed                                                                                           
nation by 2020 - Malaysia is surely surging ahead in the new                                                                                          
Knowledge Economy.                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
To attract investors, we have built the Multimedia Super                                                                                              
Corridor (MSC), the high-tech Cyberjaya, and an excellent                                                                                             
infrastructure for IT-related investments. We even have the                                                                                           
MSC Bill of Guarantees as the Government's undertaking to                                                                                             
allow a free and uncensored flow of information into and out                                                                                          
of the country.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The PC Ownership Campaign was launched to create awareness and                                                                                        
to make ownership of computers easier for Malaysians. In line                                                                                         
with this, banks and finance companies have been urged to                                                                                             
provide more favourable financing.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
The Government leads the way by providing PC loans at only 4%                                                                                         
interest. The withdrawal of Employees Provident Fund (EPF)                                                                                            
savings to buy computers has also been approved.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
While the Government has a K-Master Plan, every Malaysian                                                                                             
should have a personal master plan to bridge the economic and                                                                                         
development gap, information and knowledge gap and the great                                                                                          
divide between those who are information and knowledge                                                                                                
empowered, and those who are information and knowledge                                                                                                
disenfranchised.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
The problems of the "disenfranchised underclass" should be                                                                                  
addressed in tandem with the other disparities. We should not                                                                                         
disregard their contribution and the importance of maintaining                                                                                        
social and political harmony.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Remember the infamous French Revolution (1789-1799), an                                                                                               
example of a series of violent political and social upheavals                                                                                         
in France by the peasants who were depressed by the nobility                                                                                          
and inefficient agricultural methods.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Although there is now a padigm shift in the Information Age,                                                                                          
our fundamental needs have not changed. The peasants in France                                                                                        
were the poorest but that did not mean they were not starved                                                                                          
for knowledge - perhaps better agricultural method,                                                                                                   
infrastructure and trading systems.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
The tragedy was that the country went bankrupt and there was                                                                                          
rapid inflation after a series of wars. We can ill-afford this                                                                                        
type of catastrophe in our quest to transcend the divide.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
In Malaysia, while the various parties are debating whether                                                                                           
urban school children should be provided with lockers in                                                                                              
school or just opt for laptops, there are orang asli children                                                                                         
who have to make do with ramshackle classrooms. Some have to                                                                                          
trek for miles to class, while others have waited in vain for                                                                                         
days for their buses to turn up.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
On the other hand, there are those who are proactive and                                                                                              
benevolent. For example, a group of companies and                                                                                                     
organisations (National IT Council, the Education Ministry,                                                                                           
the United Nations Development Programme, Mimos Bhd and                                                                                               
Automative Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd) have recently embarked on                                                                                         
a campaign to bridge the "digital divide" in Malaysia through                                                                               
the introduction of the Mobile Internet Unit (MIU)                                                                                                    
www.miu.nitc.org.my - a modest fleet of converted vehicles                                                                                            
equipped, with Internet-enabled computers.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The MIU visits non-mainstream schools to promote IT awareness.                                                                                        
There is also the Carlsberg Computer Education Fund 2000,                                                                                             
organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia                                                                                          
and Carlsberg, to raise funds to help poor students pursue IT                                                                                         
careers.                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The Lions e-Community Club of Cybercare (www.lion-cybercar.                                                                                           
orq) developed under the wings of the National IT Council aims                                                                                        
to connect children (from homes and orphanages) of the world                                                                                          
where they learn and share, care, love and lead each other                                                                                            
towards achieving infinite dreams and possibilities.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
The Tun Razak Youth Leadership Awards programme and the Tun                                                                                           
Hussein Onn Renewal Awards programme are annual workshops                                                                                             
organised by the Malaysian Institute of Management, and                                                                                               
sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, that prepare                                                                                             
national youths and mid- career Malaysians to lead and help                                                                                           
their community in bridging the knowledge and generation gaps.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
The private and public sectors could do more, While the world                                                                                         
is shifting its paradigm, corporations need to unlearn the old                                                                                        
ways and relearn the new operatives that are essential for the                                                                                        
information Age.  With the shift to K-Economy, it is now                                                                                              
crucial that the number of unskilled and low-knowledge workers                                                                                        
be reduced. Employees should be retrained, and management                                                                                             
policies and procedures realigned accordingly.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Moreover, we should be prepared to learn new management styles                                                                                        
because it has been widely predicted that with the progressive                                                                                        
ICT, face- to-face communication will be greatly reduced, In                                                                                          
time to come, the need for having. a large office space to                                                                                            
house the whole workforce may be eliminated.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
With the new breed of knowledge workers, the traditional                                                                                              
method of staff training would be replaced by the usage of                                                                                            
multimedia, the Internet and websites. For corporations                                                                                               
wishing to have a strong and meaningful footing in the era                                                                                            
when dot-com companies are surging ahead, "change" is the                                                                                   
operative word for success.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Many successful multi-national companies claim that they                                                                                              
"think global, act local" in customising their business                                                                                     
models. Some have urged the Global Knowledge Partners to                                                                                              
"think local, act global."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
However, in order to achieve the series of miracles to                                                                                                
transcend the present global divides, we look forward to a                                                                                            
time when all will "think global, act global."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
* Eric C,K. Chan is an MIM course leader. He was a youth                                                                                              
participant at the GKII Conference and Malaysia's                                                                                                     
KnowledgeMasterplan Congress. E-mail: ckchan@manage.edu.my