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Prosper Thy Neighbour

The Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), implemented since 1980, was

formulated based on the belief that the development of a country depends on the quality of

its human resources. Hence, the MTCP emphasizes the development of human resources through

the provision of training in various areas which are essential for a country's development such

as development planning, poverty alleviation, agriculture development, investment promotion,

central banking, public administration, and English language.

The Economic Planning Unit, which is the focal point for all technical cooperation, is responsible

for the administration and coordination of all MTCP activities. Since its inception, the MTCP has

expanded in terms of its scope and coverage with emphasis on the exchange of development

experience. What has begun as a modest programme of technical cooperation with our ASEAN

neighbours has since expanded to include all the major regions of the world. Through the

various training programmes, Malaysia shares its own experience in different areas of development

including that of facing economic challenges such as the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis.

To ensure that the training programmes are relevant and meet the needs of participating

member countries, new programmes, especially in economic management and human resource

development have been designed to cater to their special needs, particularly, economies in

transition as well as countries which are in the throes of reconstruction. These countries

include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH), East

Timor and Afghanistan.

Among the measures taken to ensure that MTCP is planned and delivered in accordance

with the priorities of the participating countries are, regular consultations, specially packaged

courses, needs assessment missions and close collaboration with the participating parties

in the implementation of the training programmes. The MTCP forms an integral part of the

agenda of all bilateral Joint Commission Meetings (JCM), organized by the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs Malaysia.

T r a i n i n gprogrammes arespecially designedto meet the needsof participatingmember countries

PHILOSOPHY OF MALAYSIAN TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME (MTCP)

"..based on the belief that human

resource development is a vital

catalyst for countries to achieve

sustainable economic and social

development."

Initially, the MTCP's technical cooperation was confined to the nine ASEAN member

countries. Since then, the MTCP has cooperated with other developing countries by providing

technical and academic skills training, contributing towards bridging their development gaps.

Currently, it has been expanded to include 133 member countries representing nine regions in

the world as follows:

VIM. America

Through these cooperation efforts, Malaysia's bilateral ties with these MTCP member

countries were strengthened, with many supporting Malaysia's philosophy of promoting

smart partnerships, regional cooperation such as that of ASEAN-East Asia and a united South-

South position.

The MTCP is implemented through several cooperation programmes: training in both

short and long-term courses; study visits and practical attachment; advisory services through

the dispatch of experts; and project-type assistance which includes the provision of equipment

and assistance in-kind on a highly selective and case-by-case basis. The application process

starts with the notification of courses through the Malaysian Embassies/High Commissions.

The relevant brochures by the individual institution will be distributed to each focal point

for nomination by the participating countries. Following the official endorsement, the

application will be forwarded to the institutions for selection by the selection committee

comprising representatives from Economic Planning Unit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

Public Services Department.

!

As at the end of 2001, the MTCP has a membership of over 8,000 alumni world-wide

who were able to network as well as promote goodwill and mutual understanding. The largest

number of participants came from ASEAN as a group.

The MTCP short-term courses are less than three months duration. On average, these

courses run for four weeks. This short-term training is in diverse areas where Malaysia has

acquired expertise, whereby 66 scheduled courses are currently available annually in 22 training

institutions and government agencies. These courses range from public administration and

management, productivity improvement, civil aviation, ICT, central banking, agriculture management,

veterinary services, fisheries, radio broadcasting and TV production, investment promotion,

property valuation, tax administration, cooperative management, palm oil plantation management

as well as fire fighting and English Language.

Some of these courses are customized to meet the individual needs of different countries.

Beginning in 2000, dedicated courses were designed and implemented to meet the specific

needs of member countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, East Timor, Palestine and Myanmar

through courses in diplomacy, commercial pilot training, public administration, micro finance,

training for police, prison wardens, medical assistants and community nurses as well as leadership

organizational management. Under the ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation Programme,

the MTCP provided training and human resource development in ground water resource

development to the CLMV countries. The MTCP also provided special training courses in 1999-

2001 for D-8 member countries comprising Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan

and Turkey in the areas of central banking, capital market development and management of

privatization based on the Malaysian experience.

In the digital era, where knowledge and technology are constantly evolving, the South

countries are hard pressed to keep up with the North. South-South cooperation is therefore

necessary, particularly, cooperation as partners who mutually re-enforce and support one another.

Malaysia is ready to share the knowledge and experience in dealing with the many difficulties

of the development process, especially in niche areas in which Malaysia has gained advantage

through many years of research and development such as in oil palm plantation management,

agriculture development and management of veterinary services. Courses such as Human

Resources Management, Crisis Management, Planning and Management of the Urban Environment

provide participants with the Malaysian way of public administration and management. New

ICT-related courses such as Developing Multimedia Applications and Information Technology

Management in the Public Sector are offered to assist the MTCP member countries increase their

efficiency in the context of increasing globalization.

During their stay in Malaysia, all MTCP participants are provided with board and lodging

in addition to a small stipend. To provide them with a wider perspective of the Malaysian

development, these participants are taken for short study visits to relevant projects outside of

the Klang Valley where the majority of the training institutions and government agencies are

located. The Department of Drainage and Irrigation conducts its course on irrigation system

management at its National Water Management Training Centre in Kota Bharu, Kelantan while

the Department of Fishery conducts its course on brackish water aquaculture at its National

Prawn Fry and Research Centre in Kuala Muda, Kedah.

Since 1992, the MTCP also offered long-term training to about 280 participants who

obtained post-graduate degrees at the Masters and Ph.D. levels at five local public universities.

These universities are the International Islamic University (UIA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

(UKM), University Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia

(USM). These scholarships have been awarded to participants in areas such as economics,

computer science, social science, accounting, business administration, chemistry, biology,

biophysics, pharmacy, education and engineering.

The prerequisite for consideration under this MTCP programme is prior acceptance of

the participant by the local university. In this way, the high standards and quality of the higher

institutions of learning in Malaysia are maintained. Selection of the MTCP candidates is by a

special committee comprising representatives from the EPU, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the

Public Services Department and the local universities.

The MTCP also organized study visits and attachment programmes for many requesting

countries. The study visits are usually for a duration of one to two weeks while attachments

are for a slightly longer period. From 1981 to 2001, Malaysia received a total of 1,205 participants

under these programmes which provided them with the Malaysian experience in a wide range

of areas such as development planning, poverty eradication, investment promotion, privatization,

public administration and project planning.

Although the majority of these study visits are organized under the MTCP, there are

also those that are organized by MTCP in cooperation with third parties such as the UNDP,

UNOPS and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) as well as those that are self-financed by the

sending country. The MTCP extends its cooperation to these study visits in the planning and

organization of their local programmes at the various government agencies.

New activities are constantly added to the areas of cooperation which serve to enhance

and expand the scope of the programme. In recent years, the MTCP has actively participated in

the provision of advisory services through the dispatch of experts to several requesting countries.

Among the objectives of this programme is to promote income-generating activities in order to

eradicate poverty. Since 1992, experts in agriculture, banking, anti-corruption, energy as well as

a legal advisor and technicians have been sent under the MTCP, respectively, to Oman, Namibia,

Fiji, Tanzania, Kazakhstan and Cambodia. Three micro-credit experts from USM and Amanah Ikhtiar

Malaysia (AIM) were also dispatched to South Africa to assist the Women's Development Bank.

An increasing number of such activities are in the provision of advisory services, especially

in development planning. Several teams of experts led by officers from the EPU were sent to

Ghana, Kenya and the Kyrgyz Republic in 1997, Cambodia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Algeria in

2000 and Sudan in 2001/2002. These missions assisted the countries concerned to formulate

their long-term planning framework and to carry out focused programmes for investment

promotion, poverty eradication and budgeting.

Malaysia also extends on a selective basis, project-type assistance to countries

facing hardships of transition or have need of humanitarian aid. Such assistance has been

provided to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa

and the Kyrgyz Republic.

:

To ease the process of resettlement of war refugees, MTCP contributed towards the

costs of rebuilding and rehabilitation of housing and infrastructure in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Malaysia also provided low-cost housing to South Africa which served as a good model for

public housing. In the promotion of income-raising activities in Malawi, a two-year integrated

agriculture project was established in 2000 with expertise from the Malaysian Agriculture Research

Institute (MARDI) which not only includes the establishment of a Project Management Office

(PMO) but also the training of the locals in the various aspects of integrated farm management.

Third Country Technical Cooperation

Realizing the constraint of resources including specific technical expertise, the MTCP

also actively collaborates with international organizations such as the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), Economic Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations

Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),

Colombo Plan, Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) and the Asia-Pacific

Development for Information Programme (APDIP) through Third Country Training Programmes

(TCTP). These TCTP are organized through partnerships with several local agencies such as the

National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations

(IDFR), UPM, UM, the Japan-Malaysia Training Institute (JMTI) and the Centre for Instructor Advanced

Skills Training (CIAST). The areas of training are varied and include technical and skills training

in computer networking technology, welding, electrical and electronic system servicing as well

as diplomacy, small-scale industries development and promotion of a healthy environment.

With the aim of accelerating the pace of reconstruction and rehabilitation in Cambodia,

the MTCP in cooperation with the ASEAN-Japan Tripartite Joint Development Project, dispatched

53 technicians from GIAT-MARA to Cambodia between 1994 to 2002. These technicians provided

skills training to war veterans and displaced persons in three Cambodian districts in the field

of electrical installation, motorcycle repair, metal fabrication, brick laying, tiling, carpentry and

plumbing. With these skills, it is expected that the recipients would be engaged in income-

generating activities, thus assisting in poverty alleviation.

The W1TCP embodies the spirit of Smart Partnership practices whereby, through the exchange of

experiences which is a two-way process, Malaysia can also learn from the collective wisdom of other

developing countries. Such bilateral exchanges are able to spawn win-win situations where the

combined efforts of partners can change the face of development and build a better quality of life.

Recognizing the need to meet the demands of a changing environment, the MTCP is

constantly reviewed with the addition of new courses, especially in information communications

technology (ICT). Programmes are expanded and new activities designed to meet the needs and

priorities of participating countries while continuing the emphasis on human resource development.

A reciprocation of technical expertise by participating countries will also be promoted, especially in

areas which are better developed in partner countries. The modes of cooperation will also be tailored

to encourage more third party cooperation as well as greater involvement of the private sector.

The spirit of Smart Partnership,

is a workable entity that promises pro

Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad

Prime Minister of Malaysia

Langkawi Internationa Dialogue (LID 2000)

19 November 2000

Closer cooperation will also be encouraged between the MTCP and the private sector

in order to provide training in areas where the private sector has the expertise as well as to

play a catalytic role for the promotion of trade and investments in new and emerging markets.

The Malaysian South-South Corporation (MASSCORP) established in 1992, as a consortium

comprising 85 Malaysian share holders, plays an important role as a link between Malaysia and

South countries. MASSCORP has established the Malaysia-Chile Business Council and Malaysia-

South Africa Business Council in Malaysia as well as the Malaysian Business Centre in Kampala,

Uganda in August 2001. MASSCORP also plays a catalytic role for exploring and promoting trade

and investment opportunities in new markets, particularly the emerging markets. It also acts as

a vehicle for trade promotions, exports and investments as well as the transfer of technical and

management expertise to the host countries. As a shareholder of Sibexlink Sdn Bhd, a company

established under the aegis of the South Investment, Trade and Technology Data Exchange Centre

(SITTDEX) whose membership include 615 countries, MASSCORP also acts as a business information

dissemination centre to enhance linkages among the 615 and African member countries.

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