VOA标准英语2010年-Malaysia's Efforts to Liberalize Econo

The government of Malaysia knows that, in the current global economic situation, it must innovate¹ to survive. Its traditional manufacturing base is threatened by competition from lower-wage countries. The country is promoting a new economic model that would use technology to increase development and is investing in developing high-end products and a highly skilled workforce². Still, economists⁴ say Malaysia's economy continues to lag behind developed neighbors because of government policies that stifle⁵ competitive market forces.

Halimaton Hamdan, a professor of nanotechnology at the Technical University of Malaysia, has developed a process to extract silicon⁶ dioxide from rice husks. Rice husks are what is left over after the grain is harvested. Silicon dioxide is a key ingredient in a number of products, from cement to insulation⁷. Hamdan says providing a cheap source of this material from a locally available and abundant source is the kind of innovation Malaysia needs to compete in a global economy.

"We can come up with value-added products. So this is the advantage and cut a lot of costs at the same time and it will benefit, at the end, because the application of this product is going to support the technology, because it is a green process and at the same time, hopefully, we can provide materials for our local construction buildings and things like that," said Hamdan.

Hamdan's work is being funded by the government. It is part of the country's drive to make Malaysia more competitive in the global economy.

Economist³ Yeah Kim Leng says Malaysia's past success in building a vibrant⁸ middle class is threatened by low demand for from the United States and Europe, following the global economic crisis, and by low-wage competitors in Vietnam and Cambodia. He says the country's only option for future growth is to follow the model of developed neighbors like Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.

"These countries have invested tremendously in human resources, having very open as well as meritocracy-led economies that impact on polices that emphasize a lot on science and technology," he said.

Malaysian cities, like Kuala Lumpur, already have the infrastructure⁹ needed - modern buildings, good public transportation and high-speed electronic communications - to support a growing technology sector¹⁰.

The Malaysian government's investment in research is also starting to pay off.  In addition to Hamdan's work, students and professors are also developing new medical technology to detect heart and hearing problems. Hamdan says, although this research has succeeded in developing new, innovative¹¹ technology, the private sector has been slow to utilize¹² it for commercial application.

"The main challenge is trying to convince especially the industry,  because in the past it's very difficult for us [in] the local [community] to convince the industry that we have a product that can be commercialized," he said.

However, Malaysia's main challenge is making its economy more competitive. For four decades, the government employed a policy of racial preferences for ethnic¹³ Malays. The policy's goal was to close the gap between rich businessmen, mostly Chinese, and the poor, who were mostly Malay.  Kim Leng says, although the policy succeeded in creating a vibrant Malay middle class, it also stifled¹⁴ competition.

"Some good policies, over time, become bad policies, if they are not changed, if they do not keep up with things," he said.

Last year, the government announced a new policy weakening a requirement that companies reserve 30 percent of their shares for ethnic Malays.  Leng says, in the long-term, liberalization of the economy will create new jobs and opportunities but, for now, the country's traditional manufacturing base will continue to shrink.

"In the short term there will be pain. There will be objections to opening up the markets.  There will be the need for government
 intervention to elevate, not to rollback, this liberalization or expansion, market expansion, but actually to assist these industries in coping with an intensified¹⁵ competition from these countries," he said.

He says, over time, equal opportunity could turn Malaysia's ethnic diversity into an economic advantage. The language and cultural links between Chinese and Indian ethnic minorities, in particular, could help increase economic ties between Malaysia and the two largest economies in Asia.
 

1 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

6 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

7 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

8 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

12 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

13 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

14 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

15 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》