Malaysia must honour its greatest minds — Ahmad Ibrahim

JULY 4 — For decades, the world has looked to science for answers. From climate change and resource depletion to pandemics and social inequality, every existential threat we face demands a scientific solution. Yet, ironically, just when we need science the most, interest in it is waning. In Malaysia, the warning signs are clear: declining enrolment in STEM fields, a stalled shift up the economic value chain, and a creeping resignation that we might forever remain assemblers, not inventors.

This is not a failure of our scientists’ ability. It is a failure of national imagination. If we want a future built on innovation, we must start by venerating its architects. It is time for the Malaysian government to bestow the highest civilian honour – the Tunship – upon a scientist. Specifically, upon Tan Sri Omar Abdul Rahman, the nation’s first Science Advisor, who at past 90 years of age, still fights for science with the vigour of a man half his time. For too long, the science community has quietly asked for this. The time for quiet is over. The decision must be made now, before we lose another generation to the myth that only politics or business lead to national glory.

A Tunship for science is not merely a ceremonial ribbon. It is a strategic signal. It says to every child sitting in a physics class, every researcher sweating in a lab, and every policymaker staring at an Excel sheet: Excellence in discovery is the highest form of service to the nation. We have given our highest titles to statesmen, judges, and tycoons. They have served their roles. But who has served the future? Who has secured our food supply, advised on biodiversity, or laid the intellectual groundwork for our industrial policy? That was Tan Sri Omar Abdul Rahman.

Consider the candidate. Tan Sri Omar is not just a scientist; he is the embodiment of Malaysian science’s potential. As the first Science Advisor to the nation, he bridged the impossible gap between the laboratory and the Cabinet room. In an era when populism often trumps evidence, he stood firm. He represented a time when Malaysia dared to think – when we believed that we could move from producing palm oil to producing knowledge.

At over 90 years old, he has outlived many of his contemporaries, but not his relevance. He still carries that torch. To honour him now is to honour every unsung researcher in academia, every frustrated PhD student, and every engineer who chose to stay in Penang rather than emigrate to Singapore. Some will argue that a Tunship cannot be “retroactively” assigned in this manner. Not true. There is much to gain honouring a lifetime of rigorous, patient, nation-building science. Others will say science is a collective effort. True – which is precisely why we should elevate a proxy, a figurehead. Tan Sri Omar is the perfect proxy for the thousands of Malaysian scientists who deserve the honour.

The risk of delay is catastrophic. Every day we wait, the message we send is a destructive one: that science remains a second-class pursuit. Our economy suffers because our brightest minds see no apex to climb. Our sustainability goals falter because we treat climate change as a political football, not a technical challenge. The government has shown commitment – through the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, through various research grants. But policy without symbolism is hollow. You cannot solve a crisis of inspiration with a tax incentive.

We need a Tunship for science. And we need it for Tan Sri Omar Abdul Rahman while he still stands to receive it. Let him be the first. Let him be the beacon. Let his title be a clarion call to every young Malaysian: Your country needs what is in your mind, not just your hands. The world needs science to survive. Malaysia needs science to thrive. Give science its highest honour. Give it the Tunship. Do it now, before the light dims further. As Senior Fellow at the Academy of Science Malaysia, ASM, I would strongly urge the government to do this right honour for science.

* Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Ibrahim  is affiliated with the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies at UCSI University and is an Adjunct Professor at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya. 

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.