KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said Malaysia should follow Bangalore’s example when it comes to addressing the failed Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project.

The MP for Iskandar Putri currently in Bangalore questioned why Malaysia failed in its bid to replicate Silicon Valley while Bangalore succeeded, highlighting several factors, which included an abundance of higher education institutions within the area.

“One explanation is that Bangalore has the highest number of engineering colleges than any other city in the world,” Lim said in a statement.

“Karnataka is a prime centre of learning with 16 universities, 133 medical training institutions, 134 engineering colleges and 712 colleges.

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“It is the ‘science centre’ of India with over 100 research and development centres and has become a hub for Startup culture.”

The MSC programme was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on 12 February 1996. The establishment of the MSC program was crucial to accelerate the objectives of Vision 2020 and to transform Malaysia into a modern state by 2020, with the adoption of a knowledge-based society framework.

With Vision 2020 now unachievable, the plan for MSC has also not materialised.

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Lim pointed out that Bangalore has become the backbone of India’s US$60.5 billion (RM253.3 billion) outsourcing industry, carving a name for itself as the “technology hub of the East”.

“The outsourcing industry has transformed Bangalore from an Indian to a cosmopolitan city with several IT parks, international schools and quality housing facilities.

“Malaysia should learn from Bangalore’s success to become a second Silicon Valley!” added the 78-year-old.

In 2017, the World Economic Forum named Bangalore the world’s most dynamic city, based on factors including innovation and technology.

Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka is the favorite destination for IT job seekers. It is also known as the “Silicon Valley of India”.

The original Silicon Valley, situated in the southern San Francisco Bay Area of California, is home to many start-ups and global technology companies like Apple, Facebook and Google.