By Staff
Thursday, September 04 2003 07:01 AM
URL: http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,39149080,00.htm

The Malaysian government plans to become a major user of the country's locally-produced software, reported official news agency Bernama.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in the report that the country's government would like to increase the use of local products, including information and communications technology (ICT) products.

He revealed that the Prime Minister's department recently switched to locally-made software.

However, the government will not use them just because the products are made in the country. Local producers must improve the quality of their products, as the government emphasizes on the importance of quality products, Abdullah said in the report.

Malaysia must emphasize meritocracy-- a system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement-- in order to compete in a global ICT world, he continued.

Recently, SAS Malaysia secured orders worth RM20 million (US$5.26 million) this year from buyers that included government and non-government sectors such as financial services, telecommunications and the public sector.

The Malaysian firm, which focuses on business intelligence tools for analyzing corporate data, competes with vendors that sell prepackaged software from firms such as Crystal Decisions and Brio Software.