There are many old things in Datuk Ghazi Sheikh Ramli’s office but they serve a purpose,

writes ARMAN AHMAD. New Sunday Times, 1 March 2009 (source NST ON LINE)

YOU may think you have stepped into an antique store when you visit Datuk Ghazi Sheikh Ramli at his office in Shah Alam.

There are about 300 items in the room, including village tools, old electronic appliances and telephones. But they’re not for sale. They form a learning laboratory to show how innovation has influenced the development of products today.

In one corner, there is a big boxy electronic gadget with microphones and a cassette deck. Ghazi said: “This was one of the first karaoke machines in Malaysia.”

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had given it to him in 1983.
Ghazi, a music fan, had the lyrics of dozens of Malay songs typewritten on cards and compiled into a collection, which he displays next to the machine.

Despite building a comprehensive collection of Malay songs for his own use, he never produced the kara-oke albums commercially, something which he regrets. “At that time, I never thought about commercialising it, otherwise I would have made a lot of money.”

Now, it is this sort of innovation which he wants to preach to Malaysians. “Some time ago, a person (Thomas Edison) created the record player. He went on to sell it. But then someone else added a radio to the record player and you got the radio gramophone.” This product was a new product that appealed to consumers, he said.

Realising the ability of innovation to create products with added value, he wants Malaysians in the arts and sciences to include it in their work.

“If you want to achieve economic success, you have to innovate. This is where I come in. Some people become financial gurus. I want to become a preacher for innovation.” To achieve this, he set up the Malaysian Association of Creativity and Innovation. “I surfed websites and found that the US, Japan and Korea have associations for creativity and innovation. So I set up one in Malaysia.”
There are many old things in Datuk Ghazi Sheikh Ramli’s office but they serve a purpose, writes ARMAN AHMAD. (New Sunday Times, 1 March 2009 (source NST ON LINE)

Being at the forefront of change is nothing new to him. He began his career doing market research on batik and leather products. He then joined Kulitkraf and became the general manager within 10 months. In 1976, he entered politics, setting up an Umno branch in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. The 66-year old former senator was known as the “ICT Man” during his days as a politician because he was keen on promoting it at the time. He served two terms as senator from 1997 to 2003.

He said Dr Mahathir had made it a buzzword at the time and he “looked after” information and communication technology during his days as a senator. But now, Ghazi is more interested in innovation.
“There are nearly 600,000 small- and medium-scale enterprises in this country. “They need to embark on a course of innovation, otherwise we’ll have a ‘me-too’ economy. “Someone sets up a stall selling nasi lemak and everyone else starts selling nasi lemak, too. This is not what we want. So how do we achieve an innovation-led economy? Where does innovation come from? It starts from within us.”

He said most people were born creative. “But somehow along the way, as we grow up, we become less and less creative. “That has a lot to do with upbringing. At home, our parents tell us ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that’. “Then we go to school and our teachers tell us, ‘you can’t do this’ and ‘you can’t do that’. This is the ‘right answer’. If you answer differently ‘it’s wrong’.”

Ghazi has also written a book, Purple Beach, which encourages the need to use innovations to move away from areas of intense competition. Ghazi organises innovation and creativity workshops from his Cr8tive Hub office in Bukit Jelutong. He can be reached at 03-78423528.

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