The recent announcement by the government that it will spend RM800 million to roll out broadband internet access to rural areas to me is ample proof why our PM has to put more urgency towards reforming our country's leadership and administration.

This amount is the price of ignorance, poor leadership and corruption. It is unbelievable that only one year after Bill Gates came to this country and told us that we should let private sector lead the way in developing the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC ), we have not learned anything

On paper it sounds like a courageous move - to bridge the digital divide between the rural and urban areaa. Unfortunately it bridges nothing but perpetuates the dependency mentality for 'things' rather than processes.

It shows a lack of faith in the free market and in individuals to decide what is best for them. It shows a reaffirmation for state intervention when they know little about what to do. It shows a wrong sense of priorities and overconfidence when one knows so little. In short, its nothing more than a leftover of Mahathir-ism and the Umno/BN of old.

This move is not needed when we are building schools that not enough people want, when we have children who are not motivated, and children (as well as some parents still) that cannot see the relevance of school and education in their future lives.

This move is not needed when we have to spend billions on 'national service' to correct our national social and ideological problems.

And our leaders have the gall to believe that having a very fast computer network with an overwhelming amount of information will solve things? It's just pure fallacy and perpetuation of minor facts into overwhelming urgency.

As a technology entrepreneur, I am a believer in technology and the power of information but before that let me testify that it is the power of individual motivation and self-awareness that makes any power possible.

Without the fundamentals, the power of anything is useless and even dangerous. I have seen millions spent on tech ventures that have failed, I have seen good companies and ideas destroyed by incompetencies. I have even seen countries destroyed by grandiose ideas.

My advice to the PM is to let people who understand technology as well as government policies in technology to decide on RM800 million projects rather than old cronies with civil service more used to rubber stamping than coming up with real solutions.