It is crucial that we appreciate from a high-level perspective the direction and content of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, which currently is in the process of being articulated by the ministries and scheduled to be tabled in Parliament before the year ends.

To do this we need to ask some very fundamental questions and answer them in the most truthful, thoughtful and sincere manner. In the first instance, there should be absolutely no room for self-denial, apologies and for the planting and protecting of sectarian political interests.

Everything must be placed on the table and not below it as our politicians love to do. Only national interests and survival matters. Failure to do so would mean compromising national survival to the forces of the market and the hard realities of globalisation.

Now, let us answer these fundamental questions in a detached manner. Who are we in the context of our national development and what is our place in the global village? How and on what basis are we going to thrive and survive in the globalised world?

We continue to be a small but progressive nation with a population of about 23 million. A multi-racial country that is well-endowed with natural resources and relatively well-educated and adaptable citizens that are well-respected as a people and a nation regionally and among other Third World countries.

In the last 20 years, it has been transformed into an industrialised country from one that had been dependent on natural resources and agricultural produce. Malaysians have just begun to develop a sense of national identity and of shared dreams.

And a realisation that survival means sharing and working together as a single and united Malaysian race.

But the reality today is that Malaysia continues to be a composite society with each of the races bargaining for the preservation of their own language and cultural traditions. Racial bargaining at the political party-level continues to be the way for mutual co-existence.

This has resulted in huge wastage and inefficiencies in terms of time and resources. National issues are often over-politicised resulting in tremendous loss of national resources, drifting focus and weak strategic directions.

The dismal population number continues to be a setback in terms of human capital supply for the desired quality and quantity. This is further magnified by racial issues, which give rise to less than optimum deployment of human capital resources. This also means that the small domestic market is not viable for many manufacturing activities.

On its own, Malaysia would never be able to develop scale and scope to could compete favourably anywhere. And to not address the situation, would see her helpless and destitute in the emerging globalised world.

From the above perspectives, it becomes obvious that the issue of national competitiveness and survival should not be divorced from issues of national integration.

Malaysian competitiveness has been lost to countries like China, India and even to neighbouring countries like Thailand and Vietnam that offer cheaper cost of labour and larger domestic markets for consumer products.

The Malaysian government, however, has diligently identified new niches that are intellectual property- intensive for us to delve into such as biotechnology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the in-sourcing of common services. This is apart from enhancing the country's existing strength in agriculture, tourism and the oil and gas industries.

The country needs to attract and develop the right talents to man these sectors. This requires an appropriate National Human Resource Plan and accompanying policies to be put in place. There is also the need for an update of the National Industrial Plan and the reintroduction of the National Agricultural Plan or the 'Green Book' initiative.

A National ICT Plan should be the backbone of the National Development Plan (NDP) as the former is going to be an increasingly important window to the world.

The 9th Malaysia Plan should also address the development of Malaysian soft infrastructure, from the democratic process to the independence and relevance of the law and the judiciary in the light of new technologies and evolving values in a shrinking globilised world.

Failure to do this would render the country irrelevant and it would never be on the radar screens of the much sought after investors besides being denied from marketing our products in the major markets of the future.

Finally, the issue of nation-building and the nurturing of a truly united Malaysian society through the creation of sustainable Bangsa Malaysia should be our final objective. United we stand and divided we fall is the only maxim that shows us the way to weather the onslaught of globalisation - before it is too late.