You Can’t Build a Digital Nation with Someone Else’s Tools

(Malaysia’s tech future is slipping away — and here’s who’s responsible.)

“We aim to become a high-tech nation.” “We support digital sovereignty.” “We want more local tech champions.”

Ah, the rallying cries of our national blueprints. The slogans that echo in conferences, decorate the PowerPoint decks of government-linked agencies, and adorn the vision statements of ministries.

I’ve heard them too many times to count. And every time, I nod.

Sounds good. I want that too.

But then, I see the procurement list. I see the platforms chosen for national projects. I see the million-ringgit investment flowing overseas. And suddenly, the mirror cracks.

Behind the facade of support for “local innovation,” we’re still addicted to foreign tech, as if it were a status symbol.

The Double Standard No One Talks About

We tell local tech startups:

“Build something world-class and we’ll support you.”

So we hustle. We bootstrap. We build IoT platforms, AI tools, and cybersecurity solutions with blood, sweat, and Maggi cups.

And when we finally knock on the door of a government agency with a product we’re proud of?

The answer is…

“Eh, this is not proven yet.” “Can you integrate with this foreign system we already bought?” “We already have a solution from (insert foreign vendor name here).”

Wait a minute… so you want world-class, but you won't even give us a chance to compete?

The irony is almost poetic — we demand local heroes but hand out the contracts to imported knights.

“Why Should the Government Take the Risk?”

That’s the classic line. I’ve heard it from tender panels and steering committees.

But here’s my question:

If the government doesn’t take the calculated risk, who will?

Corporations won’t touch unproven startups. Investors are skittish. Universities are still busy filling KPIs with papers, not pilots. So what’s left?

It should be the public sector ... the backbone of the nation that plants the seeds.

But instead, we keep planting trees in someone else’s garden.

When Foreign Becomes the Default

Let me paint you a picture I’ve seen too many times:

A smart city pilot in Malaysia?

→ Uses IoT hardware from China → Sends data to a cloud account in the USA. → Analytics powered by a vendor in Germany.

Meanwhile, a local startup just ten kilometres away has built the same, tuned for our local needs, with Ringgit pricing, and an actual support team that speaks Bahasa.

But no, we didn’t even call them.

Why?

Because the foreign one “looks more impressive in the report.” Because it “has more documentation.” Because “the Minister used it during his overseas visit.”

I sighed… hard. We’re not building capacity. We’re just importing convenience.

Tech Sovereignty Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s Survival

Let’s get real. This isn’t about waving the Jalur Gemilang at every tech expo. It’s not about blind patriotism.

It’s about control. It’s about future-proofing.

Suppose we outsource our digital infrastructure, our data sovereignty, our AI models ... we’re not a digital nation. We’re a digital colony.

Don’t believe me?

Let a foreign API go down and watch a national dashboard freeze.

Let a license expire and see an entire smart city system go blind.

Let a sanctions list update, and suddenly we can’t use the tool we built our operations on.

Still think it's “just a tech decision”?

The False Narrative of “Too Small to Matter”

Another excuse I’ve heard: “Local products are not scalable. They’re just for POCs.”

Let me ask — why do you think that is?

When every national project sidelines local platforms, how will they ever scale?

It’s a chicken-and-egg situation, and we keep boiling the egg before the chicken is even born.

You want world-class products? Start with world-class support for them at home.

A RM1 million grant to a local startup is oxygen. A RM10 million deal to a foreign firm is just another invoice.

The Lost Opportunity of Procurement

Here’s what most people forget:

Government procurement is not just about buying, it’s about shaping the ecosystem.

Every time you pick a local platform, you:

• Validate the tech.
• Boost investor confidence.
• Give jobs to local engineers.
• Train more Malaysians in our own systems.
• Create export potential.

It’s not spending. It’s nation-building.

But when you pick foreign tools for convenience, you do the opposite:

• Make us tech-dependent.
• Drain our foreign reserves.
• Disincentivise innovation.
• And worst of all, it sends a signal that local is not enough.

What Happens When the Government Believes First

I'm hoping to give you a hopeful glimpse.

A small agency decides to trial a local IoT platform. The project is modest — say, monitoring air quality in rural schools.

The result?

• Fast deployment.
• A locally trained team supports it.
• The platform evolves with feedback.
• Students get exposed to Malaysian tech.

Six months later, the data gets used in policymaking. The platform scales to other schools. Investors notice. Universities adopt it for research. The startup grows, hires more people, and begins exporting.

All because one government unit took a chance.

That’s the power you hold.

It’s Not About Excluding Foreign Tech — It’s About Prioritising Ours

I’m not saying ban foreign tools. Many are excellent. Some are even necessary.

But the default should be “local first, unless proven otherwise.”

Not the other way around.

Let local startups pitch. Let them show what they can do. Give them a scorecard, a sandbox, a chance.

Because if you never invite them to the table, don’t be surprised when they never grow up to serve the feast.

A Call to Every Officer, Every Ministry, Every GLC

Next time you:

• Open a tender…
• Plan a digitalisation initiative…
• Need a new analytics tool…
• Want to pilot a smart system…

Ask this first:

“Is there a Malaysian alternative?”

And if the answer is yes, give it a serious shot.

You don’t need to wait for a policy to do what’s right. Procurement isn’t just red tape — it’s a vote for the ecosystem you want to see.

Don’t just say you support local tech. Show it.

The Mirror Is Still There

We often ask, “Why don’t our startups succeed?”

But maybe the real question is…

Did we ever give them a real chance to?

If we only look to the West for our tech salvation, we’ll never realise the power of what we can build here with our minds, on our soil, for our people.

The mirror is waiting.

Will the government finally look into it?

Or will we keep turning away, hoping someone else will build the future for us?

Let’s build it together — right here, right now.