Being an Anak Malaysia means many creative and innovative individuals making a strong impact in fashion, visual arts, and digital technology. Malaysia has long been celebrated for its distinctive handcrafted creations, cherished by local and international travelers alike. I wish to name a few: Esther Tai and Amy Tai - Sisters who co-founded Machino Malaysia, a popular comfort-fashion footwear brand famous for its signature floral designs and ergonomic insoles. Kamwei Fong: An artist recognized worldwide for his distinct ink-and-fur style illustrating fluffy cats and animals. Kaigan Games: A local game development studio backed by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), known for creating immersive thriller titles like Deadly Rehearsal.(https://top10Malaysian.com)
On the eve of our 69th National Day, my family & I visited the Sunway Tiny Toys, an official store and collectible brand located right next to the Sunway Lagoon Malaysia main entrance in Sunway City, offering detailed die-cast miniature celebrating Malaysian heritage and nostalgia. My grandchildren were mesmerized with the popular collectibles: Die cast model cars and vehicles like the iconic orange Bas Sekolah (school bus), Mercedes-Benz mini buses, and collaborations featuring Malaysian icons like the Proton Saga MC3 and Proton e.MAS 5. It features an innovative Sunway Tiny Experience Factory.
As a management educator, I realized encouraging creativity and innovation in children and young Malaysians requires a mix of hands-on learning, cultural appreciation, and supportive digital spaces. As such, educational approaches should be project-based learning by introducing real-world problem-solving in classrooms rather than relying solely on rote memorization. Thus, design challenges by organizing school hackathons where students build prototypes to solve local community issues. Make spaces like Sunway Tiny by establishing community labs equipped with 3D printers, coding kits, and crafting tools.
During my tenure as Chairman of Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBG) with several primary and secondary schools, I encouraged children and students to explore innovative twists on classic arts like Wau (kite) making or Batik painting, promote local folklore and modern Malaysian comics as creative prompts.
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