Day 3: Putrajaya and Universiti Malaya

🏫 Cruise tour Putrajaya, University of Malaya – Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC)

💡I learned that Putrajaya is a planned city, with features like a man-made lake that lowers ambient temperature and architecture such as the red-domed mosque and green-domed Prime Minister’s office, showcasing how urban planning integrates aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability.
The Universiti Malaya session with Dr Zulkiply Omar highlighted Malaysia’s economic journey, social wellbeing challenges, and why the country missed its high-income target for 2020 including covid, systemic issues and changing economic structure.

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A highlight was visiting the Universiti Malaya, with friendly staff and cheeky monkeys in the jungle classroom. Dr Omar offered new perspectives on sustainable development and how priorities change over time. Sustainability previously focussed economic growth and jobs, now social wellbeing is gaining priority. People can be above the poverty line but deprived due to poor infrastructure and mobility. With life expectancy rising, the Asian obligation to care for parents has created a sandwich generation supporting both young families and parents with limited access to pensions and retirement funds.

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SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) were central to discussions on Malaysia’s economic structure, foreign labour reliance, and social protection gaps. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) was evident in Putrajaya’s design and Cyberjaya’s ambition as a tech hub.

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Signs for “ASEAN – Inclusivity and Sustainability” were everywhere. In Australia the connotation would be inclusiveness of minorities and environmental sustainability. Dr Omar told us that in Malaysia Sustainable would refer to economic growth and this may be at the expense of the environment. Inclusivity refers to fair resource distribution, creating employment, reskilling for those displaced by de-industrialisation.
It was surprising that despite strong education investments, many citizens are “too educated” and underemployed, while industries rely on cheap foreign labour, limiting innovation.

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Malaysia’s shift from agriculture to services shows economic evolution, but rapid changes risk closures instead of innovation. Malaysian companies expanding to Australia, like Gamuda, may struggle with environmental and safety expectations, but exposure could accelerate Malaysia’s adoption of global sustainability standards.Læs mere