Acknowledgements. - Perface. - 1. Providing more priority for the poor. - 2. We need to be more competitive. - 3. Shoring up emerging economic weaknesses. - 4. The weakening euro and the hidden hand of Washington at work. - 5. The DPM's five guiding principles. - 6. Budget 2001: Good but fell short of expectations. - 7. Leberalising faster to become more competitive. - Resolutions to overcome challenges in 2001. - 9. Bumiputera contractors' setback also hits non-bumiputeras. - 10. Is US money politics okay? - 11. Malaysia ranked second in Asia in globalisation efforts. - 12. Proposals to sustain Malaysia's economic recovery. - 13. What's hampering the Malaysian economy? - 14. Fuming over the United States's brand of democracy. - 15. The Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA). 16. Enhancing racial unity in schools and universites. 17. How optimistic can we be about the economy in mid-2001? - 18. The Third outline Perspective plan (2001-2010). - 19. Good governance. - 20. Balance in business at UMNO Supreme Council Meeting. - 21. Initiatives to soften impact of economic slowdown. - 22. Kudos to the Cabinet's no-quota decision. - 23. Policy changes for effectiveness. - 24. Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 20 years as prime minister of Malaysia. - 25. G8 leaders must learn to listen to their people. - 26. Changing budget strategy and direction. - 27. One race, one nation: new approaches. - 28. Can we develop a Malaysian brand? - 29. Perking up academic standard through radical action. - 30. Avoiding a recession and ensuring economic sustainability. - 31. Dealing with the roots of terrorism. - 32. Budget 2002: The need to face up to global realities. - 33. Budget 2002: sound but not aggressive enough. - 34. Global economy takes a beating. - Suggested Reading. - Index.

The remarkable thing about the Malaysian economy is not how far it has come but how well it has recovered from the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Tough times now beckon with a slowdown in the Western economies, where the chill winds of global downturn are beginning to nip at the ankles. Malaysia has been acknowledged as the richest and best managed Islamic democracy in the world. The question, however, is whether Malaysia can sustain this outstanding record of socioeconomic development, with its enviable political stability and its unique brand of social engineering that has strengthened racial harmony in one of the most complex societies in the world. Will Malaysia be able to seize the opportunities that well managed globalisation can provide or will it be "gobble-ised" and dominated by the economic might of the Western industrial powers and the powerful multinationals in the painful process of economic liberalisation?... Besides providing an overview of the Malaysian economy and what makes it tick, this book looks at the continuing concerns as to whether Malaysia can overcome the many new challenges that it will confront with the rising tide of globalisation. - Back cover.