FOREWORD BY TUN DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD (FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA)

A Delightful Tribute to Putrajaya

Launched in 1999, the township of Putrajaya marked the entry of Malaysia into the 21st Century. Like a mega jigsaw puzzle it came together, piece by piece, unraveling a new Malaysia as visualized in Vision 2020. Besides being the new administrative capital of the nation, Putrajaya is also the backbone of the greater conurbation that includes the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Petronas Twin Towers and Cyberjaya.

Putrajaya was a pleasant and rewarding experience because it gave me and the team that worked with me a beautiful and pristine environment from which to design and build a city from scratch. The fine balance of the three elements of sky, water and land gave Putrajaya that sense of openness and proximity to nature which, to me, is what a city of the future is all about.

I would like to record my immense appreciation to the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, and in particular, to Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Limkokwing, for undertaking this publication and for paying meticulous attention to the finer details that give Putrajaya its distinctive character and enduring beauty.

PREFACE BY TAN SRI DATO' SRI DR LIM KOK WING (PRESIDENT, LIMKOKWING UNIVERSITY OF CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY)

National Icons and Hallmarks of Innovation

Bold and ambitions, the twin cities of Putrajaya and Cyberjaya serve as a shining beacon for Malaysia even as the country strives to be on a par with the rest of the creative and innovative world.

Clearly among the most beautiful on a global scale, they are iconic cities ahead of their time, highly distinctive due to their unique characteristics that fuse futuristic technology with elements that are steeped in tradition.

They are rightly part of the country's heritage that every Malaysian should be proud of – an embodiment of our aspirations and achievements – and we all say, thank you, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for your farsightedness in conceiving these intelligent garden cities of timeless beauty; for bringing into our midst a lasting legacy that showcases our rich heritage and that allows us to stand proud on the world stage.

It's a reflection of the Malaysia Boleh spirit – and more; it is surely a source of inspiration for present and future generations.

With the premiership baton having been passed on to Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, Malaysians now get to witness how, from the seat of government in Putrajaya, the Prime Minister steadfastly continues the work of transforming Malaysia into a dynamic innovation economy. Putrajaya and Cyberjaya are critical components in the branding of Malaysia as an innovation nation able to hold its own in the highly competitive global stage, and the Prime Minister has wasted no time in pushing such apt concepts as 1Malaysia.

Inspiring Putrajaya: World's First Intelligent Garden City fittingly pays tribute to these great men of vision – and to the brilliance of the twin cities.

Indeed all who behold the sights and sounds of Putrajaya and Cyberjaya will not fail to be awed by the wonder they present. The landscape and the infrastructure – from green open spaces to futuristic yet rustic structures – bear testimony to the amount of clever creative planning that must have gone into making the cities models of innovation.

Putrajaya and Cyberjaya have opened the eyes of all Malaysians to the possibilities that await when the power of creativity is harnessed. We hope the publication of this book will further enlighten everyone on these enduring symbols of national pride.