The official launch of Innovation Enabling Transformation, a book which collects Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing’s articles, speeches and blog posts over the last ten years took place earlier today in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The book, already in its third edition, offers a frank reminder to all Malaysians to embrace the quest for knowledge in order to compete in the world of tomorrow.

The launch of the book is considered timely given the fact that 2010 has been designated the Year of Creativity and Innovation by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

A packed house was in attendance to witness events unfold, with guest of honour Yang Berhormat Tuan Haji Fadillah Yusof, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation on hand to officiate the launch. He remarked, “Tan Sri Lim is a fine example for what he preaches, and for his accomplishments, I would like to use this opportunity to once again acknowledge Tan Sri Lim as an innovator of creative education.

“Tan Sri Lim’s book, Innovation Enabling Transformation comes at a timely period for us in Malaysia where it has finally sliced innovation into pieces that are palatable to us. I hope the book will enable the moment to engage people to create and innovate. With that I would like to officially declare the book, Innovation Enabling Transformation, launched.”

The event was set in motion with the premier showing of a documentary video chronicling Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing’s achievements with first-hand accounts from friends and students. This was followed by an introductory speech from Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr. Paddy Bowie who offered a heartfelt description of Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing’s endeavours to date and many more to come by saying, “What Lim Kok Wing and his creative world is all about is capturing, using, applying wonder and bringing it back to civilization. The roadmap is through industries, through enterprises, through countries around the world. This is the time of opportunity for Malaysia.

“In deference to your Chinese background, may I quote ‘wei chi’ which is the word for crisis (translated literally means ‘dangerous opportunity’). The first opponent does mean danger but the second one means opportunity. Now if anyone with his innovation and his creativity is able to see that opportunity, it is the man who’s sitting in front of me who has the wings to fly.”

The event concluded with a rousing rendition of ‘Wings to Fly’ by the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology choir.