Dash, our tireless Malaysian host along with his lovely wife and team with Warisan Global, are rubbing off on me. After a full day of making given talks, roundtables, ceremonies and photo sessions, I am even more invigorated. The shear energy among both young entrepreneurs, university leaders, the investment and entrepreneurial support organizations and government leaders was only surpassed by the intensity and intelligence within the lines of questioning. This is clearly a nation that, despite the heavy involvement of the public sector in the economy, understands and yearns for entrepreneurship as a means of improving human welfare. The Deputy Minister for Entrepreneurship was eager to meet someone associated with the Kauffman Foundation in the hope of finding more ideas for a continued and rigorous review of the nation’s approach to advancing high growth entrepreneurship. This is a nation so serious about competing with the world in this regard, it is paying to send a wide range of companies to Silicon Valley for a year to work side by side with American companies in an effort to sharpen their global reach and networks.

Malaysians will keep on meeting without me, too, as they continue their activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week / Malaysia. Dash’s team has even organized a session run by blind entrepreneurs. Activities aimed at engaging rural communities in entrepreneurship have been going on for a few days and will continue throughout the week. There is also a social entrepreneurship forum and fair planned, along with over 400 other activities throughout the country this week - see . Global Entrepreneurship Week in Malaysia felt like a global campaign. With the backdrops, banners, printed schedules, host certificates, buttons and so many people wearing so may design variations of the Global Entrepreneurship Week T-shirts I left with the sense that all 27 million citizens had adopted this movement!

Malaysia enjoys relative protection from the current global financial crisis. With so much government planning, the long term the economy will likely perform less well with the public sector picking winners and losers as it did with its auto industry. The young entrepreneurs I met seemed to know this. Though their remedy was not a political one rather simply a passion to find the entrepreneurial formula that will also lead to successful market driven ventures that can operate side by side with those funded by the public sector. Congratulations Malaysia for embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. We look forward to a long and sustained Malaysian engagement in Global Entrepreneurship Week in the years to come.Now it is off to Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya — with a quick stop in Germany — for my own activities.

The opening festivities for Global Entrepreneurship Week / Malaysia were Monday night in Kuala Lumpur, and they were eclectic and fascinating. With a mix of entrepreneurs, politicians, government officials, and organizers in attendance, the Malaysian team - led by the indefatigable Dash (like Sting, his name is just one word) - kicked things off with a night of speeches and, yes, drumming.

Global Entrepreneurship Week / Malaysia has more than 400 events planned this week, making it one of the five largest venues. The passion for entrepreneurship here is palpable, both at the grass roots and the governmental level, as evidenced by the high participation in related events this week.

For my part, I spoke briefly about the obligation of the entrepreneur.

I explained why entrepreneurs are the change agents in the economy, and we need change more than ever right now, as evidenced by the financial, energy, and economic crises that right have so many people concerned. More likely than not, I said, the solutions to these crises will come from entrepreneurs, not from large companies or other vested interests.

I am in Kuala Lumpur and had the chance to chat with the host for Malaysia, Dash Dhakshinamoorthy from Warisan Global.

Clip 1: Global Entrepreneurship Week in Malaysia

Clip 2: What is it like to be an entrepreneur in Malaysia?

Dash, our host in Malaysia, just landed on television (NTV 7) and the day before he had a spot on radio (BFM89.9) to discuss none other than Global Entrepreneurship Week/Malaysia. Not only is he showing up in all kinds of traditional media, he is keeping a compelling and very active blog…. Take a little coffee break and check it out, here.