I used to believe that supporting local products and technologies through MySTI would open the doors to the government procurement market.
It made sense. National pride. National sentiment. Building trust in our own capabilities.
But reality hit me hard.
We lost a tender bid to a non-MySTI product. Despite playing by the rules. Despite believing the policy was our shield.
That moment shook my trust.
Because sales don’t work on sentiment alone. Customers don’t always buy what’s local, or what’s logical. They buy what they want.
And wants are complicated.
Wants are psychological.
Wants are about prestige.
Wants are about safety.
Wants are about trust in who else is using it.
It’s rarely just about being “local.”
So I’ve decided to stop building my strategy on that emotion alone.
At Favoriot, we will no longer knock on doors saying “choose us because we’re local.”
We will knock with a different force.
Choose us because we solve your problems faster.
Choose us because our solutions reduce your risks.
Choose us because we innovate with you, not just for you.
Choose us because we deliver real outcomes, not just promises.
That’s the new foundation of our “wants.”
Not sympathy. Not sentiment.
But strength. Value. Impact.
And maybe, just maybe, when local technology wins on those grounds, it will mean even more than a label.
Because true pride comes not from being chosen out of obligation.
But from being chosen because we are the best choice.
Dr. Mazlan Abbas 