Calling the blueprint as “lofty as can be seen” since the Multimedia Super Corridor was launched in 1996, the Malaysian International Chambers Of Commerce & Industry (MICCI) said the two resets were needed to make it work.
The blueprint outlines the country’s targets in its goal to become a high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy by 2030.
Among the measures planned include a fixed line optical fibre network covering nine million premises by the end of 2025 and attracting RM70 billion in domestic and international digital investment.
MICCI said the success of the programme has to be based on the two key factors.
“The education system has to have a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) reset, and the elevation of English language proficiency is key in the ability of the future workforce to adopt and utilise technology,” it said.
“Digitalisation of the government services (will create) efficiencies, transparency and cost optimisation. The digitalisation of all aspects of the public sector’s service delivery compels reluctant private sectors to digitalise so as to transact with the public sector.
“We believe that this would be the fastest way to encourage businesses to digitalise as shown by the pandemic that businesses were forced to adopt technology.”
MICCI also noted that internet infrastructure in the country remains expensive and was not of sufficient quality, stating that the government had to be more assertive over network providers to achieve lower cost, higher speed and stable latency of broadband networks.
Among the targets mapped out in the blueprint include for the digital economy to contribute 22.6% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and 500,000 jobs, by 2025.
Muhyiddin also said the government would assist 87,500 micro enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their transition to e-commerce.
Ian Ho, regional managing director of e-commerce giant Shopee, said the goals would be achievable if there was “impactful partnerships” between the public and private sectors and a willingness to accept constructive feedback from the public.
Stating that the government’s efforts are in line with its mission to empower local micro SMEs, Ho noted that Shopee onboarded more than 40,000 MSMEs in just three months through the Penjana MSME E-commerce campaign last year – and there was strong potential for this number to grow.
Backing the motion to increase internet speeds across Malaysia, particularly by making 5G networks available nationwide, Ho said this will give more entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas, a chance to make full use of what e-commerce has to offer.
“Shopee ran a survey last year where the rural sellers who were new to e-commerce indicated an average monthly sales of RM3,200 even without access to features such as Shopee Live, which can further grow their sales.
“We certainly look forward to what is to come for Malaysia’s digital economy with the announcement of MyDigital. It is going to be a very exciting future ahead.”