KUALA LUMPUR: The Covid-19 pandemic which affected the world’s economy since early last year, has in turn accelerated the growth of the digital economy in Malaysia.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassins said since the pandemic began, “things have changed drastically on a daily and, sometimes, on an hourly basis”.
“The government has identified the digital economy as one of the key economic growth areas to achieve our national commitment of elevating the country to be a nation of sustainable growth while ensuring fair and equitable distribution across income groups, ethnicities and regions.
“We will drive forward the promise of shared prosperity for all, by focusing on empowering Malaysians with digital skills, enabling digitally-powered businesses and driving digital investments,” he said in a keynote speech at the Asean Digital Minsters’ Meeting and related meetings here today.
He believed the Covid-19 pandemic had given Asean member states the unanticipated nudge to move faster down the digital road.
Undoubtedly, he said, Asean had seen progress in the digital environment although the level of advancement may differ from one member state to another as well as between areas within each member state.
“As you may all be aware, the Asean Economic Community Blueprint 2025 (AEC 2025) recognises information and communications technology (ICT) as the key driver in ASEAN’s economic and social transformation.
“It states that AEC 2025 will aspire to propel Asean towards a digitally-enabled economy that is secure, sustainable and transformative and to further leverage ICT for an innovative, inclusive and integrated Asean.
The prime minister said it may be useful to bear in mind the outlined key ICT strategic measures, with emphasis on the importance of centralisation and unity in the efforts to develop the Asean Community in the areas of cybersecurity, personal data protection, 5G, and promoting innovations and e-commerce. — Bernama
Source: New Straits Times
