MALAYSIA NEEDS A DIGITAL ECONOMY - PM

Malaysia needs a solid push and a clear framework to build a digital economy which will be an important enabler for the country’s transformation, said the country’s Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.The Prime Minister made the remarks during the launch of the 23rd Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia Implementation Council Meeting in Putrajaya.Razak further said the next wave of economic growth would come from the knowledge-based economy, with digital technologies as a key driver of progress.  

He noted that Malaysia ranked 36th out of 70 countries in the Digital Economy Ranking 2010 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Razak added that, In Asia, Malaysia ranked sixth in the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, released by the World Economic Forum, coming behind Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

 “The main contributors were a steady improvement in broadband, mobile and internet connectivity, as well as government support,” he added. He also announced earlier this year that Malaysia is in the midst of constructing an innovative digital economy framework as part of the government’s transformation programme.

 The prime minister said he gave his mandate to Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to visualise and drive the Digital Malaysia framework as part of National Transformation Policy. MDeC CEO Badlisham Ghazali told FutureGov in an interview earlier this year that MSC aims at helping the country transform in the modern state by 2020, with the adoption of a knowledge-based society framework.

 Ghazali said the MSC is now on its third phase implementation (2011- 2015) and the core initiatives under this phase include the establishment of two new cybercities each year and completing the Innovative Digital Economy framework by the second half of the year.

.futuregov.asia