Madani economy frameworks provides wider market for Malaysians, says Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: The digital economy plays an important role in the Madani Economy framework and the future direction of the country’s economy to create a wider market for Malaysians so they are not tied to just the local market.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said apart from providing a wider market, the sector allowed Malaysians to work from any location provided they had access to stable internet connection.

As such, he said the main focus of the ministry was to provide the complete infrastructure needed to narrow the digital divide, provide stable and cheap internet packages, in addition to taking steps to improve digital literacy skills.

“For example, two days ago I was at Felda Soeharto where several youngsters have migrated to the cities in search of jobs, but with the internet and the digital economy, there are ways for them to earn a high income without having to leave their hometown.

“So with the digital economy we will be able to reduce urban migration, while not denying them the opportunities to move forward,” he said when appearing on RTM1’s morning programme, Selamat Pagi Malaysia, on Thursday (Aug10).

He said the government expects the digital economy sector, which has so far contributed 23% to the Gross Domestic Product, to increase to 25.5% in 2025.

He was also confident that with the Madani Economy framework launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on July 27, marketability of local products under the initiatives planned by the government for the digital economy sector could reach at least 652 million people in Southeast Asia.

As of July 31, a total of 5,515 of the 7,509 planned 5G sites have been completed to reach 66.8% coverage of populated areas (CoPA), while 4G coverage has reached 96.2% of CoPA nationwide.

He said there were four satellite broadband providers including Starlink, for areas that did not have internet access.

He said, in addition to the recent installation of the Starlink internet device at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kuala Pilah campus, the ministry would also install a similar device in an Orang Asli settlement on Thursday as proof of concept.

In addition, the ministry would also work in collaboration with several other ministries to get information of remote locations or areas where there are no telecommunication towers and to assess their need for Starlink satellite devices. – BK