Unity govt to focus on increasing income in second year, says Fahmi

THE unity government is determined to increase the people’s income in its second year in power next year, said government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.

During the “Apa Khabar Malaysia” programme produced by Bernama TV this morning, the communications and digital minister said this covered all sectors, spurred by the improving and stabilised economic landscape under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“The first year, the unity government generally managed to strengthen the political stability, this is a crucial foundation. No change in government.

“With this stable foundation, we could announce various policies such as the Madani Economy, New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP), transition to green energy, and, the latest, the White Paper on the Progressive Wage Policy, raising salary (of civil servants) insya-Allah next year...,” he said.

He said that retaining the unity government would help improve political stability, increase investor confidence and strengthen the ringgit. 

Commenting on the achievements of the unity government, especially that of the Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD), Fahmi said that, among others, the latest was getting five mobile network operators (MNOs) to sign a share subscription agreement (SSA) to hold equities in Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) on December 1.

His ministry, he said, had also introduced various initiatives to ensure that the public gets to enjoy the internet at a cheaper rate through various packages, such as the 5G Rahmah Package, in addition to enabling the use of Starlink satellite devices to boost internet access in remote and rural areas.

“This is proven in the Statistics Department’s monthly reports, which stated that the communications sector showed -3.7% inflation every four to five months of late,” he said.

Fahmi said that under the new policy of “where there’s a way, there’s internet”, the collaboration among all the telecommunication companies (telcos) would ensure wider internet access, adding that Malacca has been chosen as “proof of concept” before it is expanded nationwide.

“In addition, (it’s) still in the early stages… technology using satellites as communication towers. Several companies have stated their intentions to work with the telcos and, if we can implement this, it will enable us to have internet access, literally, anywhere,” he said. 

Fahmi said that as for the aspects of cybersecurity and personal data, the ministry would continue to increase digital literacy among the people, in addition to introducing laws as well as amending existing acts to keep pace with the changing times.

He said that following the formulation of the Cybersecurity Bill, a regulatory body has been established to ensure all information and communication technology (ICT) companies fulfilled their responsibilities in ensuring the security of cyberinfrastructure is protected.

Fahmi said the MyDigital ID, which has been implemented by the government, would also be able to protect the personal data security of users, in addition to facilitating matters by using just one identity and password on all platforms developed by the government.

“Malaysia is now one of the countries where the use of data is increasing, the internet speed is among the best in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, but we are still plagued by scams. So, we must always be vigilant,” he said. – Bernama, December 5, 2023