KUCHING: The federal government must place greater emphasis on telecommunication infrastructure development under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to prevent people from being left behind in an increasingly digital economy, says Puncak Borneo Member of Parliament (MP), Datuk Willie Mongin.
He said improved internet connectivity was crucial not only to unlock access to education, jobs and services but also to foster economic growth and social inclusion.
“The federal government must consider the long-term societal implications of digital access and develop strategies to ensure equitable inclusion.
“We have been talking about advancing in the era of digitalisation. But how are we going to achieve our goals if our telecommunication infrastructure is not even at a satisfactory level?
“If we remain where we are now, with poor internet connectivity, we cannot go far. We can talk about aerospace and artificial intelligence (AI), but what is the point if we do not improve our internet coverage?” he said at the Townhall Session on the 13MP at the Puncak Borneo Service Centre here today.
The session was organised by the International Institute of Public Policy and Management (INPUMA), Universiti Malaya.
Willie stressed that internet connectivity is a fundamental issue the federal government must urgently address.
He called for greater investment in telecommunication infrastructure under the 13MP to ensure that all Malaysians, including those in rural Sarawak, can benefit from advancements in the digital age.
On another matter, Willie suggested that INPUMA researchers obtain feedback from the ground on why many projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) had not been implemented.
He said that based on official reports, implementation of the 12MP has been “very disappointing”.
“Although I was among the MPs who debated the 12MP, overall implementation is only between 25 and 30 per cent as of now.
“The 12MP is almost ending, yet based on the government’s answers in Parliament, some projects are still at the proposal stage. This shows that efficiency in our implementation has not been good,” he opined.
“The poor delivery may be due to excessive bureaucracy or changes in government, but whatever the reason, this issue must be resolved once and for all so we do not repeat the same mistakes.”
He added that the public places high hopes on projects once they are tabled, debated and passed in Parliament, but often those promises are not translated into actual implementation.
Reports also indicate that past Malaysia Plans have never achieved a 95 per cent implementation rate, let alone 100 per cent, Willie said.
“It is sad that it has happened this way. I know because I was on the Parliament Special Select Committee for International Relations and International Trade, and we had access to such information,” he added.
“We hope INPUMA can provide this kind of feedback to the government as well.”
Also present at the session was INPUMA’s Executive Director, Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff.
