MALAYSIA COMMITTED TO DRIVE DEFA IMPLEMENTATION AS ASEAN CHAIR - GOBIND

By Lucia Terey John

KUALA LUMPUR, April  17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, as this year’s ASEAN chair, is committed to ensuring that the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) can be implemented in the near future, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.

He said this was important because the agreement brings great potential to the regional digital economy which is estimated to reach US$2 trillion by 2030.

Therefore, through Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's close relationship with ASEAN regional leaders, Gobind believes efforts to reach a consensus on the agreement may be expedited.

“His close relationship with ASEAN country leaders is a strength because when there is that friendship, discussions can be held to resolve initial problems so that the agreement can be implemented as soon as possible to have an economic impact, not only on Malaysia, but also on the region in the near future,” Gobind said as a guest on the ASEAN Dari Kuala Lumpur Ke Dunia programme which discussed ASEAN's digital era and ASEAN’s digitalisation efforts in various matters, broadcast by Bernama TV tonight.

According to Gobind, the DEFA agreement, which emphasises a dynamic ecosystem for the digital economy including the provision of infrastructure, the implementation of e-commerce, cybersecurity, the use of digital payment technology, as well as digital transformation policies such as e-invoicing, has been discussed for a long time over the past few years.

"...but there are certain problems because each country has different challenges. Some countries are strong in certain aspects, while some countries still need time because they are not ready in terms of Internet connectivity and the overall digital ecosystem.

“So that is Malaysia’s focus as the ASEAN chair so that we can look into the mechanism of how countries that are ready (with infrastructure) can move first while other countries build their capacity, or whether there are other options,” he said.

The DEFA is described as the world’s first regional digital economy agreement, aiming to accelerate ASEAN’s transformation into a leading digital economy, foster greater digital cooperation and pave the way for regional digital integration and inclusive growth and development.

On how the ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting (ADGMIN) plays a role in strengthening digital cooperation, Gobind said it helps member countries discuss current challenges, as well as formulate action plans in facing the digital future.

This includes the issue of online fraud (online scam) and the challenge of fake information that is increasingly spreading in the regional digital ecosystem.

“Online scams are now a big problem that crosses borders. Many are victims and the perpetrators are often not from the country where this problem occurs (the victim country). So we need to see how to create a regional structure that can handle this issue more effectively,” he said.

Through ADGMIN, he said, Malaysia strongly emphasises the need for each ASEAN country to have a communication and joint action mechanism in dealing with digital crime and ensuring that users feel safe in using digital platforms.

The issue of information accuracy was also discussed in the meeting.

“We are aware that digital platforms provide wide access to information, but we also want the information shared to be accurate, true, authentic and has been reviewed before being distributed to the community and other countries because now the focus is more on wanting information to be released as soon as possible.

“There is a possibility of inaccurate or wrong information, so we want to make sure it is correct so that the decisions we make based on that information for business matters, government administration or the daily lives of the people are also correct,” he said.

-- BERNAMA