Strong ties with Federal govt vital to tackle digital poverty - Salleh Said Keruak

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 2 -- Usukan assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak opined that the Sabah government should work closely with the Federal government to realise its dream of bridging the digital divide among the people in the state.

He expressed confidence that such an approach would help reduce digital poverty.

Salleh said today's technology has a huge impact on the economy of the community, the state and the country.

“In order to generate economic growth, we need to prepare the people to be more digitally friendly and to get out of the clutches of poverty,” he wrote in the latest posting on his blog sallehsaid.com.

Salleh, who is former Minister of Communications and Multimedia, said the chairman of Common Tower Technologies Sdn. Bhd (CTTSB) Ghazalie Ansing had recently called on the Sabah government to be more sensitive to the prevailing issue of internet coverage in the state to ensure it is not lagging behind other states.

Ghazalie was also quoted as suggesting that a telecommunication tower monitoring system be established in the state to monitor fieldwork and the capability of the existing telecommunication towers.

On Monday, EMIR Research, an independent think-tank, outlined some policy proposals to the Sabah Government in tackling digital poverty.

This includes expanding the fibre optic network and commercial development of telecommunication infrastructure in the interior of Sabah and enhancing cooperation between the Sabah government and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as local authorities.

It is to ensure no variation in terms of quality and cost of developing digital infrastructure in Sabah, it said.

Emir Research also proposed that the Sabah Government encourage private investment in digital infrastructure development as well as reduce red tape in local authority procedures.

-- BERNAMA

TAG: Salleh, digital poverty, Sabah, federal government