The PJ Startup Festival held last weekend from 22 Feb to 24 Feb was a hit with locals in the Klang Valley. Over 5,000 attendees thronged the three-day event which featured e-sports, tech and startup exhibitions and talks by key industry leaders.
SITEC exhibited at the event, together with our startups and e-merchants under us. A total of 19 e-merchants from the Online 100 programme were there, as well as five alumni of the Selangor Accelerator Programme.
On Day Two, SITEC Chief Executive Yong Kai Ping spoke on the panel session titled “Digital Economy, Global Opportunities for All”, together with 11street CEO Cheong Chia Chou, and MDEC eCommerce Director Song Hock Koon. The session was moderated by YB Lim Yi Wei, Selangor Adun for Kampung Tunku.
Yong spoke about the developing trends in e-Commerce, especially highlighting how the e-Commerce powerhouse of the world, China, has evolved in its landscape. He highlighted the “One village One product” movement adopted by China, where communities selectively produce goods with high added value in order to gain economic benefits to improve the standard of living in that particular area.
Cheong Chia Chou
He also touched on how, in a global mobile landscape where most e-commerce transactions are done via mobile means, 4G connectivity should be emphasised and prioritised, and how only Klang Valley sees excellent mobile 4G connectivity, unlike other states, and emphasised that more should be done to see to the connectivity needs of other states.
Yong also went on further to introduce how SITEC, since its inception in 2015, has played a key role in the local digital economy landscape through its various initiatives. Examples included helping SMEs get digital via onboarding traditional brick and mortars to e-Commerce through the Online 100 and Apps 100 programme.
He shared how SITEC has taken a proactive role to nurture the local startup scene with the Malaysia Digital Hub certified, 11,000 sqft incubator and co-working space called the Selangor Digital Creative Centre (SDCC) at i-City, Shah Alam. Aside from SITEC’s various startup events, the popular Selangor Accelerator Programme that has helped its alumni reach greater heights was also mentioned.
Yong also touched base with Communications Minister YB Gobind Singh Deo to update him on SITEC’s progress and achievements as well as SITEC’s future plans.
According to Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, his ministry is working on a policy to empower the digital economy, and is expected to be announced in the third quarter of this year.
Presently, they are still in discussions with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to gather their input on the policy’s implementation.
During YB Gobind’s Keynote Speech at the PJ Startup Festival, he mentioned that Malaysians are highly digitally connected, especially amongst the world, and approximately 80% have access to the internet, mostly via mobile networks.
“However, we are fully aware of the fact that there is a digital divide where we are lagging behind the international standard in terms of digital adoption by businesses.
“Many are apprehensive mainly due to a lack of awareness and knowledge. Some may not have the financial resources to adopt the practices necessary to facilitate their entry into the digital realm,” he added.
The minister emphasised that the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) launched in 2018 aimed to provide reliable, affordable and fast broadband connectivity to the population, with the goal of servicing at least 98% of key populated areas by 2023.