Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya said Malaysia is currently working to fully adopt 5G technology by 2023. — Bernama pic

JAKARTA, Sept 10 — Malaysia is currently working to fully adopt 5G technology by 2023, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya.

He said Malaysia believes it will greatly facilitate the government’s efforts to improve the livelihoods of Malaysians and catalyse Malaysia’s development.

“Malaysia is also one of the first few countries in the region to welcome 5G technology.

“Last year we established the 5G Task Force. The Task Force has already submitted its mid-term report on Malaysia’s process towards the adoption of 5G,” he said in his speech at the Regional Conference on Digital Diplomacy (RCDD) in Jakarta, here today.

RCDD gathered ministers, government officials, members of think-tanks and academic fraternity from all Asean countries as well as Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, China and South Korea to deliberate and share the best practices on the use of the new media for effective diplomacy

It will also provide an opportunity to participating countries to look into new initiatives and methods in enhancing further the conduct of diplomacy, and in fostering regional cooperation in digital diplomacy.

Malaysia regards digital technology as the driving factor for innovation and growth in many important areas. Certainly, diplomacy is included, he said.

“While we embrace the freedom that comes with the digitalisation of the world, we should also remain cautious of its impact on our regional security,” he added.

Despite its importance, the effective governance of social media continues to elude the authorities at a time when acts of terrorism, extremism, hatred are conveniently propagated through these digital platforms, he added.

Marzuki said social media governance is even more important for maintaining harmony within the country, as well as the country with others.

In this regard, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has launched “sebenarnya.my” in March 2017, a portal dedicated to verifying news spread on social media.

With the tagline, ‘Not sure, don’t share’, the portal has been useful in helping Malaysians to distinguish facts from fakes, he said. — Bernama