Don't blame Rais Yatim and his ministry. The MCMC, one of the agencies
under Rais purview is not the only one to shoulder the burden.
Its the system, the government's regulation and over-protectionism for some of its GLCs. While the Ministry of Information, Communication
and Culture is responsible to sanction, recommend and implement, some
of the government's unpractical policies are just there to stay!
We
are inching toward becoming a fully-developed nation by the year 2020,
and that is less than eight years from now. However, major hiccups in
the telecommunication sector is dampening a comprehensive effort in enhancing the sector and its related services.
According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, Malaysia's
position in the area of international internet bandwidth took a
significant slump, from 60th to 83rd among the 144 countries under the
survey.
Our broadband internet subscription per 100 population
also slipped from 62nd to 68th while our position in mobile broadband
subscription per 100 population stood at 64, worse than than of some
African nations!
So, how will the telecommunication and communication sectors cushion the impact of hefty demand for such services when we near 2020?
Being
some of the factors that contributed to Malaysia's downward standing
(from 21st to 25th), the government, via Rais ministry should consider
taking up a more aggressive approach in gearing up such services.
The
MCMC, especially those appointed to steer it must open up their mind to
new ideas, keeping abreast with latest technology and adopting a more
friendlier engagement to new players in the communication industry.
Rais'
ministry has a challenging task in meeting the demands and also in
meting problems of constraint expertise in the area. The status of a
developed nation will not be complete without a commanding telecommunication and communication facilities.
While the government should also open up the doors to new players with the right set of technology in telecommunication
sector, the MCMC must also engage them (the new players) in a more
positive manner, and not by telling them 'I will pull (revoke) your
license' during a handshake! I don't want to name the MCMC personel but I
hope such a bad attitude will change or we will take you to task over
your arrogance!
What is our broadband penetration rate now? About
62 per cent? With a 2 per cent acceleration rate per annum, we will
only be able to cover about 76 per cent of the nation by year 2020, and
that will not reflect the status of a fully-developed nation.
The
government, on the other hand is not contributing much. Its policy in
protecting some of its GLCs, particularly Telekom Malaysia (TM) is
hindering MCMC and others in finding the right tempo to enhance its
services.
However, I am also perturbed at the government's call
for new players to come in and complement the industry. We actually
failed to walk the talk.
While encouraging more local entrepreneurs to jump onto the bandwagon, we imposed a grip on the telecommunication
giant, Telekom Malaysia. The government provides it with a full
protection to the extent that no other players could come close to it.
TM
is afraid of competitions, let alone an idea to complement its services
in speeding up the internet penetration to the whole country. To TM,
such a move would lead to its eventual demise. In other words, new
players could maul TM!
That shouldn't be the case.
Companies
like Syarikat Jalur Lebar Nasional (Jalenas) acquires the right
knowledge and technology to complement TM but Rais's ministry, the MCMC
and the government treat Jalenas with askance, sharing the same
sentiment with TM!
To date, Jalenas is the only Bumiputra company
with experts in the latest broadband technology, acquiring it from
Sweden, the world's hub for broadband.
However, we are not
receptive to changes. MCMC refused to recognise Jalenas and take it as a
partner but to snub the company with its bullying tactics. Prime Minister
Najib who launched Jalenas' first project in Kuantan in 2009 is also
ignoring its plight, not understanding the paramount need for engaging
the latest telecommunication technology for the country.
But
I believe Najib is too busy with his routine. So, Rais has to step in
and advise the PM on the issue or his ministry will have to take the
blame over the sluggish work of the MCMC. Or, does Rais himself
understands such needs?
We need to be more open. The government
should open up the door to companies like Jalenas to joint hands with
MCMC and TM in complementing such a big task in wiring up the whole
nation. Even a 90 per cent penetration by the year 2020 will not reflect
our fully-developed status.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is an
example of how a GLC adopts an open door policy by inviting the
Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to complement its task in lighting up
the whole country. And even with the present number of IPPs, some
corners of Malaysia are still in the dark.
We would like to see an openness in managing our communication and telecommunication
sectors. Not only that we must open up TM, we must also engage the
right people to sit at the MCMC, the people who have the ability to monitor world's innovation and applying it, not a bunch of so-called experts who only warm their seat!
The
government, on the other hand, has to employ the right minds who can
work and advise the Cabinet on such matters, not a group of 'yesmen'
whose role is to 'aye' everything the government decides on.
I hate comparing Malaysia with Singapore but the Republic is at world's no.4 in broadband connectivity,
running a 1gbps (giga bytes per second) as compared to Malaysia's
between 20-45mbps (mega bytes per second). In South Korea, its between
500 to 800mbps while in Cambodia and Vietnam, its between 50 to 200mbps.
Have you heard that some personal at the Defense Ministry (Mindef) have to fork out extra money from their own pocket to enhance internet speed at their office which stands at only between 2-15mbps?
What a shame!
