Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais
SIBU: Digital Economy is a step in the right direction to drive Sarawak into e-commerce, e-wallet and virtual intelligence among others, says Assistant Minister of E-Commerce Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais.
He expressed confidence that this move will become a norm and culture that Sarawak will adopt in the near future.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has embarked on Digital Economy to drive Sarawak into e-commerce and e-wallet.
Mohd Naroden, who is also Assistant Minister of Entrepreneur and Small, Medium Enterprise (SME) Development, further pointed out that all the online purchases are accompanied by online payments.
“Online payments are done through electronic transactions. People are so used to credit cards and now through Internet, payments are deducted directly from their bank accounts.
“This is exactly what the state government has just introduced, at least as a start to be used for paying of government bills to government agencies like
Water Board, Sesco and local councils.
“If there is good response from the public, the system will be extended to other areas including federal agencies,” he added.
In fact, he observed that buying goods and services online is an everyday practice in modern countries like Britain, China, USA and many others.
“Many people don’t think twice about using Internet to purchase groceries, clothing, music, foods, hotel and flight bookings among others,” he said.
“That is why starting up an online business is no longer a novelty, but it is a fact of life for individuals and established companies alike,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak government has officially launched SarawakPay, a cashless mobile payment solution to empower the state’s digital economy agenda.
SarawakPay is not only the first e-wallet used for transactions with the state government, but also the first of its kind implemented in the country by a state government.