KUALA LUMPUR: The meaning of independence manifests in various forms and not only with the appreciation of the sacrifice of national heroes when celebrating the National Day every year. In fact the digitalisation transition the country is undergoing is also an element of liberalising the people. If in the past we have difficulties moving around or are constrained in expanding our business physically, it is no longer such a major problem today.
Times has changed and now people can access products and services online, thus facilitating the community in its daily activities. Almost everything is now available at the finger tips such as food delivery, car hailing or communicating with friends far away, trade or even watch a movie. In view of these developments in the cyber world today, many startup businesses are jumping into the scene in this digitalisation
era to capitalise on the trend. Bernama met Akkshya Vision Communication managing director T Kaviraaj, 33, who has been in the printing business since 2012, as among the companies which adapted to the technology evolution so as not to be left behind.
“Without an online platform, we would have to resort to investing into more traditional forms of marketing such as hiring a sales team that would do doorto-door marketing or advertise on the mass media which are prohibitively expensive for small businesses. “We welcome the efforts of the government towards the digitalisation of businesses via Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) as we do believe that is the path towards the future,” he said. This is very much in line with the call of Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo when launching the 2019 Merdeka Month and ‘Raise the Jalur Gemilang Campaign’ in Melaka on the people to look at the technological revolution as an opportunity to achieve greater success on the global platform.
He said through the existing borderless technological development now, Malaysia could be an economic leader in the region especially as Malaysians are well-versed in various languages and understand the different religious and cultural backgrounds of people. Commenting further, Kaviraaj said his company which is known as printcheap brand is one of the recipients of Get Malaysian Business Online (GMBO) grant, which is an initiative of the Communications and Multimedia Commission with the cooperation of various agencies to assist small and medium industries. “Recently, we were also invited by MDEC to attend a free digital marketing programme. It is our belief that any business that does not take digitalisation seriously will be left behind and may not even survive in the future.
Thus, we applaud the government’s initiative to prepare Malaysian businesses for the future,” he added. The local filming industry also benefit from the technological explosion as it completely revolutionised the filmmaking scene when a movie could be produced using smart phone and sophisticated applications. Viewing a film of national movie legend P Ramlee and the latest local blockbuster, Polis Evo 2, one could see the impact of technology in the local entertainment industry and filmmaking. Les’ Copaque managing director Burhanuddin Md Radzi when contacted said he conceded that technology played a major role even though there are pros and cons in using effects to ensure the survival of the local film industry.
“Now, we can shoot a movie using a mobile phone. The people are increasingly exposed to more sophisticated equipment but the quality has not reach the level of using film. “Many individuals are serious in expanding the industry which will change drastically in the next 10 years. So to remain relevant, local producers should be determined to acquire new technologies. In this Internet age, courses are available online, so there is no need to travel abroad,” he said.
Burhanuddin advised film entrepreneurs to think global and movie-making should cover a storyline suitable for the global audience. “They can make ‘co-production’ with other companies such as Indonesia and China to combine ideas and usage of equipment. There are such productions going on now on various platforms such as iflix and Netflix,” he said. In view of things moving at even faster pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the government is actively pursuing concept to raise productivity and maintain local dynamic and competitive edge. – Bernama
