KUCHING: E-commerce makes a lot of things easy, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi.
“It has come to a point where we are promoting this new strategy – ease of doing business,” he said during a ‘pocket talk’ session with franchise industry players at Wisma Sugarbun here on Friday.
Nanta commended the state government’s efforts to initiate e-commerce while focusing on developing basic infrastructure.
“The Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has talked about laying the infrastructure projects needed for Sarawak to be on board in e-commerce.
“I can’t put it in any other way but a lot of people especially those in politics were saying the chief minister was wasting the state’s resources, he was too futuristic, and these investments on e-commerce and technology were at the cost of rural development.
“These are the kind of criticisms made on our chief minister… but what happened when the Covid-19 pandemic and the strict movement control order (MCO) hit the people for about three months?
“If we do not have the basic communication infrastructure and internet services, do you think we would be able to participate in e-commerce as an alternative?”
Nanta took a jab at the criticisms lashed out at the chief minister’s plan to focus on rural development especially in basic infrastructure.
He stressed that the infrastructure development was important especially during the unprecedented times, particularly post Covid-19.
He told about how a lot of people had to close down their business during the MCO and automatically lost their source of income. They then had to resort to e-commerce as an alternative in order to continue to put food on the table.
“Now everyone talks about how they can even buy durian through their mobile phone because of online transaction capability. But without infrastructure, do you think we are able to do that? Definitely not!
“I hope now people will begin to appreciate the government’s plans and intentions to spend more money to provide for not only the basic but even more advanced infrastructures.”
Nanta said even the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had urged all ministers to look at areas they could improve on in enabling the people to do business with ease.
