Date : 30-Oct-2021
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Organization:
- Microsoft, the company who powers the PC of many people globally, and beyond the cloud.
Key Takeaways:
- K. Raman, Managing Director, Microsoft Malaysia,commented on the recent Malaysian 2022 Budget,Themed “Keluarga Malaysia, Makmur Sejahtera” (A Prosperous Malaysian Family).
- The focus of the budget is on collaboration between public and private sectors,where this inclusivity strategy is regard as relevant to rebuild the nation's social economical fronts hampered largely by Covid-19 pandemic.
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| Microsoft Malaysia welcomes Malaysian Budget 2022 digital initiatives |
Comments:
I.) Reforming the public sector with cloud:
Microsoft welcomes the government’s Digital First Programme to encourage the usage of cloud computing in the public sector. The world around us has changed, and a reform of public sector services is needed to meet the demands of a technologically savvy rakyat.
The cloud also serves an ideal platform to immediately respond to future crises whilst simultaneously enhancing the quality of services provided to the public.
Microsoft also work with the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), to provide Cloud skills training to the Malaysian public sector agencies, ensuring our nation’s civil service is equipped to handle the challenges of the future.
II.) Education as a top priority for the nation
With RM 52.6 billion going into the Ministry of Education and RM 14.5 billion for the Ministry of Higher Education, Microsoft hopes to see the investment being made here go towards digitalizing the education sector, to enhance the quality of education and to ensure continuous learning at all education levels. Initiatives such as DELIMa (‘Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia’) highlight the critical need to have the right digital solutions in place to prevent disruption in the education sector, especially in instances where remote learning is the only option.
III.) SMEs - Driving growth for the backbone of Malaysia’s economy
The government’s investments into boosting digital transformation among SMEs is very much welcome in the current digital era. With RM 200 million allocated to facilitate digital adoption among SMEs via the SME Digitization Grant Scheme initiative, we hope to see more SMEs become digitally powered and actively participate in the digital economy.
Microsoft collaborates closely with key partners from the telco sector, including Celcom, Maxis, and Telekom Malaysia, to provide easy and affordable solutions designed to accelerate digitalization among SMEs.
IV.) Gender budgeting – empowering and uplifting our nation’s women
The introduction of the MyKasih Kapital program to educate and incentivize women to set up businesses from home is timely given the uptick in e-commerce and it will go a long way in improving the quality of life for mothers across the nation. The government’s investment of RM30 million to establish childcare centres in government buildings is also a step in the right direction, encouraging more mothers to continue participating in the workforce.
The budget acknowledges the critical role women play in our nation’s economy, and Microsoft fully supports the government’s decision to allocate RM 5 million to empower women to participate in the economic sector through the Women’s Leadership Foundation. On this front, Microsoft welcomes collaboration opportunities with the government, to extend our support through our existing initiatives such as Code; Without Barriers, working together to provide women with more opportunities to succeed in the digital future.
Additionally, Microsoft lauds the government’s investment of RM 13 million to strengthen the D11 Division - Sexual, Women and Children Investigation Division of the Royal Malaysian Police, to further protect the safety and wellbeing of women, especially those from marginalized and underserved communities. We hope the government and the Malaysian law enforcement will also consider apportioning this investment to protect the safety of women online, as cyber safety continues to be a concern in Malaysia and across the globe.
V.) Skilling the nation for the future of work
- RM 1.1 billion for a target of training 220,000 people via various upskilling and reskilling programmes.
- RM 80 million to train and prepare 20,000 workers to support selected industrial clusters in the nation.
- RM 50 million improve the TVET skills of workers in key sectors such as oil and gas welding, industrial automation, and mechatronics.
VI.) Green budgeting for a sustainable economy
To ensure Malaysia becomes carbon neutral, the government has proposed the launch of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) initiative to support carbon credit trading between green asset owners and entities transitioning towards low-carbon practices. Besides, Microsoft also recognizes the government’s proactivity in encouraging SMEs to adopt sustainable and low-carbon practices by providing a Low Carbon Transition Facility via Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
Case Studies:
- Microsoft Showcase Schools such as SK Taman Bukit Indah, are shining examples of how educators can leverage technology to make remote learning more enjoyable, while also empowering nearby communities to achieve more using technology.
Insights:
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic in the Malaysian business sector, stunting growth in this sector for the past few years. For many, technology provided a silver lining that empowered them to continue operating and to also innovate new ways of providing services to customers.
- This year’s budget also aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), outlining strategies to foster the creation of a prosperous and sustainable economy.
- Microsoft have made a sustainability commitment to be carbon negative by 2030.
Conclusion:
"At Microsoft, we believe in the power of collaboration to build an inclusive and resilient nation, empowering every person and organization to achieve more in the digital economy. The measures outlined in this year’s budget provide a comprehensive strategy to accelerate our nation’s economic recovery and growth, without losing sight of the role that digitalization plays in accelerating the creation of an inclusive economy," quoted K. Raman.
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| K. Raman |
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