KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 -- Budget 2021 provides sufficient initiatives and incentives to support the migration of businesses -- especially small and medium enterprises (SME) -- to e-commerce.

Halal Street UK (HST), the largest online store for Malaysian products in the United Kingdom, lauded the Malaysian government for the positive people’s budget which addressed problems and challenges that cuts across all sectors of the society, while cushioning the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The government’s move to allocate RM1 billion to accelerate the adoption of digitalisation under the digital transformation scheme and additional funds of RM150 million which will be provided under the SME Digitalisation Grant Scheme and the Automation Grant is applaudable,” it said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Grab Malaysia’s managing director, Sean Goh opined that the national budget is in line with its vision to outserve the community through digital access.

“We believe that everyone in Malaysia has a part to play, to support one another regardless of background, affiliation or industry.

“So at Grab, we hope to continue playing our part in supporting our country’s efforts to tackle the effects of the pandemic on our lives and livelihoods,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sophos Malaysia country manager Wong Joon Hoong highlighted that as companies struggle to find their footing in terms of operations, there is also the looming threat of cyberattacks which is currently on the rise as the country navigates its way through the new norm.

In response to this, he said the government has stressed that national cyber security would continue to be a priority in the national defence and security agenda by allocating RM27 million to CyberSecurity Malaysia to strengthen cyber security in the country.

“A key focus for Budget 2021 is the development of the National Digital Network (JENDELA) plan which would enable the provision of a comprehensive and improved broadband service coverage across Malaysia.

“It is a strategic and crucial step for the nation’s digital transformation, as strong connectivity infrastructure helps build the foundation for other robust technologies – including cloud computing, a much needed technology for the new flexible workforce,” he said.

-- BERNAMA