| James Kon |
ACKNOWLEDGING that there is still a large portion of the population in Asean who have yet to enjoy the benefits of information and communication technology (ICT), member countries are striving to bridge the digital divide.
This was stated by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, the Minister of Communications, at the 16th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (16th Asean TELMIN) and its related meetings hosted by Brunei Darussalam that kick started at the International Convention Centre, Berakas yesterday.
“In Asean, where basic connectivity and accessibility are an on-going struggle, the critical importance of efficient access as well as connectivity in order to fully unleash the capacity to reduce disparities is becoming more and more important to ensure that nobody is left behind,” the minister, who is also the Chairman of the 16th Asean TELMIN, noted in his welcoming remarks at the opening of the meeting.
The theme of the 16th TELMIN, ‘Connected and Innovative Community’, is highly relevant as it highlights the importance of bridging of the digital divide, he added.
The two-day meeting is attended by telecommunications ministers from Asean as well as Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of Asean Secretariat; Chen Zhaoxiong, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China; Jiro Akama, State Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan; and Choi Jae-you, Vice-Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning of South Korea.
The theme of this year’s meeting, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mustappa said, “is also relevant as it will send a strong message on our determination to promote and encourage innovation within our community as well as to fully realise the benefit of ICT as the driving force of economic competitiveness”.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, the Minister of Communications, in a group photo with other ministers at the 16th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting. – AZROL AZMI
However, the minister noted, “We cannot ignore the fact that the misuse of ICT also brings about a host of moral, social and ethical issues that must be addressed. But there are also emerging issues regarding transparency, data ownership and ethical and legal usage. Solutions to these issues have the potential to revolutionise our society, especially as we move ever closer to a world where humans are increasingly interconnected, where physical objects are merging into the digital information infrastructure.
“A secure cyberspace will bring trust and confidence, not only to individuals but to businesses and the public sector to share ideas and innovate online.”
Touching on the increasingly vulnerability of individuals, organisations and even governments to cyber-attacks, he said, “The scale and severity of malicious cyber-attacks is unprecedented. Technical solutions are important, but, even more so are the joint efforts and collaboration.”
The minister said that there is much to be discussed and shared over the next two days, both inside and outside the meeting. “I am hopeful that the 16th Asean TELMIN will provide the leadership to drive progress and help build up the foundation of Asean cooperation and understanding.
At the TELMIN yesterday, the ministers discussed, among others, the progress of the implementation of the Asean Masterplan 2020 and adopted the headline key performance indicators as a tool to measure progress of the ICT Masterplan.
The ministers also reviewed the projects for the 2017 Work Cycle and welcomed the progress made especially in the areas of the Asean Framework on Personal Data Protection and Asean Framework on International Mobile Roaming.
They also discussed cyber-security initiatives and welcomed the development of the framework of the Cyber-security Cooperation Strategy.
The meeting also unanimously endorsed the Brunei Darussalam Declaration on Connected Innovative Community which, among others, highlighted Asean’s commitment to enhancing connectivity in Asean and promoting innovation as the main driver to develop and promote competitive advantage.
The Asean ministers also held consultation meetings with China, Japan and Korea to review progress of the Workplan 2016 and endorsed the new Workplan 2017 for the next cycle which covers areas including cyber-security, human capacity development and new emerging technologies.
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