PM Anwar emphasises need for MY government to create secure and resilient cyber ecosystem

Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim has pledged that the cabinet will streamline its national cyber security ecosystem policies on 19 July as Malaysia recalibrates and restructures its cyber security governance, according to a report by The Star.

In his speech, read by Deputy Prime Minister Seri Abdullah Yusof at the opening of The Cyber Defence & Security Exhibition and Conference (CYDES) 2023 on his behalf, PM Anwar emphasised the need for the government to lead by example in creating a secure and resilient cyber ecosystem.

He further clarified that the unity of the government will not compromise safeguarding Malaysia’s cyber security and cited a report by World Economic Forum's 2023 Global Cybersecurity Outlook that states that 93% of cyber leaders and 86% of cyber business leaders believe that geopolitical instabilities make a catastrophic cyber event likely in the next two years.

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PM Anwar brought attention to the gap between cyber business leaders who believe that a catastrophic cyber event would have a material impact on their own business (48%) and business leaders who believe they have achieved cyber resilience (27%).

Securing the cyber ecosystem on a national scale is expected to be achieved through good governance and effective strategies with measurable outcomes while also involving businesses, academia and civil society, he said.

PM Anwar also stated that CYDES 2023’s theme of "Building Cyber Resilience: Safeguarding the Digital Future" reflects the principles and goals of the Malaysia Madani concept and that he hopes CYDES will be an important platform to expand cyber security capabilities, according to media reports. 

His speech comes in the wake of Malaysia's renewed focus on cyber security as instant messaging platform Telegram has agreed to co-operate with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the country’s enforcement authorities to curb cyber fraud, according to a statement by Minister Fahmi Fadzil seen by A+M.

In the statement, Minister Fahmi Fadzil shared that Telegram has been an alarming source of criminal cases such as fake investment fraud, pedophilia and pornography to name a few.

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) is also slated to release the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP2030) to advance the nation’s economic complexity with Malaysia’s digital economy and its development being a key focus.

Launching in August this year, NIMP2030 aims to complement the New Investment Policy (NIP) through the identification of five sectors that play a role in enhancing the complexity of future exports.

The sectors include aerospace, chemicals/ petrochemicals, digital economy, E&E (including medical devices) and pharmaceuticals.

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