MDEC policy council to address tech industry’s concerns

Human interface: Gobind shaking hands with a robotic assistant at Malaysia Tech Week 2019.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Innovation Policy Council (MIPC) is convening for the first time since its recent formation to re-examine laws related to the tech industry, according to the Communications and Multimedia ministry.

The meeting will be held next Monday, with the agenda to include streamlining government agencies that deal with the tech industry and introducing a freelancer visa for foreign talent to boost the industry, said minister Gobind Singh Deo.

Asked if MIPC would create further confusion in the crowded space of government bodies addres­sing tech issues, Gobind said the MIPC was meant specifically for the government to address the tech ecosystem’s policy concerns.

“We (the MIPC) do not propose to regulate, but intend to set up a body that can facilitate the changes the industry needs.

“I believe the government needs to be more productive and direct to create a friendly ecosystem,” he said during a press conference during the Malaysia Tech Week 2019, yesterday.

The Communications and Multi­media ministry was in talks with other ministries to streamline the overlap of agencies that deal with the tech industry, saying it was “tiresome for the public” to deal with multiple agencies.

The MPIC was the minister’s brainchild, introduced earlier in the year through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) as a platform to drive growth in the tech industry by promoting policies and regulations which encourage innovation.

It is made up of two committees - the industry coordination committee and the intervention committee.

The former covers matters relating to industry collaboration under digital tech initiatives, while the latter is focused on policy and regulatory intervention.