The new media (Internet) as a development tool for Malaysia: lessons for Thailand

Abstract

The mass media in Malaysia has been encouraged to work with the government in mobilizing the people towards achieving national development objectives. In Malaysia there is partnership press where the press and government share the same agenda - development for the country. In Malaysia the mainstream press and government share the same agenda - development for the country. Mohd Safar (1998) describes this relationship as partnership press. Apart from the role that has been played by the traditional media, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the new media are now the focus to lead Malaysia in the new era of globalization and knowledge and consequently development. Development policies are crucial in guiding and laying the foundation on which the new media (Internet) can operate to bring about or accelerate development. With the necessary ICT policies, the benefits of the new media and ICT can be realized and this in turn can be harnessed for development. In addition to policies, the Malaysian government is also taking the security issues and abuse of the Internet seriously. The benefits include information retrieval, educational resources on the Internet, commerce, e-government, e-procurement, outsourcing etc. The Malaysian government has so far made strides in employing ICT for development. With the MSC the infrastructural support for ICT uptake has been established. Thailand can learn from the success of Malaysia in using ICT and Internet for development. Both countries can also cooperate in this regard, especially about cyber security. The Malaysian government and the private sector must speed up the process of implementing every policy suggestion to meet development goals through ICT and the usage of the Internet.