LOCAL businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), must have a fairer share of Malaysia's digital economy, with the government scrutinising platform practices that could drive up costs and restrict competition.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government was examining concerns over high commissions, restrictive contract terms and control of user data as part of efforts to ensure digital growth benefited businesses and consumers alike.
The issues were discussed at the third 2026 meeting of the National Digital Economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution Council (MED4IRN), which he chaired today.
“National digital economy growth must be based on fair competition, including addressing platform practices that could burden local businesses,” he said in a social media post.
Anwar said the meeting also reviewed the country's digital economy progress, efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure, ways to improve efficiency in government information and communications technology (ICT) spending, and findings from the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) on competition within the digital economy ecosystem.
He said the government wanted digital growth to attract investment and drive economic expansion while creating fair opportunities for local businesses and making daily transactions easier for the public.
He added that ensuring the benefits of digital economic growth were shared by the public and business sector remained a key consideration. - October 21, 2026