About National IT Agenda - NITA

The National IT Agenda (NITA), launched in December 1996 by the National IT Council (NITC), provides the foundation and framework for the utilisation of information and communication technology (ICT) to transform Malaysia into a developed nation in our own mould consistent with Vision 2020.

Chaired by the Prime Minister, the NITC comprises members from the public, private and community-interest sectors and functions as a think tank that advises the government on ICT strategy. MIMOS Berhad, as the Secretariat to the NITC, assists and supports the Council's activities, including the development and realisation of NITA.

The NITA vision is to utilise ICT to transform all of Malaysian society into an information society, then to a knowledge society and finally to a values-based knowledge society. With the theme "Turning Ripples into Tidal Waves", NITA focuses on the development of people, infostructure and applications to create value, to provide equity and access to all Malaysians, and to qualitatively transform our society into a values-based knowledge society by the year 2020.

The "ripples" are focused initiatives by the government to create the necessary environment and empower the people, so that they will bring about the tidal wave of change required to achieve the NITA vision. The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the earliest strategic initiative of the NITC, is such a "ripple".

Acknowledging the need to involve all Malaysians in the NITA process, another major "ripple" initiated by the NITC is the Demonstrator Application Grant Scheme (DAGS) which encourages Malaysians to participate in and utilise the opportunities made available by ICT. MIMOS Berhad, as Secretariat, manages and administers the DAGS.

As an added aspect of NITA realisation, the NITC has formulated the NITC Strategic Agenda - a strategy for Malaysia's migration to the E-World of the new millennium. The strategy involves an orderly transformation from the current governance structure to a more participatory one involving active tripartite partnership between the public, private and community-interest sectors. The Strategic Agenda highlights the need to address five areas critical to our migration to the E-World, namely E-Community, E-Public Services, E-Learning, E-Economy and E-Sovereignty.

The NITC promotes the notion that knowledge and information will be the most valuable assets in the economy of the new millennium. For Malaysia to be competitive, we must embrace the knowledge-based economy (k-economy) and create word class Malaysian enterprises that can compete globally with the edge in price, quality, delivery and costs. NITA holds the key to empowering the nation and enabling the emergence of this new breed of entrepreneurs. NITA is the foundation for Malaysia's success in the information age and beyond.

PEOPLE - INFOSTRUCTURE - APPLICATIONS

The National IT Framework (NITF) is a strategic and synergistic combination of a number of key components, working in tandem. The framework is best viewed as an interconnected triangle consisting of three key elements, namely, People, Infostructure and Applications.

The primary importance of the human factor in a change environment is well reflected by the placement of the "people" element at the apex of the triangle (See Diagram above). The triangle itself reflects the three key issues surrounding the triangulation, these being: access and equity, creating value and qualitative transformation.

The principle that all citizens need access to information in an equitable manner has been duly recognized. The infostructure element is seen in terms of hard and soft infrastructure. The hard infrastructure involves the computer hardware and the relevant telecommunication components. The soft infrastructure on the other hand includes databases, networks, laws, and regulations.

The third element of applications revolves around the development of content that is needed by all players in the ICT field. The main emphasis here is on local content and culture compatibility. The development of appropriate and cost effective applications would be critical in ensuring that Malaysia is able to maintain its competitive position in the market place in the years to come. Each of the three elements in the NITF has its own strategies, all of which work towards the achievement of a knowledge society.

 Print Friendly