Enabling all citizens with ICT capability to realise the country’s goal of building an ICT-enabled knowledge society

Bridging the digital divide itself is a mammoth sized task- empowering the youth, the 'makciks' or and the elderly in rural areas to open up and discover an entirely new world for themselves. With the vision to make this a reality, PIKOM, the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia officially announced the M.A.IN. PC program; amalgam of the words “Projek Menguasai Aplikasi Internet dan PC, a joint collaboration between PIKOM and seven partners. The mission is to set up serviced Community PC Centres nationwide. The exchanging of documents took place at the highly successful 16th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2008 in May, 2008. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi witnessed and graced the event.

Targeting the middle to lower income groups, Projek M.A.IN. PC aims to provide a platform to support PC centres nationwide via a facilitator-partner-host (F-P-H) model. PIKOM as facilitator has engaged seven different partners to provide the necessary equipment and supporting services to specified 'host' PC centres. The project is a culmination of several key PIKOM initiatives such as PS3 and PC Fair International.

Spearheaded by PIKOM the project involves Microsoft, Lions Club, CyberCare, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Telekom Malaysia and CUSCAPI with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development. All partners will focus on their core competencies. The primary objective of this project is to equip all citizens with ICT capability to build an ICT-enabled knowledge society.

A nationwide umbrella network of 20 to 30 serviced Community Service Centres will be established complete with instructors by December 2008. Presently through the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, the project will start with the conversion of 10 EPU telecentres into Community PC Centres. This will serve to benefit the lower income group, which generally do not own PCs.

Joining Hands in Bridging the Digital Divide: Projek M.A.IN. PC (L-R): Wan Edi Sophean Wan Mohamad, manager, government relations, industry affairs & export promotions, PIKOM, Wong Chang Wai, chairman and Sr John SC Loh, LIONS Foundation, Cheong Yuk Wai, director, CyberCare, Yasmin Mahmood, managing director, Microsoft Malaysia, David Wong Nan Fay, chairman, PIKOM, C J Ang, president, PIKOM, Danny Lee Pak Cheong, country general manager, HP, Danny Leong, chief executive officer, CUSCAPI, Syarisina Junaida Bolhan, assistant manager, group corporate communications, TM and Mohd Khairil Bin Mohd Zi, executive, government relations & industry affairs, PIKOM.

For the middle-to-lower income group whom might not own a PC but capable of ownership, the Projek M.A.IN. PC hopes to attract them through fast food outlets and other fun and exciting 'host' outlets.

“As it is widely recognised that there is a great digital divide between citizens in the city and the rural areas, there is a valid fear that the divide is only getting bigger. Thus, PIKOM sees a need to address this issue by bringing ICT capabilities to the people in rural areas. It is our hope that with this project, more people at the grassroots level will be ICT enabled to meet th demands of the 21st century,” says PIKOM chairman David Wong Nan Fay.

The second phase of Projek M.A.IN. PC he reveals will start in 2009. Wong hopes that more partners will jump onto the bandwagon to setup and host new centres nationwide. The long-term goal: 150 centres and to integrate 1,945 existing EPU telecentres by 2010.