Gobind: DFTZ not just about Jack Ma’s Alibaba

KUALA LUMPUR: The Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) is not just about Jack Ma's Alibaba Group, but is inclusive of other e-commerce industry players, says Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.

“The cooperation with Alibaba will allow local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to conduct cross-border trade and it is not the only platform under the DFTZ.

“There are other players including locals who are creating their own platforms,” he said when replying a supplementary question by Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) in Parliament on Thursday (July 26).

Gobind noted that the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is also working with other platforms under the DFTZ.

He gave the examples of Amazon, eBay, Jocom, Romman, Lazada, JinBaoMen, Trade India, Dagang Halal, Aladin Street and BuyMalaysia as the other platforms.

As of April this year, Gobind said 70 out of 3,300 SMEs had benefited from eMarketplace platforms under the DFTZ.

“The SMEs have generated sales totalling RM52.1mil with exports of RM18.1mil,” he added.

He assured lawmakers that the Pakatan Harapan Government would continue with the DFTZ initiative to make Malaysia the gateway for e-commerce in the region.

“The Government will continue implementing initiatives that benefit SMEs,” he added.

Gobind agreed with a suggestion by Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) that there should be new laws to cater to the growing global e-commerce industry.

However, he said that at the moment, his ministry would focus on developing infrastructure for better Internet connectivity.

Malaysia launched the world's first DFTZ last year.

The DFTZ aims to double the nation's e-commerce growth and increase the sector's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution to RM211bil by 2020.