MOHD Afiq Barni thought his life ended when he was severely injured in a road accident seven years ago. When he woke up after the crash, he was told that he had suffered a spinal cord injury and would not be able to walk again.
Afiq said that the months following the accident were the darkest he had ever experienced. It took him time to find a new purpose in life. His calling came when he established a vehicle modification business called Double A Project Enterprise or DAPE Garage in 2015 with his friend, Hairul Anuar, who was also wheelchair-bound after falling off a building 12 years ago.
Specialising in driving aids for the disabled community, DAPE Garage is a highly niche business aimed at bringing increased mobility to them so they can maintain their independence without relying on others.
For a long time, Afiq relied on word-of-mouth to drum up business, but all that changed when MYNIC saw the potential in him and provided him with the training on how to build and manage a .MY website for his business.
Afiq's website helped drive new demand and leads. It propelled him to use social media to further increase brand awareness and share the progress of his endeavours. Since he started the website, the business experienced a 55 per cent increase in sales.
His disability made him more determined to make something of himself, and it was this and his perseverance that spurred MYNIC to introduce a special OKU benefit in hopes of inspiring others in similar situations.
The digital economy is at the forefront of Malaysia's economic development plans. The National 2020 Budget also detailed several initiatives and benefits to encourage emerging technologies and digitisation, focusing on rural and OKU groups.
By introducing these measures, the government hopes to encourage more firms and entrepreneurs to serve markets that are currently underserved, lower costs, increase efficiencies, encourage innovation and scale economies for new types of business.
However, currently, e-commerce and by extension, digital capabilities, are dominated by big firms, leaving SMEs, economically-disadvantaged individuals and those with disabilities behind.
Indeed, there are several registered businesses which still do not have a digital presence.
Out of the nine million registered businesses in Malaysia, only 750,000 have registered domain names in Malaysia.
Levelling the playing field is necessary because SMEs and micro-enterprises employ two-thirds of the country's workforce and contribute to 40 per cent of the economy.
As a national level domain name provider, MYNIC works to address this imbalance by digitally empowering all Malay-sians.
Our goal through various training programmes is to spur individuals and businesses to embrace digital processes to stay competitive. Having been a part of several success stories, including that of Afiq's, we know the benefits of narrowing the digital gap.
Consumption habits and patterns were shifting before the Covid-19 pandemic, but now more than ever, people are relying on the Internet to purchase products and services.
In response, businesses have accelerated their shift to digital.
During our Movement Control Order, we have seen several Mak Cik Kiahs and Micro-SMEs starting up business online. Internet presence gives these businesses increased exposure, a bigger reach and creates a virtual point of contact with their customers.
Afiq said that bringing DAPE Garage online was one of the best moves for his business. His website added professionalism and credibility. He also found that more customers were able to find his business through Google search, thanks to Search Engine Optimisation.
He is the perfect example of what hard work and determination can lead to, and I hope more people can emulate him.
Businesses that are slower to pivot to digitisation will risk losing out on opportunities.
That is why MYNIC and the Communications and Multimedia Ministry are preparing the nation by enabling businesses to reach for a bright digital future, especially in rural and OKU communities.
This is to ensure that Malaysia's journey towards becoming a global digital economy contributor can become a reality.
Nobody should be left behind in that journey.
The writer is chief executive officer MYNIC, an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia. MYNIC is the official .MY domain registry recognised by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times