Late last month Facebook, with Alphabet’s Google and regional telecos, announced plans for two new cables in the Java Sea to boost internet connection capacity in Indonesia and Singapore. It sparked a debate about the Perikatan Nasional government’s decision to reverse a PH-era cabotage exemption policy? Was it fair for critics to charge that this return to the BN-era position on who has rights to conduct undersea cable repairs meant that Malaysia was by-passed in this mega-project? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Datuk Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff, Chairperson, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Chiew Kok Hin, Chairperson, Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX).
