Driving Malaysia’s Digital Transformation: A Policy Analysis of MyDIGITAL, RMK13 and the National 4IR Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/10218Keywords:
Digital Transformation, MyDIGITAL, Policy Implementation, Public Sector, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Digital GovernanceAbstract
Malaysia’s digital transformation is critical to achieving its vision of becoming a high-income, technologically advanced nation by 2030. Key frameworks such as the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL), the National Fourth Industrial Revolution Policy (National 4IR Policy), the newly launched National AI Action Plan 2026–2030 and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (RMK13) provide strategic direction, yet implementation remains constrained by institutional silos, uneven digital readiness and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This paper examines the role of government agencies in advancing MyDIGITAL within these broader frameworks, focusing on their responsibilities as coordinators, regulators and implementers of digital governance. Drawing on qualitative document analysis of official policy texts, the study explores how agencies translate national strategies into actionable initiatives and address governance challenges. Findings indicate that while MyDIGITAL offers a structured roadmap covering infrastructure, public sector digitalisation, talent development, inclusivity and cybersecurity, its success depends heavily on inter-agency collaboration, capacity building and citizen trust. Furthermore, the study highlights the urgency of meeting global benchmarks, such as targets set within the OECD Digital Government Index and the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index. The article concludes that strengthening governance mechanisms, embedding ethical frameworks and investing in digital talent are crucial to ensuring Malaysia’s digital transformation enhances global competitiveness while delivering equitable and sustainable progress.
References
Alibeigi, A., & Munir, A. B. (2020). Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act: A mysterious application. University of Bologna Law Review, 5(2), 362–374.
Awasthi, P., Ganapati, S., & Tai, K. T. (2024). Digital transformation in a large democracy: The case of India. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 46(4), 326–359.
Bélanger, F., & Carter, L. (2008). Trust and risk in e-government adoption. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 17(2), 165–176.
Buckley, R. P., Arner, D. W., Zetzsche, D. A., & Selga, E. K. (2020). TechRisk. Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 35–62.
Cordella, A., & Tempini, N. (2015). E-government and organizational change: Reappraising the role of ICT and bureaucracy in public service delivery. Government Information Quarterly, 32(3), 279–286.
Dove, G., Craig, A., Harris-Roxas, B., & Kelly-Hanku, A. (2025). Governance of public–private partnerships for primary healthcare in low- and lower-middle-income countries, 2000–2023: A systematic review. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 14, 8442.
Dunleavy, P., Margetts, H., Bastow, S., & Tinkler, J. (2006). New public management is dead—Long live digital-era governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 16(3), 467–494.
Economic Planning Unit. (2015). Eleventh Malaysia Plan, 2016–2020: Anchoring growth on people. Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia.
Economic Planning Unit. (2021). Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL). Prime Minister’s Department.
European Commission. (2021). Proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act) (COM/2021/206 final). Publications Office of the European Union.
Fleta-Asín, J., & Muñoz, F. (2020). How does risk transference to private partner impact on public–private partnerships’ success? Empirical evidence from developing economies. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 72, 100869.
Government of Malaysia. (2021). National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) policy. Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department.
International Telecommunication Union. (2024). Global cybersecurity index 2024. ITU.
Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389–399.
Keling, W., Yap, C. S., & Chieng, F. Y. L. (2025). Assessing the socioeconomic and digital inclusion impacts of Pusat Internet in rural Sarawak, Malaysia. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 91(6), e70038.
Ma, L., Hu, Y., Zhu, L., & Ke, Y. (2023). Are public–private partnerships still an answer for social infrastructure? A systematic literature review. Frontiers of Engineering Management, 10(3), 467–482.
Malik, H. M., Viljanen, M., Lepinkainen, N., & Alvesalo-Kuusi, A. (2022). Dynamics of social harms in an algorithmic context. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 11(1), 182-195.
Margetts, H., & Dunleavy, P. (2013). The second wave of digital-era governance: A quasi-paradigm for government on the Web. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 371(1987), 20120382.
Mazzucato, M. (2018). The entrepreneurial state: Debunking public vs. private sector myths. Penguin Books.
Meijer, A., & Rodríguez Bolívar, M. P. (2016). Governing the smart city: A review of the literature on smart urban governance. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(2), 392–408.
Ministry of Economy. (2025). Thirteenth Malaysia Plan, 2026–2030: Redesigning development. Government of Malaysia.
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. (2024). National guidelines on artificial intelligence governance and ethics (AIGE). Government of Malaysia.
Mohd, Z., Makmor, N., Rathakrishnan, T., Jaya Kumar, T. B., & Mohamed, H. (2025). The impact of JENDELA implementation on internet accessibility and business productivity among family businesses in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia: A case study. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Journal of Undergraduate Research, 7(2), 109–120.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020). Digital Government in Korea: Towards a data-driven public sector. OECD Publishing.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). OECD Digital Government Index 2023: Results and key findings. OECD Publishing.
Ramadhani, D., Sulaiman, H., Anggraeni, A., & Aisyah, S. (2025). The effectiveness of e-government services in enhancing public trust: A comparative study across ASEAN countries. Journal of Management and Informatics, 4(1), 649–667.
Ramasamy, B., Chakrabarty, A., & Cheah, M. (2004). Malaysia’s leap into the future: An evaluation of the multimedia super corridor. Technovation, 24(11), 871–883.
Tsatsou, P. (2021). Vulnerable people’s digital inclusion: Intersectionality patterns and associated lessons. Information, Communication & Society, 25(10), 1475–1494.
Tuomi, I. (2018). The impact of artificial intelligence on learning, teaching, and education. Publications Office of the European Union.
United Nations. (2022). United Nations E-Government Survey 2022: Digital government in the decade of action. UN DESA.
United Nations. (2024). United Nations E-Government Survey 2024: Accelerating digital transformation for systemic resilience. UN DESA.
van Dijk, J. (2020). The digital divide. John Wiley & Sons.
van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 577–588.
Weerakkody, V., El-Haddadeh, R., Al-Sobhi, F., Shareef, M. A., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2013). Examining the influence of intermediaries in facilitating e-government adoption: An empirical investigation. International Journal of Information Management, 33(5), 716–725.
World Bank. (2020). Malaysia economic monitor: Surviving the storm, building a future-ready digital workforce. World Bank Group.
World Bank. (2023). Digital connectivity as a prerequisite for economic resilience: Lessons from the pandemic. World Bank Group.
World Bank. (2024). Malaysia economic monitor, October 2024: From bytes to benefits: Digital transformation as a catalyst for public sector productivity. World Bank Group.
World Economic Forum. (2020). The global risks report 2020: Ethical dilemmas of emerging technologies. WEF.
Yoon, K. (2021). Discourse of the post-COVID-19 New Deal in South Korea. East Asia, 38(4), 373–388.
Yunis, M., El-Kassar, A. N., & Tarhini, A. (2018). Impact of ICT-based innovations on organizational performance: The role of fragmentation in e-government efforts. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 30(1), 122–141.
Zuiderwijk, A., Shinde, R., & Janssen, M. (2019). Investigating the attainment of open government data objectives: Is there a mismatch between objectives and results?. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 85(4), 645-672.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Fatihah Mohd Zakrey, Mazlan Che Soh, Suhaimi Abd Samad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
