SALUTATIONS
1. Yang Berbahagia Dato' Seri TPr (Dr) Maimunah Mohd Sharif,
Mayor of Kuala Lumpur
2. Yang Berbahagia Tuan Fabian Bigar,
Secretary-General, Ministry of Digital
3. Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Jusman Ibrahim,
Mayor of Kuala Terengganu
4. Yang Berbahagia Dato' Sri Dr. Hj. Sabin Samitah,
Mayor of Kota Kinabalu
Distinguished Guests, Local Authorities,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Greetings of Unity and Salam Malaysia MADANI.
1. Allow me to express my highest appreciation to the Honourable Mayor of Kuala Lumpur for graciously hosting this Mayors’ Roundtable. His commitment and support in ensuring the success of this event are deeply valued and serve as an example of proactive digital leadership at the local level.
2. I would also like to extend my gratitude to everyone present today. Your attendance reflects our collective determination to strengthen urban and community development through an inclusive and sustainable technology-driven approach.
3. This Mayors’ Roundtable serves as a strategic platform that brings together city leaders from across the nation to unite visions, align actions, and build a smarter, more competitive, and sustainable digital ecosystem — in line with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI and the 13th Malaysia Plan.
DISCUSSION FOCUS
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. In line with the aspirations of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13), themed “Redefining Development”, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are positioned as key catalysts in building a competitive and inclusive economy. This aspiration requires a more comprehensive and integrated approach to ensure that the benefits of digitalisation are felt by all segments of society.
5. In this context, the role of cities and local authorities (PBT) is crucial. Today’s session is therefore intended to create space for dialogue among local leadership — Mayors, Presidents, and representatives of PBTs — to share insights, experiences, and challenges in implementing digitalisation policies at the grassroots level.
6. Our discussions will focus on three key objectives:
A. Development and sharing of digital infrastructure;
B. Digitisation and data sharing; and
C. Building digital twins (Digital Twin).
7. These three objectives are the foundational elements in shaping a smart city ecosystem that is sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people.
8. We also acknowledge that every city has its own context, priorities, and capacities. I have personally visited several command centres, such as those in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and I am truly impressed with the initiatives being undertaken in each city. Therefore, dialogues such as this are crucial to ensure that national digital policies can be translated flexibly and adapted effectively to local realities.
9. In this regard, the Ministry of Digital is committed to strengthening its role as a policy leader and facilitator in the digital aspects of smart city action plan implementation by local authorities (PBT). This support includes the provision of guidelines, capacity building through training, as well as facilitating access to solutions and technologies 5 via strategic industry partners.
SOLUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH STRATEGIC INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
10. The success of smart city transformation requires close collaboration between the federal government, state governments, local authorities, the private sector, educational institutions, and civil society. Through established collaboration platforms, local authorities and industry partners can access the latest technologies such as digital twins for real-time city simulations, AI-based monitoring systems, autonomous drone corridors, as well as integrated smart transportation solutions.
11. In addition, strategic data sharing across all levels of government serves as a key catalyst for fostering synergy, generating cost savings, and strengthening sustainable urban governance. The establishment of platforms such as the National Data Bank and the Data Commission will ensure that data sharing takes place securely and ethically. With a robust and integrated data ecosystem, high-tech facilities such as Command and Control Centres can be shared, thereby avoiding the need to build separate infrastructure in each city and optimizing existing resources for mutual benefit.
12. The Ministry of Digital has recently officially awarded the 5G Enterprise & AI City Grant to several companies and local authorities (PBT). This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to accelerating the adoption of digital technologies at the local level, while ensuring that formulated policies are translated into applications and innovations that deliver tangible impact to the people and municipal services.
INVITATION TO SCEKL 2025
13. For your information, Malaysia will be hosting the Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur 2025 (SCEKL 2025), organized by the Ministry of Digital in collaboration with MDEC and DNB. This prestigious event will take place from 17 to 19 September 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, as a continuation of the international Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) held in Barcelona — the world’s leading platform in smart city development. I am pleased to announce that the theme for SCEKL 2025 is “AI Cities — Shaping Our Digital Future.”
14. In this regard, I would like to invite all Mayors and representatives of local authorities (PBT) to attend and participate in the strategic sessions throughout SCEKL 2025. The active involvement of PBT is crucial to ensure that the direction of smart city development in the country remains relevant, driven by digital and AI technologies, and anchored in local realities.
CLOSING
15. In conclusion, I hope that this Roundtable will strengthen consensus and shared understanding among local leaders on the strategic role of cities in driving the nation’s AI development. Dialogues such as this are crucial in creating space for constructive discussions, uniting visions, and coordinating actions among cities — so that technologyand AI-driven development approaches can be more effectively tailored to local needs and realities.
16. The Ministry of Digital will continue to play an active role as a leader and facilitator by providing comprehensive support — encompassing technical expertise, strategic financing, enabling policies, as well as capacity-building programs together with the agencies under the Ministry.
Thank you.
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