Tying back the scenario to our home country, which comprises of a multiracial and multi ethnic groups; among them are also indigenous people. To name a few indigenous groups are the Negrito, Senoi and also Proto Malay. They constitute about 13% of the general Malaysian populations and this untapped resource should not be neglected. If a government seek to tap into this vast resource which can empower the rural folk to earn and grow, it may be a long term and sustainable solution to grow Malaysia’s economy. This can be achieved by deploying the Educating, Enabling and Employment strategy.

The Education Strategy will require the relevant government bodies to provide training rural folks. The rural folks can be empowered to take charge of their own business while at the same time also sharpen their skills in creating what they are good at – unique products. The Education Strategy will encourage the younger rural folks to take up new and relevant skills and not be left out.

The Enabling Strategy will aim to help establish the necessary infrastructures.   This is where businesses in the area of e-commerce can step in to bridge the gap between rural folks who produce unique products and end consumers who are looking to purchase such products online. Rural people may only have the skills and knowledge to create unique products but e-commerce inherently requires a more advanced technical know-how could benefit from programmes/businesses to assist in this area. This provides a win-win scenario for all three parties.

Lastly, the employment model focuses in providing job opportunities for the people in rural areas. E-commerce does not confine job opportunities to only white collar or educated personnel. There are many aspects of e-commerce whereby there are other opportunities which does not require technical knowledge such as warehousing, packer, delivery…etc. Should businesses be committed to maintain the hiring to locals as a priority, the income gap between urban and rural will slowly be minimized, creating a more balanced economy for the country.

In today’s day and age, the digital economy have presented a great opportunity where an inclusive ecosystem can be created and the gap of ‘accessibility’ between both the urban and rural can be closed. This perhaps brings a new meaning to ‘equal opportunity’.