08/12/2025

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MONDAY | DEC 8, 2025

COMMENT by Catherine Lian

Scaling digital heights securely A S Asean’s digital economy races towards a projected value of US$1 trillion by 2030 – and potentially double that with the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement – AI’s

Third vote only way to restore accountability THE recent Selangor Smart Integrated Parking (SIP) LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

along ethnic lines. These claims are outdated and unsustainable. Globally, voters prioritise competence, accountability and service delivery over ace. The election of Zohran Mamdani in New York City – a Muslim and South Asian representative chosen by a multiethnic electorate – demonstrates that communities value principle and performance, not ethnicity. It is important to recall that DAP was once among the strongest voices demanding the restoration of local elections. The Penang State Government went further than advocacy – they passed the Local Government Elections Enactment 2012 and even brought the matter to court in an attempt to reinstate the “third vote”. Now that the same coalition leads the Federal Government, why the silence? The solution is straightforward: amend Sections 10 and 15 of the LCA to allow local elections. The only sustainable way to restore accountability is to return power to the people. Amending Sections 10 and 15 of the LCA will enable residents to elect councillors who are visible, accessible and answerable to the public they serve. People’s participation is not just a democratic ideal; it is the only practical path toward transparent, effective and responsible local governance, improving the everyday lives of millions. K. Kunsekaran Ipoh

controversy underscores the urgent need for accountable and transparent local governance. Since the abolition of local elections decades ago, it has been widely known that councillors are appointed, not elected, making them largely invisible and inaccessible to the communities they are meant to serve. Sections 10 and 15 of the Local Government Act (LCA) enshrine this system, leaving councillors susceptible to political influence and depriving residents of direct control over local decisions. As a result, state assemblypersons and MPs often perform councillor duties – from grass cutting and rubbish collection to street lighting, drainage, and road maintenance – tasks that should rightly fall under the councillors’ responsibility. Local government issues are not abstract or distant; they affect people’s daily lives, comfort and peaceful living. Whether rubbish is collected on time, whether drains are clogged, whether streetlights function or whether neighbourhoods are clean and safe – all these depend on an effective and accountable local authority. When councillors are appointed rather than elected, residents lose the ability to demand performance, transparency or responsibility. Opponents of local government elections sometimes invoke racial arguments, claiming elections will divide towns

Companies should not only enhance threat detection but also automate response workflows. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH /THESUN

transformative potential risks being compromised by a lax cybersecurity approach. Our region has witnessed a sharp rise in cyber threats, with attacks rising in scale and sophistication. Singapore’s latest cyber landscape shows phishing and ransomware as dominant threats and a sharp uptick in infected systems while Malaysia ranked among the top in Southeast Asia for web-based threats last year. The rapid adoption of AI is introducing new vulnerabilities – 66% of organisations expect this to have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the year to come, according to Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025. However, only 37% of these organisations have processes to assess the security of AI tools before deployment, revealing the gap between rapid AI implementation without necessary cybersecurity safeguards and the recognition of AI-induced risks. As enterprises deploy AI at scale, attackers are evolving their tactics by exploiting vulnerabilities in AI models, targeting proprietary data and leveraging phishing campaigns to infiltrate systems. IBM’s 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index revealed that 84% of phishing emails now deliver infostealers and 30% of breaches stem from abuse of valid accounts. The economists argue for action. At US$4.44 million on average per breach and a world-leading 34% of global cybersecurity incidents happening to Asian enterprises, the stakes have never been higher. Encouragingly, governments are

Companies should not only enhance threat detection but also automate response workflows, freeing up valuable time and improving overall resilience. Here is a pragmatic playbook for Asean businesses to consider: 0 Secure-by-design AI: Treat AI systems (models, data, prompts, agents) as critical assets – inventory them, restrict access, monitor usage and red-team continuously. 0 Identity-first protection: Roll out phishing-resistant authentication, close authentication gaps, and monitor for infostealers and credential abuse across endpoints and cloud. 0 Automate the Security Operations Centre: Use mature AI plus gen AI to accelerate investigations, cut alert fatigue, and keep cybersecurity professionals in the loop and in charge. 0 Invest in skills jointly: Expand public private talent programmes and regional information sharing under Asean frameworks. As Asean’s digital economy scales new heights, let’s ensure our cybersecurity posture rises with it. In the race to harness AI, security should not be an afterthought but a foundation. Catherine Lian is the general manager and technology leader for IBM Asean. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

“Today’s mature AI algorithms can

acting: Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy (2021–2025) advances information-sharing and joint readiness while Singapore’s Cybersecurity Act and Malaysia’s National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) are designed to strengthen enforcement and resilience. While policy-level initiatives provide the framework and impetus, it is AI itself which presents a powerful opportunity to strengthen our cyber defences. Today’s mature AI algorithms can contextualise vast volumes of data – from raw signals to behavioural patterns – enabling security teams to detect threats faster and respond with precision. contextualise vast volumes of data – from raw signals to behavioural patterns – enabling security teams to detect threats faster and respond with precision. the Asean

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