'Share, don't sell 1Malaysia netbooks'

KOTA KINABALU: 1Malaysia netbooks recipients have been urged to share the laptops with those who need them.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai said this when commenting on reports that some people were selling the netbooks.

Dr Yee, who is also resource development and information technology minister, said there was no law prohibiting recipients from selling them.

"The 1Malaysia netbook idea is to narrow the digital divide in the population. The government issued them to recipients who would benefit from them.

"They are considered gifts, and we cannot stop recipients if they decide to sell them.

"Instead of selling them, it would be better to share the netbooks with their family and friends. This way they could all benefit," he said after opening the Sabah Entrepreneur Day summit yesterday.

A newspaper yesterday quoted Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission Sabah and Labuan director Jusly Ellis as saying that the agency was only a distributing party of the 1Malaysia netbooks.

He was referring to Facebook postings of 1Malaysia laptops being sold to the public for between RM100 and RM300 each.

Dr Yee commended the co-organisers Sabah West Coast Entrepreneur Network Association (SEA) and business incubation company MAD Incubator, for being able to gather participants from all spectrums for the inaugural summit.

The summit was held during the TEXPO.asia 2012 -- the first technology and entrepreneur expo in Borneo. The two-day expo which ran until yesterday, was held at the 1Borneo Grand Ballroom.

Participants included those from the farming sector, high-end technology to green-oriented sector.