KUALA LUMPUR:Telecommunication plays an important role in making the gig economy a success, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said Malaysia managed to tap into the new economy quite early, simply because the communication system in the country is very good.

"The Internet infrastructure is one of the key factors on how we are going to embrace the gig economy. For me, gig economy is the ability to communicate, without the ability you couldn't have this system of economy.

"You can do a lot of things with good telecommunication technology. When you have this facility to communicate, to the point where you actually see the person you are talking to, you can have a conversation, conference or even participate in the gig economy," he said here yesterday.

Speaking at the SEA Connect Creative Conference 2020 Virtual - The Gig Revolution initiated by Creative Cloud Community, to share insights and how to embrace the gig economy, Dr Mahathir said Malaysians of all ages should tap into the opportunity.

With the gig economy, he said, those who did not have the capacity to venture into a new business could use the platform to sell their products directly from their own backyard.

"With gig economy, individuals especially those unemployed also can have secondary sources of income including as an e-hailing driver or food delivery motorist," he said while advising the government to take a softer approach in regard to gig economy workers as a stringent policy would temper the growth of the industry.

-- BERNAMA