Data Check: Muhaimin Addresses the Digital Divide Among MSMEs; Which Regions Show the Highest Disparity?

Vice Presidential Candidate (cawapres) number 1, Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that a digitalization gap still exists for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia.

He conveyed this during the second 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate themed "People's Economy, Digital Economy, Finance, Investment, Taxes, Management of the State Budget/Regional Budget, Infrastructure, and Urban Areas" at the Jakarta Convention Center on Friday (22/12/2023).

In the Digital People's Economy session, Mahfud MD stated that the digital economy is unavoidable for anyone. Muhaimin responded, "It's absolutely true that a gap still exists between the development of digital technology and our MSMEs. Therefore, it must be followed up."

Muhaimin's statement aligns with the East Ventures Digital Competitiveness Index (EV-DCI) 2022 report. In the Java region, the average internet utilization by MSME actors scored 49 out of 100. This contrasts sharply with Maluku and Papua, which scored 10 for internet utilization by MSME actors.

According to the report, geographical conditions are one of the challenges in providing adequate internet connectivity for MSME actors.

Also read: [This is the MSME Sector that Widely Utilizes Digital Technology](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/11/14/ini-sektor-umkm-yang-banyak-manfaatkan-teknologi-digital)