GEORGE TOWN, Nov 20 — The World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT), which was initially scheduled to be held in Penang in September this year, has now been moved to 2022.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today said the postponement was due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
He said that the state government had requested for the WCIT to be postponed to 2021, but that time slot has already been reserved for Bangladesh.
“They (Bangladesh) could not make way for us next year as 2021 also happens to be their country’s 50th anniversary of independence and they want WCIT to be held in conjunction with that,” he told reporters at the closing ceremony of Penang Techfest Live at Wisma Yeap Chor Ee here.
Penang Techfest Live is a three-day global tech festival held between Nov 18 and 20 for growth and market access, which also serves as a run-up event for WCIT Malaysia 2022.
Chow said that Penang Techfest Live had welcomed 250 speakers and panellists and showcased 129 virtual exhibition booths.
The three-day event has also garnered over 70,000 page views and around 3,800 users worldwide, of which 62 per cent were from Malaysia. — BERNAMA