Digital Divide: An Inquiry on the Native Communities of Sabah

ICT development has become the development pulse of the global nation. Malaysia, as a developing nation, has invested heavily in ICT development across the country to ensure no one is left behind. The policymakers have also claimed a positive result in closing the digital gap among their people. In this study, Van Dijk’s theory of digital divide is explored on the four dimensions of digital divide (motivation, physical, skill, and usage) among the native people in Sabah. A focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted among 21 key informants from seven different ethnic groups to identify the issues of ICT development in their community. The findings showed that the existence of a digital gap between the rural and the urban area community caused the community to be saddled with the connection to telecommunication service, including landline and internet. Despite lacking, the native community were receptive and willing to adopt the ICT positively for their daily activities. While the theory of digital divide observes that the physical access divide is narrowing in most developed nations, this study shows that is not the case for developing countries, such as Malaysia. The inequality in digital access is prevalent among the natives in Sabah, which could result in the opportunity to participate in important democratic decision-making.

Job stress and depression among Malaysian anti-drug professionals: The moderating role of job-related coping strategies

Depression can cause negative consequences to workers' health and social functioning, such as poor work productivity, mental disorders, and suicide. Existing studies have argued that job stress is closely related to depression in many professions. Yet, information on how coping strategies play a significant role in the relationships among Malaysian anti-drug professionals is still scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine to what extent coping strategies moderate the relationship between job stress and depression among Malaysian anti-drug professionals. A total of 3,356 National Antidrug Agency (NADA) officers aged between 21 and 59 years completed online self-report measures of depression, job stress, and job-related control coping and avoidant coping behaviors. The results showed that job stress was strongly correlated with depression, and both coping strategies were found to significantly moderate the correlations. The correlations between stress and depression were stronger among participants who had higher levels of avoidant coping or those who had lower levels of control coping. To conclude, this study highlights the importance of considering job stress and coping behaviors to understand anti-drug professionals' mental health during this challenging COVID-19 pandemic.