I REFER to Ms Chua Mui Hoong's commentary, 'Cyber safety message has to go out to kids' (Dec 5), and would like to voice support for pushing cyber safety higher up the national agenda.

We also offer our perspective as a non-technology company as to why we are in an arena generally assumed to be left to those in the technology industry. By doing so, we hope to add to the impetus to get everyone more involved in making the Internet a safer place for all to work, study and play in.

We have highlighted cyber-safety issues in a dedicated column in our customer newsletters for more than a year. The reason is that our community focus for corporate social responsibility centres on family issues in Singapore, and specifically looks at technology as a bridging yet divisive force in society.

We recognise that many advantages have come with the Internet, but new pressures on families have also emerged.

Youth are preoccupied with virtual communities and identities, while the older generation is clueless about what is happening. Quality family time may be neglected due to the many online distractions.

In addition, parents may not always be aware of online threats their children are exposed to, nor do kids know how to protect themselves. Our dedicated columns aim to educate parents and young people on these topics.

Apart from these, while online channels may help to highlight real-life community issues and drive real action, it is good to sometimes 'go out into the field' to come face to face with the harsh reality of others' problems and hardships. With this in mind, the Youth Bank by Maybank aims to drive youth volunteerism via online channels.

Other pressures on parents arise when they cannot afford computers for their children. Needy students from such families become disadvantaged in school, and this perpetuates other social issues, not least the poverty cycle.

In this respect, we applaud the Infocomm Development Authority for setting up the Neu-PC programme and iNSPIRE Fund to help such families. Maybank is proud to be a supporter of the iNSPIRE Fund.

As citizens of a wired society and a global virtual village, we must address any social gaps and problems to create a more harmonious and safer community.

We support Ms Chua's call to set up a national agency to look into cyber-safety issues, and call on more companies and individuals to build a vigilant and compassionate society.

Pollie Sim (Ms)
Country Head
Maybank Singapore

This article was first published in The Straits Times on December 17, 2008.