Following the announcement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad that there is a need for Malaysia to switch to use electronic methods to facilitate Government and public interaction even before the completion of the new Prime Minister’s Office in the new administrative capital in Putrajaya in the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) next year, there should be a national debate as to how electronic government could provide better and more efficient services to the public.
All over the world, other governments are using information technology to deliver more convenient, more accessible and more efficient services. There should be greater national awareness as to the developments on electronic government in other countries as an eye-opener as to what could be introduced in Malaysia.
For instance, in some countries, members of the public can access the Electronic Valuation List for information on property ownership and tax assessment. Lawyers handling conveyances of properties can send in their searches and receive their replies electronically.
Malaysia, which has set the target of becoming the first civil service to qualify for the ISO 9000 quality standards by the year 2,000, should aim to provide services, delivered electronically, which will be of world standard in quality, efficiency and value for money.
Kuala Lumpur and Penang should spearhead the introduction of electronic government in Malaysia to provide better and more efficient services to the public for two important reasons: the IT infrastructure, literacy and usage and the traffic congestion in both these places are the highest for the former and the worst for the latter in the whole country.
The introduction of electronic government in Kuala Lumpur and Penang would help to ease the critical traffic congestion in both places by removing the necessity for an increasing number of people to aggravate the traffic congestions when they can get public services electronically from their homes or offices with the click of the computer mouse.
(3/2/97)