E-Governance and Service Delivery Innovations in Malaysia: An Overview

Dr Noore Alam Siddiquee Senior Lecturer Dept. of Politics & Public Policy Flinders University Adelaide, Australia
The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent. ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

Introduction
ICT application- a leading feature of public service today

ICT offers immense prospect to improve service delivery & overcome the limitations of traditional bureaucracies It also offers innovative solutions to governance problems
It supports national economic objectives and MDGs As such, it has enjoyed growing popularity all over the world

The Malaysian Scene

Malaysia has followed the global trend of e-government

Established the MSC in 1996 to spur the ICT application

E-government is among the leading flagship projects of the MSC Twin goals of MSC : to reinvent the service delivery and to catalyze the development of ICT as the leading sector of the economy

Concerted efforts made by government have produced a large number of e-projects with significant innovations in various spheres

E-Services
PSN introduced in the early 1990s- the precursor of e-Services It is aimed at enhancing the access to services by providing services and info anywhere and anytime It offers one-stop service windows for a range of services Initially driving licences, summons services and utility bills services were made available in Klang Valley areas Subsequently other services offered by a range of agencies are integrated to allow convenient access to service users Renewal of driving licenses, RTD and DBKL summons check and payment, utility bills check and payment and various legal documents are now available Citizens are provided with a choice of multiple delivery channels and access to 24X7.

E-Syariah
Introduced to upgrade the quality of services offered by syariah courts It consists of various modules. However e-syariah portal has come to be recognized as the best service delivery innovation In operation since 1995 the portal offers a number of services electronically and growing number of people Linked to syariah courts across the country it allows all relevant parties including to file suits and affidavits online, get hearing dates and follow-up the status of cases It also acts as one-stop counter on all matters of judiciary allowing the people to calculate faraid, download forms and refers to laws re court admn.

E-Tanah
Aimed at convenient services to citizens relating to land administration Intended to be one point of contact at the same time making land related info and services available online Led to cost-effective and quality services in all matters of land administration Started as a pilot project in Penang, rolled out later in two other states Plans are underway to expand to all other states

E-Perolehan
Designed to streamline the public procurement system It allows both suppliers and the government to conduct all procurement activities electronically It supports entire procurement cycle from alert notification to final payment to successful bidders Marks a major shift in public procurement in Malaysia

E-Bario
An attempt at bridging digital divide Aimed at connecting the remote and marginalized Bario community to IT Computer labs established at local schools

A telecentre was established with 4 computers

Diegel generator was used to power computers at school and solar power was used for telecentre Internet access was provided with VSAT Project produced promising results. Received local and international awards.

E-KL
Demands of gloalisation and national competitiveness as drivers Integrated and connected Klang Valley
Service delivery across agencies, it relates sharing of information among govt agencies A number of innovations introduced MyBayer online payment gateway MyForms MySMS15888

Observations
New mode of governance
One-stop service counters and easy access Improved efficiency and transparency Enhanced access to disadvantaged groups

Supports economic goals & competitiveness

Issues/Concerns
Still at the early stage of implementation
Lower levels of trust and security concerns Digital divide has remained a serious challenge Some programs not fully utilized, others are not userfriendly High turnover of skilled and experienced staff

Together with other problems they pose a huge challenge

Conclusion
Malaysia among the leaders in developing world Made some inroads- but still long way to go There is hardly any short-cuts Requires continuous drive to identify and tackle challenges/pitfalls There is no shortage of resolve and enthusiasm to carry the task forward.