(Electronic Government) Essay, Research Paper
Introduction
This report is about Electronic Government in Malaysia. Several researches have been done through many ways and come out several conclusions. The main subject of this report is ” Is Malaysia Ready for Electronic Government? ” This has been the issue and question for many citizens of Malaysia and our neighbor countries.
Will Electronic Government in Malaysia succeed? From my personal opinion, conversion from classical government to electronic government has been the dream of Malaysia and also our Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. This dream is becoming reality soon and actually Malaysia is now moving towards the next millennium and in view of this, the country has invested heavily on information technology and its infrastructure.
Malaysia has a bright and promising future, and we the citizens of Malaysia are here to experience first hand the new wave of modernism that will sweep the world. With uses of IT in government, it will definitely help develop the country and bring us closer towards the realization of Vision 2020.
Why I say Malaysia is ready for Electronic Government and Malaysia will achieve. Let me tell you why.
What is Electronic Government?
Electronic government is the provision of government services through uses digital form, electronic means. In the past 5 years to the extent that Malaysia Government has invested hundreds of billion in information technologies, it has largely been focused on automation inside government, particularly in “back-office” functions. In short, there are a host of other applications that enable those who interact with government do it digitally.
Embracing digital government will let the civil servants, citizens and businesses more compelling reasons too get on-line and use digital technologies and also help speed the social transition to a digital economy. At the same time, it wills benefits the government cutting costs of providing services.
What are the benefits of Electronic Government?
When Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project launched in August 1996 by our Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it marks Malaysia as the new era or new evolution in Malaysia’s history. Since then, the Government of Malaysia has pledged to lead the country into the Information Age with employed multimedia technologies to re-invent the way in which government operates.
The Electronic Government will definitely improve both how the government operates internally and externally, and ass well as how it delivers services to its own people (Malaysian). It is believe that it will improve the convenience, accessibility, and quality of interactions with citizens and business. Eventually, it will improve information flows, and follow by the process within government will also efficient such as quality of policy, coordination and enforcement. Electronic Government will surely play a vital role in catalyzing the MSC’s development, as well as furthering the social, political and economic agenda under vision 2020.
Government of Malaysia is moving towards paperless transaction. Gradually, whole government will be digitize and interconnect to each other. The ideas of Electronic Government are as follow: -
i) Project Monitoring System – whereby there will be a monitoring project
mechanism implementation created. The service allows for exchanging ideas and demonstrating best practice models in information management and communication services.
ii) Generic Office Environment – There will be fully integrated, distributed, and scalable paperless office environment for the Prime Minister’s Office by deploying multimedia information technology. All civil servants will be provided with a quick and easy method to access up to date, accurate information, and ensure that the right information gets to the right person at the right time.
iii) Electronic Procurement – This application focuses to re-engineer, automate, and transform current procurement system to a more cost savings and faster turnaround times by enabling government to become a Smart Buyer.
iv) Human Resource Management IS – A system that will allows government employees to perform HRM functions efficiently and effectively.
v) Licensing and related Vehicle Services and Utility Payment – With the use of electronics it enable the public to transact more easily with government and utilities such as people can renew their licenses and pay electrical bills with using PC.
In conjunction to the above, the local government is looking to form smart-partnerships with local and international consortia based in the MSC to introduce the best current solutions and to develop leading edge applications. The Electronic Government initiatives create a platform, which allows business and government to generate a close relationship and working together to solve the current abstraction.
Local government is fully encourage Malaysian companies take this golden opportunity to plan for genuine technology transfer programs and to ensure that they’re technical and managerial personnel will be able to develop innovative technologies, products and services.
What are the roles of Local Government?
When Malaysia launch MSC, it marks the success of Malaysia. Since then several big projects follows up such as Putrajaya, Telecommunication, KL Twin Tower (KLCC), KL Tower and KLIA
Putrajaya is the intelligent garden city, which houses the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). MSC is highly capacity, fully equip with digital telecommunications infrastructure designed to the highest international standards in capacity, reliability and pricing.
Putrajaya will use multimedia technologies to become an electronic administrative center for government. Interdepartmental communications and interactions with the public will be conducted via electronic and multimedia channels. The development of Putrajaya and its twin city, Cyberjaya, will position the MSC competitively in the international arena.
With successful of MSC in Malaysia, Malaysia will become Asia first leading country uses information technology to run the whole country. For the seek of achieving Information age Malaysia will slowly computerize the current old system and try to invent new technology to handle those slack system to more organize and manageable system.
What is Malaysia Government Working On?
The advent of the Information Age, where information has become the cutting edge of global competition, has thrust Information Technology (IT) into the forefront of national socio-economic development. IT has been recognized as a strategic enabling tool to support the growth of the Malaysian economy as well as enhance the quality of life of the population. Recognizing the potential of IT, efforts will focus on promoting its extensive application and usage. In this regard, IT infrastructure will be expanded and a number of national IT-related programs and projects implemented to accelerate the wider use of IT in the various sectors of the economy. This will enable Malaysia to sustain its competitiveness in the emerging digital economy as well as attract new investments and create economic opportunities in IT-related activities and services.
Now, Malaysia is trying to implement IT in the Government sector step by step and when the entire sector have been fully electronic integrate, the final part is to combine. Currently, Malaysia Government is focussing on enhancing productivity and efficiency as well as in improving the quality of service. In this regard, Malaysia have been heavily invested in computerization estimated about over RM1.4 billion
There was an increase in information flow through computer networking as well as information sharing and utilization among government agencies. The Public Services Network (PSN) contributed to the Government’s efforts to upgrade efficiency and productivity, particularly in the provision of counter services, by offering on-line services through the computer network facilities at the post offices and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branches. Other on-line Services such as (PALMOILIS), SIRIMLINK, Civil Service Link (CSL) and AGROLINK, were established. Various aspects of public administration, including information on regulations, customs tariffs, incentives, Government policies and economic data. In 1995, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the AGROLINK to provide comprehensive data and information on the agriculture sector. In addition, the South Investment, Trade and Technology Data Exchange Center (SITTDEC) was established in 1993 to promote the exchange of investment, trade and technology information among developing countries through a global computer network linking member countries.
Recently, Malaysia Government is going to launch the Smart Card so called Multi-Purpose Card (MPC) with wide range of functions, including data processing, storage, and file management. The implementation of MPC is designed as a tool and medium for other MSC initiatives, and not as an isolated projects for instance the Electronic Government. In additional, it will provide an opportunity for Government agencies to re-engineer their services. The MPC believes able to support eight applications for inclusion in the initial MPC roll out, including the national ID card, driving license, immigration, health card, credit card. electronic cash, debit card, and ATM card. All theses will improve the ease with which ordinary Malaysians conduct routine transactions with government.
The next project that the government is working on is the Telemedicine. This initiative aim is to keep people in the wellness paradigm. Through the seamless availability of health information and virtual health services to people, and where the way healthcare services are delivered. Basically, is to ease the people, doctor and even government to manage your health information anywhere and anytime when there is the need of retrieving your personal information, in a case of emergency. Telemedicine is not just manage your health information safely and ease the doctor to understand and view your health information remotely with your authorization, the concept is to allow patients to connect to the specified doctor at home and seek advice remotely without stepping the house a step. In supporting telemedicine, there are several application that support it such as Continuing Medical Education, Mass Customized/Personalized Health Information and Education, Teleconsultation, and Lifetime Health Plan
Smart School also part of Malaysia Government plans to improve the way in which education is delivered with the use of Information Technology. With the use of Information Technology there will be some changes in various aspects of schooling for instance teaching and learning, staff training and management. The Smart School initiative has five main goals. Firstly, to encourage all-round development of the individual covering the intellectual, emotional, spiritual domains and physically. Secondly, to provide opportunities for the individual to develop their own special abilities and strengths. The third goal relates to the needs of society is to produce a technologically thinking workforce. The fourth and fifth goals are targeted at the system of education: to democratize education such that every child has equal access to learning, and to increase the participation of all stakeholders such as parents, the community and the private sector, in the education process.
The World-wide Manufacturing Web is a government initiative to provide the optimal environment for manufacturing and manufacturing-service companies utilizing multimedia technology to create and deliver value-added services and products to their customers around the globe. The Worldwide Manufacturing Web (WMW) Flagship Application aims to provide a conducive environment for these high value-added manufacturing activities to be pursued using multimedia and information technology. The ultimate goal is to position Malaysia as a prime choice for manufacturing companies to locate hubs for supporting and controlling their expanding manufacturing operations in the region more efficiently and less costly. Not the end yet, it also helps manufacturing related services reach far beyond Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region.
Conclusion
Do you think that Malaysia ready for electronic government? As we should know that the successful of Electronic Government is highly dependent on the successful of MSC of Malaysia. In this stage, I mean now Malaysia is not actually ready for the Electronic Government as I already mention of the above but rather prepared for the great new challenges in the coming future. Is obvious to know that Malaysia is consider new in this field compare to America and other European country, all these need time, mistake that had been done and experience. Why Malaysia keeps investing on Information Technology project such as Cyberjaya and Putrajaya or other IT related projects? All these, is because of one main reason, make Malaysia to become a develop country that’s the aim of our Prime Minister, and always says to Malaysian “Malaysia Boleh” (Malaysia Can). Though, projects are highly cost but the success of its projects and its applications will lead to a new culture of urbanization not only to Malaysian society but it will also be a new paradigm for creating value in urban development especially in the information age throughout the world. As indicated in Vision 2020, MSC will be a catalyst to start a new way of lifestyle to become an informative and progressive society with super quality services and urban development for all nations as a whole.