"This is the new generation of Malaysians, a generation that will take the country into the technological era and achieve Vision 2020.
"Children today, even in primary school, are able to operate the PC as easily as when they use pens and pencils." Samsudin, the professional and progressive head of the country's civil service, added: "This is the result of the implementation of the Smart Schools initiative under the Multimedia Super-Corridor flagship applications projects." The MSC, now in its seventh year, has seven flagship applications, comprising four developmental flagships (government multi-purpose card, electronic government or e-Government, tele-health and smart schools) and three environmental flagships (R&D clusters, e-business and technopreneur development).
The flagship projects are to help Malaysia become a knowledge-based economy and society by 2020. They are jumpstarting the MSC's efforts by implementing high-impact projects to enhance our productivity and competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven world.
"Competitiveness will also be given a boost with the e-business and e-Government flagship applications, while the digital divide between geographical areas as well as within and between various social strata will also be overcome by the smart school flagship initiative." Samsudin, who was closely involved with the formation of the MSC, said it has become a global test-bed for the implementation of leading-edge IT solutions.
All these efforts, he said, will help make Malaysia a major exporter of information and communications technology products and services. The development of homegrown intellectual property would also be stepped up.
Of all the flagship applications, the closest to Samsudin's heart is e-Government, which essentially is the extensive use of ICT in government. The objective is to enable Malaysians to be served more efficiently and at much lower operating cost. The civil service is seen by many as inefficient, slow and full of red-tape but this view is being changed with e-Government.
"E-Government was launched to reinvent the government operations, both internally and in terms of the delivery of services to the people.
"It seeks to improve convenience, ac-cessibility, information flow and processes within the Government with a view to achieving speed and quality of policy de-velopment, co-ordination and enforce-ment." It is not just about using computers and adopting new processes. It is about getting the public servant to re-invent himself and serve the people better.
"No, I would not call the change a new way of doing things in the civil service. I would call it a new initiative because we are not going ICT in all functions. There are some operations that still have to be done on paper." E-Government has certainly created a tremendous impact on the Government ma-chinery. Ten years ago, no one had heard of the term "e-Government". Today it is on the lips of every civil servant. Thanks to Samsudin.
The amount spent on e-Government is not small, but to Samsudin, the returns are worth every sen. The expenditure on e-Government for the period 2001-03 is expected to be about RM380 million.
"No other country has done what we have done to date with e-Government. We are still in the process of consolidating our efforts. In fact, we are at a stage of rolling out the flagship projects throughout the whole Government." The e-Government initiative, especially in the case of flagship application projects, is first carried out on a pilot basis. Its most interesting and extensive project is the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS).
HRMIS will pool all available data to enable the various agencies and departments to respond quicker to the changing political, economic and social environment.
The other six projects are project monitoring system, generic office environment e-Services, e-Procurement, e-Syariah, and electronic labour exchange.
The seven projects under e-Government are massive, but as Samsudin puts it: "There is always a learning curve in the sense that you need to train people each time you implement a project, and of course, getting them to be committed.
"We were the first to carry out such a venture. No government in the world has undertaken a HRMIS project that spans so many agencies.
"In carrying out the project, we found that there were really no suitable solutions that you could buy off the shelf. We have created cutting-edge solutions for use with the HRMIS." The HRMIS project initially involves 10 government agencies and following successful trials, will be rolled out soon to all government agencies.
The e-Government project, and one in which Samsudin has also played a very significant role, that fascinates him most is e-Syriah.
Launched in April last year, e-Syariah has introduced administrative reforms that upgrade the quality of service in syariah courts. This will eventually enhance the Islamic Affairs Department's effectiveness through better monitoring and co-ordination of its agencies and improving the management of its 102 syariah courts.
The project is expected to be implemented in three years.
"What impressed me most is that when you talk to syariah court judges, they are so excited about the project.
"The judges are now able to use PCs to get access to past cases and have all the information they need for a particular case quicker than before." Under the e-Syariah project, it is possible to have a court case management system, a syariah lawyer registration system, an e-Syariah portal and a library management system.
One other flagship application that also impresses Samsudin is the multi-purpose smart card, which will soon be rolled out throughout the country.
"Many people have forgotten that it was less than 10 years ago that it took them a long time to apply for an IC, driving licence or passport, or to even get a replacement.
"Today, all these can be done in days, not weeks or months. Take, for instance, the Road Transport Department. You can sit for the driving theory test online at any RTD centre and get your results immediately." Although there is still a long way to go before the entire civil service operates under an ICT environment, Samsudin is proud of the progress made.
"What we have done so far has contributed substantially to a mindset change. Civil servants, like everyone else, benefit from the use of ICT.
"The ability to produce products and deliver services much faster allows civil servants, because they have seen the success of what they have done, to move on to other things.
"Perhaps, we will see the day when Government agencies and officers are able to discuss and decide on matters electronically rather than face-to-face. Hopefully, there will also be cost savings for the Government.
"Eventually we will see a new paradigm in the way the Government operates. That is essentially the intention of e-Government. Even now we are slowly changing the way Government operates, and how the Government provides its services by giving its citizens more alternatives.
"For example, previously when you paid a bill, you went to the post office or posted a cheque. Now, some departments provide online payment facilities." Samsudin is aware that "in order to develop world-class services, the Government should also aim to be world-class".
"To achieve this, the Government must raise standards, break down old departmental barriers and work in unison to serve customers. We must ensure that we provide an innovative environment so that Malaysian companies can create new products for the export markets.
"We need to take a closer look at our capabilities and ourselves to meet continuously rising expectations of our people and spearhead Malaysia's endeavour to become a knowledge-based economy and society." For now, Samsudin is satisfied with the progress of e-Government. But, as many would know, Samsudin will not rest easy. The task is just beginning.
Quelle: New Straits Times
