It was a far cry from the lofty positions it held in previous years, according to Providence, Rhode Island-based Brown University's fourth annual e-government survey released last week. The country was ranked 16th in 2001 and 21st in 2002.
The survey evaluated public sector websites of 198 countries on two dozen criteria, including the availability of online publications, databases, disability access, privacy security and online services.
Nearly 2,000 websites were reviewed from June to August this year. The sites ranged from those of executive and legislative offices to ministries and agencies in areas such as health, taxation and tourism, according to the researchers.
Malaysian public sector websites rated quite well for online publications and access to databases. About 83% of local websites surveyed have online publications, while 67% provide access to databases.
All local websites surveyed also have English language versions.
However, the websites do not state any privacy or security policy, nor do they provide disability access according to web content accessibility guidelines developed by the non-profit World Wide Web Consortium, the survey found.
Malaysia's current middling ranking currently is notable as e-government is a key Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Flagship Application.
Components under the E-Government Flagship Application are Project Monitoring System, Human Resource Management Information System, Generic Office Environment, Electronic Procurement, Electronic Services, Electronic Labour Exchange and E-Syariah.
Most of the components are aimed at improving internal administrative efficiency and productivity, rather than online information and service delivery to the public.
The top five ranked countries in the Brown University survey were Taiwan, followed by Singapore, the United States, Canada and Monaco.
Public sector websites in Taiwan are feature-rich, and "clear and easy to navigate," while those in Singapore are "informative (and) aesthetically pleasing," according to the survey.
Slight improvements
Researchers found that 89% of all the public sector websites surveyed have online publications while 62% provide access to databases.
About 12% make available audio clips and video clips, an increase from 8% last year.
There has also been an improvement in online services, with 21% of websites offering services fully executable online, up from 16% last year, according to the survey.
About 53% of websites -- the largest number -- in countries in the North American region provide online services, while only 2% in Russia and Central Asian countries do so.
Public sector websites in Singapore are big on online services, with an average of 9.5 different services across various government agencies.
However, only 4% of all websites surveyed accepted credit cards, and a miniscule 0.6% provided the option of using digital signatures for online transactions, according to the survey.
Most countries fall short when it comes to having online privacy and security policies, with only 14% and 8%, respectively, of public sector websites sporting such policies. Singapore shines with about 97% of its websites having privacy policies, and 93% have security policies.
In addition, only 14% provide some form of disability access, such as assistance for the vision- or hearing-impaired, the survey found.
About 88% of all websites surveyed provide e-mail contacts other than the webmaster, while 16% allow visitors to register for updates on specific issues.
Overall, researchers found that some progress has been made in global e-government over the past year, with many countries offering new online services.
However, serious issues remained. Some sites have links that don't work, while others "take an incredibly long time to load or lead users to incorrect sites."
Other issues include websites that are not updated regularly and those that sport the familiar "under construction" page.
“Nations with developed websites were a pleasure to explore," the survey said, adding that "the biggest impediments to investigating a government's site were lack of organisation and cluttered portals."
The survey can be downloaded from www.insidepolitics.org/egovt04int.pdf.
Autor: Raslan Sharif
Quelle: The Malaysia Star, 22.09.2004
