Welcome Rakan Sarawak April 2003

Rangkaian Khidmat Awam Negeri Sarawak

A MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF RAKAN SARAWAK BULLETIN

(People, events, activities and programmes which make for a total quality-managed Sarawak Civil Service)

ISSN 1394-5726

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“It is not a question whether we should move to a k-society, but a question when can we get there” says the State Secretary

The State Government is envisioning that the State public service will have achieved its full Electronic Government (EG) status by 2008, when members of the public will be able to receive a full range of Government services virtually, anytime and anywhere.

Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Haji Husain, State Secretary, described the EG Vision as one that “delivers outstanding value anytime, anywhere”. He further explained: “Sarawak’s Electronic Government (EG) vision is mainly focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government’s service delivery to the customers. The EG program is one that provides quality service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year wherever they may be. We must not be bound by office operating hours and constraints. We expect our customers to require and demand our service anytime they need it, driven by the customer’s convenience and requirements. This will take some changes in the way the public service is organized. Therefore, we are now implementing various quality and acculturation initiatives to change the way the public service views itself and its customers.“

To date, intermediate targets towards EG status have been established. These include government bills and payments which can be settled online by end of 2005. One example is the land rent payments and those for licenses. The State Government has also developed and implemented an online bill delivery and payment system called the electronic bill presentment and payment (EBBP) system since 1999 for such transactions.

In 2003, the State Government financed the cost of building local area networks in all local authorities to acquire and implement ICT systems. In addition, the funding for ICT software for all local authorities to computerize their operations was also provided. It is expected that the EG program will be the catalyst towards the development of a k-society

in Sarawak. Along this line, the State Government encourages the local authorities to play a more active role in leading the local communities towards the
development of a k-mindset. For the past years, the local authorities lagged behind the rest of the public sector in the usage of the ICT. “This time, they are given all the opportunities and are in the best position to take the lead” said the State Secretary.

In line with the EG program of the State Government, Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) took the initiative and was the pioneer, among the local authorities in Sarawak, in the implementation of electronic local authority (eLA) program. The eLA program is a comprehensive suite of online services that enable local authorities to deliver their services online.

The State Secretary officiated at the launching on March 18, 2004 at a hotel in Sibu.