Finding ways to improve online linkage between government and the public

By M. Izham B. Hashim
Pictures by Victor Lo

Government agencies must adapt quickly to an increasingly interconnected world by adopting the latest web technology to deliver quality service to the public more effectively and efficiently.

These were the views expounded by Deputy Secretary of State Datuk Joseph Yuntavid during the closing ceremony of the public service web management workshop 2013 at Wisma MUIS.

“The internet has become a vital source of information for millions of people throughout the world and for this reason we are stepping up efforts to enhance the quality of government web services by ensuring websites are managed regularly by trained webmasters to provide updated contents to the public.

“There is an increasing demand for accurate and interactive information online, and webmasters play a fundamental role in the government plan to modernise the public sector," he said.

To enhance the quality of online government services, the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Planning Unit (MAMPU) together with Sabah State Computer Services Department (JPKN) and the State Public Service Training Institute (INSAN) jointly organised a two-day web management workshop for 60 webmasters from various government departments.

The workshop was part of the Malaysian Public Sector ICT Strategic Plan (2011-2015) which provides the blueprint to accelerate the utilisation and application of information communications technology (ICT) across government agencies to improve service delivery and operations.
 
“This program is also a step in the right direction to improve the performance of the Sabah public service sector in the Malaysia Government Portals and Websites Assessment for the year 2013,”Joseph said after conferring certificates to graduates.

In addition, he reminded webmasters to keep abreast with the latest developments in web technology and constantly look for innovative ways to improve information and communication channels between the government and the public.

“This is an excellent opportunity for webmasters to acquire hands-on training to gain knowledge, develop skills and share experiences to implement best practices on maintaining government portals and websites, “he said

“The program is in line with the government strategy to power the digital transformation of the public sector to provide better services for the people,” Deputy Director ICT MAMPU Sabah branch Rosli Bin Mahruf said.

According to official government sources in 2011, at least 35% of government services were available online and 43% of services with government agencies can be conducted online.

“We are expecting 90 percent of government services to be fully online by 2015,” Rosli said.

“In terms of internet coverage, the government is working closely with the Malaysian Communication And Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to broaden internet access throughout Sabah,” he added.

Among those who attended the event were State Director of Computer Services(JPKN) Dr. Hj. Mingu Hj. Jumaan and Deputy Director of State Public Service training Institute (INSAN) Sualim Sanan.-Insight Sabah