THE public sector has been a strong advocate of information and communications technology (ICT) in the country, and this will continue throughout the remaining period of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006 to 2010).
Based on the mid-term review of the 9MP released by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister’s Department, tech spending will remain on the sector’s agenda, in particular to improve operational efficiency and services delivery at all departments and agencies.
This yet again shows the key role that ICT plays, in taking the service delivery system in the public sector to a higher level.
Over the last couple of years, the Government has been boosting tech spending to modernise the sector and place a more efficient mode of service delivery through the use of innovative tools and systems.
These efforts have paved the way for the creation of a number of integrated, online services, including electronic submissions and payments.
The public can now enjoy online public services that are more efficient and hassle-free such as online submission/payment of income tax and road tax renewal.
More efforts to boost government-to-business (G2C) and government-to-citizen (G2C) interactions are expected as the Government remains tech-focused under the 9MP, despite the challenges posed by economic uncertainties and the rising cost of fuel.
According to the EPU, the Government will continue to improve and transform its service delivery system by being customer-focused. Measures towards this from now until 2010 will include the integration of systems and services across Government agencies to provide quality service with greater ease to the public and businesses.
The EPU says integrating services by consolidating processes and procedures across agencies will be done by re-engineering service delivery, creating virtual one-stop centres, promoting information and infrastructure sharing, reviewing legal and regulatory frameworks, moving towards self-regulation, improving governance, and developing competencies.
All these efforts would go hand-in-hand with the growing adoption of ICT in the public sector, as customers are given greater control over how they access Government services.
Achieving service delivery excellence is one of the hallmarks of a good government. And adopting ICT-friendly strategies is surely the right way forward.
NST Online
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