E-government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen’s adoption strategies

Generally, new technologies are forcing governments to be particularly considerate to time. In order to make right decision and avoid falling behind, governments must identify and resolve the different issues that have arisen from the transaction period during which traditional and e-government co-exist. Government should guide and control the transformation of government into e-government rather than just focusing on introduction of ICTs. Meanwhile, the use of ICT to strengthen the involvement of citizens and businesses in public decision must be progress at the same time.
The Electronic Government initiative in Malaysia was launched to lead the country into the Information Age. It has improved both how the government operates internally as well as how it delivers services to the people of Malaysia. It seeks to improve the convenience, accessibility and quality of interactions with citizens and businesses; simultaneously, it will improve information flows and processes within government to improve the speed and quality of policy development, coordination and enforcement.The vision of Electronic Government is avision for government, businesses and citizenry working together for the benefit of Malaysia and all of its citizens. The vision focuses on effectively and efficiently delivering services from the government tothe people of Malaysia, enabling the government to become more responsive to the needs of its citizens.

The 7 pilot projects of the ElectronicGovernment Flagship Application are as follows:

1. Project Monitoring System (SPP II)

2. Human Resource ManagementInformation System (HRMIS)

3. Generic Office Environment (GOE)

4. Electronic Procurement (EP)

5. Electronic Services (E-Services)

6. Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)

7. E-Syariah

The my Government Portal (www.gov.my)acts as the one-stop source of Malaysian government information and services for the citizens.

The recent survey about the e-goverment adoption in Malaysia, which was done by the market information group TNS, indicated that the e-goverment use is growing but a slow pace.

The malaysians are also concerned about the security of doing transactions over the Internet and this resulted in low usage of e-goverment services.

As far as the age group is concerned, the younger Malaysian who are under 34, are the primary users of e-goverment services. in the survey also state that households with high income and higher levels of education actively use the e-goverment services.

E-goverment merging field, which is rapidly gaining attention and importance. Citizens expect and demand governmental services with a high degree of quality, quantity, and availability in a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, and year-round fashion.

Governments are developing information systems and electronic services that have the capacity to meet these emerging service needs and demands of citizens and other clients. Success in delivering electronic services depends upon the capability and self-confidence of citizens in performing e-transactions, as well as their trust and confidence in the protection of their personal data within an open and accountable government.

The ease of use, compatibility, and trustworthiness are significant predictors of citizens's tention to use e-Services and that perceived reactive advantage, perceived image, perceived compatibility, perceived usefulness, and relative advantage are significant elements of e-goverment adoption.