How it improve government

INTRODUCTION
Governments in all OECD countries increasingly face the challenge of
responding to public demand for more responsive, efficient, effective
and participatory government. E-Government – ―the use of
information and communication technologies, and particularly the
Internet, as a tool to achieve better government‖ (OECD, 2003) –
provides a major tool to help meet this challenge. In the 1960s and
1970s, Information Technology (IT) was used to automate the
processing of information. In the 1990s, early e-government initiatives
enabled by Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
focused on the production and dissemination of information over the
Internet resulting in a huge number of government Web sites with
static information. With a decade of experience in developing more
advanced applications of ICT to the business of government, it has
become evident that the tools of e-government can significantly assist
in developing good and responsive government that provides better
value and lower cost. Governments face many challenges in using e-
government tools:
● To create a government that is responsive to the needs of its citizens.
● To develop processes and electronic services (e-services) that bridge
the silo environment of government agencies.
● To use the Internet to promote citizen feedback on government
services and policies, and ultimately to promote trust in the public
sector.

The OECD report The E-Government Imperative (OECD, 2003)
presented the case for implementing e-government in terms of its
potential impact on efficiency, service quality, good governance and
policy effectiveness (see Table 0.1). This second e-government report
focuses on user-focused services and arrangements to front- and back-
office operations needed to maximize value for citizens and businesses
and to reduce costs. The report does not address transparency,
accountability, consultation and public participation. These important
areas of governance – and the enabling role of ICT – have been
addressed in earlier reports, including Citizens as Partners:
Information, Consultation and Public Participation in Policy Making
(OECD, 2001) and Promise and Problems of e-Democracy: Challenges
of Online Citizen Engagement (OECD, 2003). Together these reports
present the overall OECD approach to its countryreviews of e-
government (OECD e-Government Studies: Finland (2003); Norway
(2005);Mexico (2005)). The transparency and accountability aspect of
e-government isalso being addressed through ongoing work of the
OECD E-Government Projecton e-procurement and the cost-benefit
analysis of e-government.
E-GOVERNMENT
From meetings and discussions with OECD countries in 2003 and
2004, itis clear that the implementation of ICT techniques and
particularly using theInternet as a delivery channel for services should
become an important meansfor changing what government does and
how it does it. OECD countries haveidentified five areas for achieving
better government with the help of thesenew tools:
● User-focused e-government: making electronic services more
responsive tothe needs of citizens and businesses.

● Multi-channel service delivery: improving links between traditional
andelectronic services in order to promote service innovation and
ensure accessfor all users.
● Approaches to common business processes: identifying common
processeswithin government in order to achieve economies of scale,
reduceduplication and provide seamless services.
● The business case for e-government: measuring and demonstrating
thecosts and benefits of ICT investments in order to prioritize and
bettermanage e-government projects.
● E-government co-ordination: bringing a whole-of-government
perspective to e-government initiatives and their management, while
taking into account existing structures and cultures of government
institutions.
Traditionally public administrations have been organized into
bureaucracies charged with handling a regulatory or sectorial area,
producing and processing forms, and providing specific services and
products. The leading principle for a government that is responsive to
citizens and businesses is that it be focused on user needs and assist in
solving user problems regardless of its own structures. ICT offers a
way to break out of the silo environment of public administrations, but
must do so in a way that reduces cost for government even as it
increases value for users.
While there seems to be consensus among OECD governments as to
the importance of a focus on users, finding out what this means and
how to achieve it is a major challenge. This report discusses what

countries need to do to achieve user-focused government. Bringing
services to users in a seamless, integrated manner will require a more
comprehensive view of user needs and demands that transcends the
partial views that government agencies tend to have of their users.
This report discusses how a multi-channel service delivery approach
can improve service to the user by integrating service delivery across
different delivery systems including Internet, call centres, over the
counter service, e-mail and ordinary mail. Making it easier for users to
find and use government services can also result in savings to
government. However, achieving better services with a fixed or limited
amount of overall investment depends, in part, on moving large
numbers of users from traditional channels to electronic channels for
high-volume services. Improved networking of organizations and
aligned standards and policies will aid in this transition.
The increased networking and interconnectivity within government
made possible by ICT is likely to highlight current redundancy or
incompatibility of systems and processes across government. This
report looks at how governments can identify common business
processes such as payroll, human resources management, accounting
and archiving systems and consider how toimprove and share the use
of these systems.
For example, an inventory of basic public-sector processes can
helpgovernments think about how administration might be better
arranged (i.e. organized around enterprise architecture). In this way,
some common processes could be consolidated and provided by fewer
organizations, thereby achieving economies of scale. Reference models

for typical processes can also be used to facilitate the duplication and
transfer of processes acrossgovernment, thereby eliminating the need
to ―reinvent the wheel‖. The virtual integration of processes across
organizations, based on common standards, can allow them to work
together seamlessly. This type of approach can also be applied to
services that are shared or that have common populations in order to
provide more seamless service delivery.
Achieving better government will require both a better understanding
ofwhat governments hope to achieve and indicators to see if they are
on the right path. This report looks at the use of business cases for e-
government to demonstrate the risks and expected returns on ICT
investment, in terms both of savings to government and benefits to
citizens and businesses. Analysis of e-government costs and benefits
allows governments to support investment decisions and evaluate
results. Without a business case, governments risk developing
technology-enabled services that may not correspond to the needs of
citizens and businesses.
In OECD countries, governments increasingly require each ICT project
tohave a business case before proceeding. Only when that case has
been persuasively made should major investments be undertaken. Do
the analyses demonstrate clear indicators, quality data, risk
management techniques and a clear understanding of both the
intended and unintended benefits of ICT investment? How are
organizations accounting for benefits that accrue to other agencies?
Do governments want to make decisions based only on financial
benefits to governments or to both users and governments?

Finally, governance structures are central to realizing e-government
benefits and achieving greater user focus through more integrated
information and services. Adopting a user focus has consequences for
the structures and processes of government. This report also looks at
how governments organize the co-ordination of e-government.
Governments‘ ability to co-ordinate their own internal structures is, in
many ways, a test for how they might manage their relations with
stakeholders in general as public-private boundaries become more
fluid. Until recently, e-government initiatives in many OECD countries
were driven by individual agencies and ministries seeking ways to help
meet their individual mandates.
Decentralized development of e-government raises new challenges,
such as ensuring that i) individual computer systems can
communicate with each other (i.e. systems interoperability), that ii)
common standards are in place as new services are developed, and
that iii) in the context of ever-tighter budgets, services support and
complement, rather than duplicate, each other.
More rational structures can support collaboration and internal
efficiencies within public administrations, yet ICT also makes it
possible to improve co-ordination across government without
changing structures or accountability portfolios. The cross-cutting
nature of e-government requires governments to strike a balance
between decentralized initiatives that may be more innovative and
flexible, and a coherent approach traditionally associated with more
centralized arrangements. Some of the most successfule-government
initiatives have been in decentralized systems and, in fact, the
technology is too complex and fast-moving to be fully centralized. Yet

centralizing some, in particular technical, aspects of e-government can
better enable decentralized service delivery.
How have countries balanced their history and existing
administrativesystem, their current needs and their policy priorities
when setting administrative and political responsibilities for e-
government? Among countries‘ experiences with multi-channel
service delivery and identifying common business processes, which
ones can be generalized to other countries and to which countries?
There is no single solution, but understanding the context in which
decisions have been made in other countries can help countries
determine which experiences they can best learn from, and which
solutions are appropriate for their own situation.
E-Government embodies the vision of a whole-of-government
logicthat transcends sectorial interests in favor of more fluid and
seamless relations within government. While it can be implemented in
stovepipe fashion, e-government can also act as a catalyst to transform
administrations by replacing traditional ways of working with new
more efficient and effective processes, structures, and lines of
communication. A new, networked administration may seem a utopia,
but discussions among OECD countries have demonstrated that
elements of a new way of working are starting to appear.
In the pursuit of e-government, countries‘ understanding of what
needs to be done – and how to do it – is constantly changing. There is
no one clear path to better government, nor how to implement e-
government, but global imperatives are leading to convergence in
terms of the challenges to be faced. To do so, government

organizations need to look at how to transform themselves into more
adaptive organizations capable of responding to their environment
and discovering new and better ways to fulfill their mission. E-
Government has become a critical part of this path to better
government.
Challenges
Countries‘ experience with e-government shows that adapting the
traditional producer-led processes typically found in government
organizations will not allow the full potential of electronic service
delivery and e-government to be realized. It is crucial to focus on what
needs be done in order to move citizens away from using traditional
service delivery channels to using new channels, and on the business
processes and governance mechanisms that underpin this transition.
However, governments moving services to the Internet face a number
of challenges.
Governments are large and compartmentalizedorganizations. The
problem now is who pays for e-government? Like any government
infrastructure project, e-government can be done in phases and the
costs of implementation will depend on current infrastructure
availability, supplier and user capabilities, and mode of service
delivery (whether through the Internet or through telephone hotlines
and one-stop shops). The more complicated and sophisticated the
kind of services the government wants to offer, the more expensive it
is.
Governments should focus on small, self-financing or outsourced
projects. Because e-government projects must be financially

sustainable, there must be a revenue or cost-reduction model in place
from the beginning. Smaller projects with a clear revenue-generation
strategy and minimal initial investment are the most likely to be
sustainable over the long term. For instance, Web sites are one of the
easiest and cheapest ways to achieve high impact e-government with a
minimum of investment.
E-Government projects are, more often than not, long-term
endeavors, requiring large capital infusion in software, hardware,
infrastructure and training. A viable financing plan should not only
pay for the immediate needs to jumpstart e-government; it must also
consider its long-term financing options for the sustainability of the
project.
There are various business models for funding e-government projects,
and the private sector plays a critical role in these. Under partnership
arrangements, the private sector builds, finances and operates public
infrastructure such as roads and airports, recovering costs through
user charges. Various financing schemes exist—from soft and
development assistance loans from donor/multilateral aid agencies to
partnerships and outsourcing deals with private third party vendors
under special financing schemes (e.g., the Build-Operate-Transfer or
BOT scheme) that can minimize the initial cost to government.
BOT and its variants are usually the favored financing models or
arrangements for government projects that require large and
immediate financing from the private sector. Under BOT, the private
sector designs, finances, builds, and operates the facility over the life
of the contract. At the end of this period, ownership reverts to the

government. A variation of this is the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO)
model, under which title transfers to the government when
construction is completed. Finally, with Build-Own-Operate (BOO)
arrangements, the private sector retains permanent ownership and
operates the facility on contract.
Cooperation, rather than competition, with the private sector can
facilitate effective e-government. Government can encourage private
sector investment by complementing and supporting private sector
efforts rather than duplicating them. The key to e-government is to
improve citizen access to service delivery, not further expand the role
of government. Government should not attempt to create products
and services where public-private partnerships or private service
providers can adequately provide these products and services more
efficiently and effectively.
To get the wider public to actually use e-government services, any
sound e-government policy must consider a citizen-centered
approach. This means that e-government should be an end-user or
demand-driven service. However, many citizens do not use e-
government for several reasons, among these unfamiliarity with ICT,
lack of access, lack of training, and concerns about privacy and
security of information. While e-government may provide ease and
convenience in the delivery of public services, and offer innovative
government services, none of these will prompt citizen use unless the
concerns mentioned above are first addressed.
As an example, Singapore‘s Citizen-Centered E-Government, in which
had known as eCitizen Help Centers. Singapore‘s eCitizen portal

averages 3.1 million hits a month, a marked improvement from
200,000 hits a month when it was first launched in 1999. How did a
developed country of 4 million citizens exponentially expand online
public usage in less than three years‘ time?To ensure ubiquitous access
to government e-services, Singapore established a network of eCitizen
Help Centers since November 2001. These centers are equipped with
Internet kiosks that give free access to the Internet to citizens. There
are helpers to assist those who are not proficient with the Internet. To
date, there are 24 eCitizen Help Centers strategically located near
Community Development Councils (which function as a specific
district‘s local administration handling community programs and
social assistance services delegated from the ministries) and
Community Centers (community clubs that organize cultural,
educational and social/recreational activities to promote racial
harmony and social cohesion).
Moreover, security and protection of privacy are very important
because security generally refers to the protection of information
system assets and control of access to information. Security policies
and strategies are context-specific and information-specific. Privacy
refers to the right for information attributed to an individual (also
called ―nominal information‖) to be treated with an appropriate level
of protection. Information privacy protection laws are often put in
place to regulate this. Protecting the privacy of citizens and assuring
them that their personal information will not be compromised is
critical in e-government because this is the key to user trust. Without
this assurance, no one will be prompted to use e-government services.

For example, Japan had invested a new system known as Japan‘s
National ID System. Local governments across Japan began feeding
basic information on their citizens into a central database as part of a
new resident registration network, despite complaints about the
system from privacy advocates and refusal to participate by some
municipalities.
Under the new system, everybody who lives in Japan will be issued an
11-digit identification number that can be used in many dealings with
local government. It replaces a system under which people had to
produce resident certificates to prove where they lived each time they
dealt with local government and which required people to go through
time-consuming procedures each time they moved.
Information such as the person‘s name, date of birth, sex and address
will be included in each person‘s file and all data will be stored in a
centrally-run government server. The system aims to make life easier
for both citizens and local municipalities and goes under the name
JuminKihonDaicho Network, or Juki-Net for short. City halls all over
Japan will have access to the database, making dealing with the
government as simple as turning up with your ID number. However,
this ease of access is ringing alarm bells across Japan.
When the Juki-Net idea was first floated in 1999, the government
promised that new data privacy and protection legislation would be in
place by the time the system went into operation. However, some of
the bills associated with this are still in the Diet, Japan‘s parliament.
Many argue that until these laws are in place, the system should not be

launched. Others contend that the problem with this system is the
numbering of each individual.
Fearing that the privacy of their citizens may be at risk, some local
municipalities are refusing to connect to the system. The reaction from
privacy advocates is perhaps expected but the refusal of some cities to
join Juki-Net has come as an embarrassment to the government,
which sees the system as a key part of its E-Japan scheme. E-Japan is
an ambitious program that aims to make Japan the world‘s most
advanced IT nation by 2005. One of its key goals is online delivery of
many government services, a service for which a centralized database
of people living in Japan would be essential.
The proposed law forbids the use of the identification numbers by
anyone apart from the bureaucracy and imposes duties on civil
servants to keep information confidential and prevent information
leakage to outside sources.
As a conclusion, E-government has been responsible for the
progression in technology of developing countries. The goal of E-
government is the ability to access and interact with the world on an
even plain. No country should be left behind when it comes to being
able to communicate with one another. Without E-government,
developing countries will be left behind when it comes to technology
because almost every day, ICT technologies are advancing and
changing. Developing countries now have the opportunity to better
themselves through electronics and make their society be more
advanced and more efficient than ever before.

Bibliography
Van Duivenboden, H, (2005), Citizen Participation in Public
Administration: The Impact of Citizen Oriented Public Services on
Government and Citizen, pp. 415-445. In Practicing E-Government; A
Global Perspective (IDEA Group Publishing, Hershey, PA)
E-SYARIAH
Malaysia legal system rooted from both English and Islamic Law. In
both Civil and Syariah court system, the speed with which complete,
authentic, credible information is available to jurists as well as the
measures taken to maintain quality, integrity and security of court
records is as important as the application of relevant laws and the
precedents to decide the case. In Syariah Courts, information and
communication technologies not only enable the workflow of the
courts and facilitate information management, but also used to
integrate Syariah courts with their stake holders. The integration of
State Syariah Courts in various jurisdictions of Malaysia provides for
the standardization of practice and technology and at the same time
allows jurists a one-stop solution for consultations regarding
interpretations of Syariah Law and derivation of precedents in the
light of decisions taken before. Here, the role of technology extends
from mere record management technology to business intelligent
oriented decision support tools. This will presents a case study of E-
Syariah initiative in Malaysian Syariah Courts and highlights the
issues and challenges faced during implementation of this initiative
and provide appreciation of how effectively technology has been used
dispense speedy justice in Syariah cases.
Introduction

Records in court system have various dimensions including court
proceedings, evidence, and affidavits. In addition, court records also
contain precedents from old cases and even references to the sources
of law. This makes information management in general, and record
retrieval in particular an intricate task. The pervasiveness of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) provides new
opportunities for court automation and information management in
judiciary. At the same time there is increased pressure on the courts of
law to embrace technology because with the increased level of IT
literacy/awareness among the general public, there are increased
demands on government to provide information to citizen around the
clock. Responding to these opportunities and pressures, courts around
the globe are embracing information and communication technologies
at various levels to provide faster, reliable and consistent service to the
society.
E-Syariah – A Malaysian Case
Study
E-Syariah was put in place to replace the manual system of all Syariah
courts operation. Before E-Syariah come into operation, all business
processes from case registration to case disposal were performed
manually. It is not surprising that the system was replete in
inefficiency and ineptitude. With the increased number of Syariah
cases being registered, the delay in case management became more
critical. A single case takes years to be settled, resulting in hardship for
the parties involved. The major reason for this delay has been the
unavailability of complete information as and when required. In
certain cases not only the information is incomplete but had been
tempered with as well. With the introduction of e-Syariah, the

government aim to reduce the time taken to settle a case and to
manage each case and related information more efficiently and
systematically (Hamid 2010). E-Syariah initiative was adopted as one
of the Electronic Government flagship applications in Malaysia in
March 2002, with a strong support of government, especially by the
Malaysian Administration and Modernization Planning Unit
(MAMPU). Although Syariah courts are constitutionally state courts,
created and regulated by state laws and under the responsibility of the
state authorities, an effort was made by Federal government to
standardize the work processes and procedures in these courts. Hence,
the Syariah Judiciary Department of Malaysia/
JabatanKehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) were established
as a coordinating body of Syariah courts in Malaysia. The technologies
in place in Syariah courts under the E-Syariah project consists of five
modules as Syariah Court Case Management System, Office
Automation Systems (MAMPU 2009), E-Syariah Portal, Syariah
Lawyers Registration Systems and Library Management Systems,
where ;
1. 1. Syariah Case Management Systems
-The web-based application
provides an integrated case management system for various tasks such
as Registration of Cases, Scheduling of Hearings, and Producing
Receipts for Payments, Case Tracking, Recording of Judgments,
Reports & Statistics, Enquiries, and System Maintenance. The
database containing records of all cases filed with the courts are
maintained for the purpose of references and double-checking to avoid
duplication of cases in other states.

2. 2. Office Automation
System -The
Office Automation System provides facilities such as Word Processing,
Spread sheets and Graphic Presentations to improve productivity in
the office operations of the Syariah Courts. Judges, Registrars, and
staff are provided with email facility. Case hearing schedule is sent to
all Syarie judges through email.
3. 3. E-Syariah Portal
-The Portal serves as an information gateway to provide the public and
staff of the Syariah Courts with the latest news on court procedures
and regulations. The public can post enquiries online to the courts via
the Portal and the Faraid calculator will be available online for the
public to assess.
1. 4. Syarie Lawyer Registration System
-This system provides facilities for the registration of new applications
or renewal of practicing certificates for Syarie lawyers. A database
containing details of registered practicing Syarie lawyer are
maintained to facilitate monitoring and coordination by the
authorities.
1. 5. Library Management System
-A web-based library management system allows users to conduct
electronic searches, borrowing, returning of books and other library
materials through the ZiauddinSardar Islamic Cataloguing System.
The catalogue of library materials available at the JKSM Library and
the State Syariah Libraries is accessible for bookings and loans to
Judges and Registrars.

E-Syariah applications have been designed to provide for
transformation and standardization of work environment in Syariah
courts to link all the business processes on a single channel. The idea
is to disseminate information on Syariah judicial law and institutions,
court procedures and processes can be disseminated to the public
through E-Syariah portal. In doing so the government is aiming to
provide a simple, fast, accurate and extensive medium to public at
large, whereby the digital divide between end users in different part of
the nation could also be reduced. Therefore, JKSM as coordinating
body to the Syariah court be able to create a new paradigm of work
culture that is more efficient in the management of the judicial
institutions of Islam in Malaysia. Traditionally, even though the
general dealings in Syariah courts are similar, yet each Syariah court
in Malaysia has unique business processes and works differently from
its other counterparts. The reason for this discrepancy is the fact that
Syariah courts are managed by each state and have their own
management. Consequently it is the management of each court that
decides how the court is to be administered. Due to this disparity,
Syariah Courts in various Malaysian states manage similar tasks in
different ways. This is not just limited to the workflow, but this lack of
standardization extends to different sets of technologies being used as
well as different sets of forms, formats, and write ups. States do not
use standardized record books and case classification numbers. There
are many instances of case overlapping (where same cases have been
registered in more than one jurisdiction) especially in cases of child
custody, divorce and inheritance where they were filed and registered
in different state courts on purpose. This is due to the fact that people
have interpreted Islamic jurisprudence in different ways. The main

sources of Islamic law are the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet.
In reaching the verdict, jurists interpret the Quran and the tradition of
Prophet according to their sect knowledge and conscience, taking into
consideration other factors such as culture, point in time and welfare
of parties involved. As a result, for many centuries, similar cases had
been decided differently across the globe, and they are recorded in
different places. Consequently different verdicts have been passed in
similar cases in different parts of the world. In these circumstances,
availability of information on interpretations of the Quran and the
tradition of the Prophet, previous judgments passed, and Ijtihad
(reinterpretation of Islamic law according to prevailing circumstances)
is of paramount important. However, due to the disparities in the way
states Syariah courts are being administered, the overall paradigm
faces issues relating to data quality, lack of interoperability and
information integration. Thus the major challenge for E-Syariah
project is to introduce standardization of process, practice, technology
and strategy. E-Syariah initiative has made attempts to streamline
work processes in Syariah courts. It has categorized cases for example
divorce, child custody, and inheritance and crime offences.
Consequently each case is treated uniquely and there is no overlap. At
the same time, court record templates had been standardized and
brought down from 104 to 40 gazette forms only. Attempts are being
made to standardize these procedures throughout Malaysia, however
due to the lack of legislations at the Federal as well as State level; this
is proving to be extremely difficult. In terms of court records
management, at the records creation stage, case files are created in the
Syariah Court Case Management System (SPKMS) and given the
unique case classification number according to the Practice Direction

No 1 Year 2000. However in this transitionary period, apart from
managing cases using the Syariah Court Case Management System,
hard copies with paper documents are also being used. The reason for
managing both hard copy and soft copy records is purely legal. It is the
legal requirement that hard copy records being maintained for legal
reasons, since official seal need to appear on all papers. For example,
for family law cases, the Islamic Family Law (Civil Procedure) Act
requires documents to be officially sealed on paper and manually
signed. At the moment, the relevant laws are being reviewed so as to
implement electronic seals. In addition, the laws relating to risk of
manipulation of electronic records are also being examined by States
and Federal government committees. Pending the amendment the
courts would be able to use one line of records management i.e.
electronic records. It should be pointed out that although technology
relating to records management is improving at rapid pace, court
processes and laws are not keeping up with the pace of technology
advancement. Malaysian Syariah courts are subjected to Federal, state
and Syariah law as well as conform to the guidelines provided by the
ministry of Justice and ISO regulations. Due to the nature and focus of
legislations and guidelines, conflict in practice can easily be
understood. In these circumstances, it is left to each court to decide
what process or procedure they want to follow. For example an
interviewee when asked about the legality and validity of electronic
and paper-based records, replied ―according to our ISO audit report,
the paper version is the most valid one‖. In the routine case
management, records are updated by the judges and their assistants
until the case is closed. Some of the documents relating to a case, such
as ‗submission notes‘ are only kept on physical files, not in the

electronic system. According to researchers‘ observation, only
important information and documents are updated and stored in the
system, thus it only serves as quick retrieval point, not a complete case
file. In the system itself, some of the documents are saved in pdf.
format, while others are saved as Microsoft Word documents, which
exposes court records to manipulation risk. In their current form,
electronic records can only be regarded as back up or reference point,
not as valid official record. However, there are some evident
advantages of electronic records, even though their legal value has not
been established yet. These benefits are the ability to trace the
particular record, the ability to find materials relating to a particular
record, and the ability to retrieve information relating to a particular
case (for example affidavit, statutory declaration etc.). All active
physical files are stored in cabinets near to the courtrooms. Upon
closure, the files are moved to records centre and being taken cared for
by the Records Officers. In the records centre, after they reach certain
maturity period as stipulated in the Syariah Court Records Retention
Schedule, case files have to be disposed of. According to Practice
Direction No 3 2006, criminal and civil case files must be kept in the
records centre for 3 and 7 years respectively (it was 10 years
previously). As the population is increasing, so is the case load and
with it upcoming pressures on physical storage of court records. An
important aspect of court records management would be to alleviate
these pressures. People related to court records management are
aware with these issues as quite a few of interviewees in this case study
commented that ―court records are increasing, but storage space
remains the same‖. And with each new record, it is becoming more
and more difficult to manage physical records. JKSM & Syariah courts

are the first public organization in Malaysia employing records
manager & officers, and having records department in the
organization. It is evident that records management is considered
extremely important in Syariah Courts; however this initiative has not
been backed up by relevant legislations.
E-Syariah has opened up new avenue for court workflow as well as
records management in Malaysian Syariah courts. Although there are
a number of challenges hinge upon a few administrative issues, yet
there are significant benefits that the use of technology has brought to
Syariah courts. The following table summarizes the pre and post E-
Syariah implementation:
Dimensions Pre-implementation Post-implementation
1.
Case settlement
Case management is
less efficient. It took
years to settle a case
Case management is
much more efficient.
65% of cases are
settled less than a year
2.
Coordination time
No coordination
mechanism. Finding
the status of the case,
retrieving of case
records, and who to
contact was extremely
difficult and time
Registration of a new
case takes
approximately 2
minutes, thus case
management is
efficient. No rework
involved as once data

consuming. There
was lots of rework
involved at the time
of registration, when
the file was moving
from one person to
the other. Wastage of
time, effort and
resources.
is stored
electronically; it can
be reused for any
other purpose desired.
3.
Case overlap
Case overlapping
could not be easily
traced
Case overlapping is
automatically traced
4. Case delay/
postponement
No automatic
reminder about case
postponement and
delay
Automatic reminder
of case
postponement
5. Work process
Work processes
were not consistent
between courts in
different states
E-Syariah, in theory,
permits the
uniformity of court
procedures, work
processes and forms.
However there is a
long way to go
achieve this.

6. Case backlog
Difficulty in
managing, verifying
and checking the
case status
manually.
No more backlog of
cases because all
cases are assigned /
reassigned
according to the
workload of jurists.
7.
Process
interoperability
Different work
process among
states caused
difficulty and bias
towards customers.
E-Syariah is
attempting to
standardize court
procedures and
work processes to
ensure fairness to
customers.
8.
Information
security
Information
security was
compromised
Information security
is guaranteed
9.
Integration with
government
agencies
No integration with
other agencies
System is integrated
with 6 other
government
agencies, ensuring
court decision
enforcement and
follow up, accurate
data available timely
10. One stop solution Customer had to One stop solution

contact different
department dealing
with a court case
for paying fee, case
registration,
administration,
follows up.
11.
Old records
retrieval
In manual process,
records were in
store room.
Customers had to
contact the
registrar, store
keeper to retrieve
records
Records are
available at the click
of the mouse to
authorize users.
12.
Similar cases,
dissimilar
verdicts
Previously there
were similar cases,
different verdict
because of the fact
that people have
interpreted Islamic
jurisprudence in
different ways
Now with this one
portal they can
access any number
of records of similar
cases, and then
figure out whose
interpretation are
they applying &
what were they
should be given,
they can consult
different records
13.
Trust in the
system
Previously there
was lack of public
trust in the system
Use of ICTs has
brought
transparency to the

because it was
causing delay,
people were not
getting quality
service, and people
were blaming the
legal system.
overall court system
Table 1: Dimensions of Pre and Post E-Syariah Implementation
As a conclusion, the management of court records through electronic
means bestow great impact to the government and citizen as a whole.
It preserves the memory of a nation‘s civilization in judicial matters.
The increase of case disposal rate after the electronic system
implementation in Syariah courts provides improvement in judicial
service delivery in Malaysia. Malaysian experience has been referred
to and is being modeled by many countries around the world. Since E-
Syariah initiative is not mature as yet, there are a number of issues
that need to be resolved. The paramount issue is disconnecting
between what technology offers and the state of legislation regulating
technologies in the court. It is equally important to enforce
standardization of practice and processes throughout the state Syariah
courts in Malaysia. In the absence of a uniform policy governing
Syariah courts in Malaysia, the objective of E-Syariah to provide fair,
speedy, transparent justice will not be realized. In terms of technology
adoption, the biggest challenge for courts to move forward is in
retention of people. For a court registry, the lack of expertise who
knows both registry office and information management standards
becomes the first hurdle in implementing change. There are a number

of issues pertaining to court records management, which have a single
denominator i.e. retention of trained staff. This is important because
of the need for consistent and authoritative instructions on the
preservation or destruction of court case records (both paper and
electronic), the importance of having a high level ‗champion‘ within
the courts to promote good practice in records and information
management , the need for professionally trained records managers
within judiciaries, the need for formal training and training materials
in judicial records and information management , and the importance
of having expert advice and guidance available to those with
responsibility for records and information management in the courts.
In summary, E-Syariah initiative has significantly improved court
workflow as well as records management in Malaysia. However it
needs to be acknowledged that the major challenges of E-Syariah are
to introduce standardization, practice, technology and strategy. This
means that the Federal government in Malaysia has to take the lead
and provide guidelines and legislative framework for the state courts
to administer themselves in their own jurisdiction. This self-
administration, although independent of Federal intervention, should
follow the same technological and process based. This would allow for
the much needed overall standardization that would enable E-Syariah
initiative to realize its goals and objectives.
Reference Site:
1. Sarawak Information Systems SDN BHD, Tel: (60) 82-426733 Fax:
(60) 82-423533, Email:service@sains.com.my
2. E-Syariah Implementation Synopsis (2005), Malaysian Syariah
Judiciary Department, Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad, Kuala
Lumpur.

3. Johare, R. (2007) ‗A global search for universal models of education
and training in electronic records management‘, Malaysian Journal of
Library & Information Science, 12(1):1-22.
4. Laldin, M.A. (2009) Introduction to Syariah and Islamic
Jurisprudence, CERT Publication, Kuala Lumpur.
5. Motsaathebe, L. and Mnjama, N. (2009) The management of High
Court records in Botswana, Records Management Journal, 19(3): 173
– 189
6. Saman, W. (2011) ‗E-Syariah; interview session with Puan Rosimah‘ In
the Pursuit of Legal Information Management, blog posting, retrieved
June 1, 2011, http://wansatirahlegalinfo. blogspot.com/2011/05/E-
Shariah-interview-session-with-puan.html
7. Saman, W. and Haider, A. (2011) ‗The Implementation of Electronic
Records Management System: A Case Study in Malaysian Judiciary‖
American Conference on Information System 2011 Proceedings,
Detroit 4-7 August 2011.
8. Sheriff, S. (2010) the contempt power: a sword or a shield? A Study of
the law and practice of contempt of court in Malaysia. Doctoral thesis,
Durham University.http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/536/
IDENTITY CARD
Government facilities face a challenging and ever changing risk
profile. Security systems are paramount to increase safety and security
for employees, area citizens and elected officials. But many
government facilities, especially those in small city and towns are not
staffed with a full-time security staff. So, technology becomes an even
more important piece of the security puzzle. A long time ago,
traditional analog-based system used but in this modern life it‘s not
effective enough to recure these critical facilities but the promise of

Information Technology (IT) can help facilities manage and control
risks. Government need advance networked tools that leverage the
power of the IT backbone to correlate information from traditionally
separate subsystems like video surveillance, analytic, access control,
alarm management and VoIP for example into one platform to
increase situational awareness and help security staffs identify
violence or threats before an event occurs. Other than that, the using
of identity card in our country which is known as MyKad. MyKad is
the compulsory identity document for Malaysian citizens aged 12 and
above. MyKad was introduce by the National Registration Department
of Malaysia on 5 September 2001 as one of four MSC Malaysia flagship
application and a replacement for the High Quality Identity Card.
Malaysia became the first country in the word to use an identification
card that incorporates both photo identification and fingerprint
biometric data on an in-built computer chip embedded in a piece of
plastic. Besides, the main purpose of the card as a validation tool and
proof of citizenship. Other than the birth certificate, MyKad also serve
as a valid driver‘s license, an ATM card, an electronic purse and a
public key, among other applications as part of the Malaysian
Government Multipurpose Card (GMPC) initiative, if the bearer
chooses activate the functions.
The technical specifications of MyKad are the initial MyKad was a
contact card solution developed and manufactured by IRIS
Corporation. Made of PC with the dimensions in the ISO/IEC 7816 ID-
1 format (standard credit card format). The initial card had a 32kb
EEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read-only memory)
embedded chip running on M-COS (MyKad chip operating system). In
November 2002, the capacity was increase to 64KB. The upgraded and

current version of the MyKad is a hybrid card containing two chips for
both contactless interfaces. Currently, this hybrid type MyKad is only
issued in Malaysian States which employ the ‗Touch n Go‘ application.
The data retention up to 20 years while the card itself has a life span of
10 years and has been tested according to the ISO 10373 test standard.
All Malaysian citizens and permanent residents 12 years old or above
are eligible for a MyKad. From 2001, it gradually replaced an older
Malaysian Identity Card system that had been in use since 1949
under British colonial rule, with the intention of becoming ubiquitous
by 2007. Children are issued with a MyKid after birth. This card is
―upgraded‖ to a MyKad on the 12th birthday. The MyKad must be
replaced when a person reaches 18 years old, as it is a requirement
that the photograph be ‗current‘.
Adoption was optional but was spurred by the waiving of the
application fee of between RM20 and RM50 until 31 December 2005.
As of 27 December 2005, 1,180,208 Malaysians still held an old
identity card. After the waiving period ended on 31 December 2005,
each new application (first time application) comes with a fee of
RM10.
MyKad project was developed was originally intended to have eight
functions.
1) As identity card
2) Driving license information
3) Travel document
4) Storage for health information

5) e- cash
6) ‗Touch n Go‘ Malaysia‘s toll road tolling system and also public
transport payment system.
7) Digital certificate commonly known as Public Key Infrastructure
Identity Card
MyKad as identity card that including fingerprints and photo must be
carried all times. Failure to do so may incur a fine of between RM3000
and RM 20 000 or jail term of up to three years. No unauthorized
persons including security guards are allowed to retain the MyKad of
other people. Only those authorized by the National Registration
Department, like the police and immigration officers can do so. For
Muslim-citizens, ‗ISLAM‘ is printed on the card below the picture of
the holder. This is to help enforcement of syariah law which is
applicable only to Muslims. As the states of Sabah and Sarawak
maintain separate immigration controls, citizens who has permanent
residency in the states of Sabah and Sarawak are donated by the letter
‗H‘ and ‗K‘ respectively on the bottom right corner of their card.
Driving License Information
Next, driving license is official document which state that a person
may operate a motorized vehicle such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a
bus on a public roadway.
Travel Document
Besides that, MyKad also use as travel document in Malaysia and
several neighboring countries. However, a conventional passport is
still required for international travel. For example, when the people

from Sabah went to peninsular of Malaysia they have to register their
MyKad at immigration officer before fly to peninsular of Malaysia. The
card is aimed at reducing congestion at the border by enabling the use
of unmanned gates using biometric (fingerprint) identification.
Health Information
The health information contained in the MyKad is of two types. The
first type consists of the health status of the individuals, including his
or her chronic illness, if any the supportive medications, the blood
group and allergies and immunization history. The second type of
health information in the MyKad consists of two out patients visit
summaries and one impatient discharge summary.
E-cash
E-cash is an electronic wallet system intended for low but high volume
transaction.
‘Touch n Go’
‗Touch n Go‘ Malaysia‘s toll road tolling system and also public
transport payment system. It is like the credit card sized smart card
made of plastic with Philips‘ MI fare microchip technology embedded
in it. The Touch n Go systems are designed to process up to 800
vehicles per hour to ease the queue congestion at toll plazas and if
used together with smart tag (a non-stop electronic toll collection
system) will be able to process up to 1200 vehicles per hour.
The card can be categorized into four types:
1) Prepaid card

Standard card
- A standard Touch ‗n Go cards fare structure currently available for
adult fare for CTS and standard class vehicles with 2 axles and 3 or 4
wheels (Class 1) excluding taxis for toll fare. It is like a top up card.
2) Postpaid cards
Fleet X‘s card
- It mainly purposed for toll fare payment. The details of
company name, vehicle registration number and vehicle class were
printed on the card. Credit term of 15 days given for post payment and
fleet operators are able to monitor toll record/vehicle movement at
highways via e-statement (itemized statement) after 24 to 48 hours
from the time of transaction.
Biz X‘s card
- It is the same as standard card mainly purposed for corporate users.
3) Auto reload card
Zing Card
- The Touch ‗n Go Zing is a companion card that works as standard
card which is linked to Visa, MasterCard or American Express issued
by participating banks in Malaysia. Each time the card balance falls
below RM50, it will trigger the auto-reload mechanism to reload
RM100 into the card. The amount will be charged to the credit card
plus RM2 as auto-reload fee for each time reload.

4) Multipurpose card
MyKad
- A value added application for Malaysian identity card as e-
purse.
Digital certificate commonly known as Public Key Infrastructure
(PKI).MyKad PKI application allows for two digital certificates to be
inserted into MyKad. MyKad holder can apply and purchase the digital
certificates from two of Malaysia‘s certification authority,
MSCTrusgate.com.Sdn.Bhd and DigiCert Sdn. Bhd. PKI allows for
easy securing of private data over public telecommunications network
thus allowing, secure electronic transactions over the internet which
includes:
- Online submission of tax returns
- Internet banking
- Secure e mail.
Besides that, there were other cards that have similar features with
MyKad
1) MyKid
- MyKid is a chip-based children identity card or personal
identification issued to children under the age of 12. Introduced on 1
January 2005, MyKid contains features similar to MyKad except that
it does not include a photograph and thumbprint biometric data.

The term Kid refers to:
- the slang for child in the English language
- the acronym for Kad Identiti Diri or Personal Identification
Card.
MyKid is issued in pink instead of blue (color of MyKad). Visible data
for MyKid include:
o The heading Kad PengenalanKanak-kanak Malaysia
o NRIC Number
o Full name in block letters
o Permanent address
o Gender
o Citizenship status
The MyKid chip currently stores only 3 types of data:
o Birth data e.g. Information on birth parents
o Health information e.g. Immunization records
o Education information e.g. Enrolment in schools
2) MyPR
MyPR is an identity card or personal identification issued to residents
of Malaysia with permanent resident status. All residents of Malaysia
with permanent resident status are required to change their identity
card to MyPR with effect from 1 June 2006. The MyPR is red in color
visible data include:
1) The heading: Kad Pengenalan Malaysia permastautintetap

2) Full name
3) NRIC number
4) Permanent address
5) Gender
6) Permanent
2)MyTentera
-The MyTentera will replace BAT C 10 document.
-The MyTentera will be silvered- colored and feature the Malaysian
Armed Forces logo at the back top right corner of the card. It will also
contain a 12- digit military identification number similar to the NRIC
number.
The conclusion, as a Malaysian citizen we should be proud because we
have our own identification card which is known as MyKad. The key
technology behind this smart card system is the chip and biometrics
technology. There are lots of benefit of MyKad that is one for all, easy
payment, quick exit and re-entry, emergency medical assistance,
reliable identification of data, public key infrastructure, facilitate
transportation need an easy and convenient banking transaction. I
would to encourage all of us to register to Government Service Center
(GSC) to apply some special service and benefits. We must take a
reasonable care of our MyKad and improve our responsibilities
towards its. Make sure we don‘t use MyKad for some default

advantaged for ourselves without thinking the causes to our country.
So, that how IT helps improves system in government.

How it improve government

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