Introduction
Today, Malaysia has become one of the world's largest exporters of semiconductors. The country has also braved into the global information and communication technology (ICT) race. The current developments concerning ICT are seen as a chance to give the country a strong economic basis to develop into a highly developed country. A predominantly Muslim nation, Malaysia sets to become a fully industrialized by the year 2020. The first step in the development of an ICT sector is the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). First initiated in 1996, the MSC is an area of 15 kilometres wide and 50 kilometres long, located between the new international airport and Kuala Lumpur where the latest ICT technologies have been developed and are being applied.M. Radzi (2002a) reported that revenue generated by ICT companies in Malaysia has grown progressively at an average of 5% annually, bringing revenue of RM5.9 billion in 2000.The setting up of the MSC was because Malaysia was losing its comparative advantage in its traditional economic sectors and the need to drive the economy towards higher productivity through technology and higher value added economic activities (M.Radzi, 2002b).
The MSC is devoted to creating the best possible environment for multimedia companies wanting to create, distribute and employ multimedia products and services. It brings together four key elements, namely best possible physical infrastructure, new policies and 'cyber-laws' (in 1997) to facilitate multimedia, high capacity global telecommunications and logistics infrastructure and a one stop corporation to manage and market the MSC.
Two 'smart cities', Cyberjaya and Putrajaya have been developed in the Multimedia Super Corridor. The multimedia industries have been placed in Cyberjaya along with a multimedia university. There is also space for Research and Development centres and offices for multinational headquarters. To spearhead the it drive, seven flagship applications have been identified to spearhead the development of the MSC that include telemedicine, smart schools, multi purpose card, R&D clusters, worldwide manufacturing webs, borderless marketing and e-government.
E-Government
Electronic government is one of the flagship applications of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project, propositioned to reinvent government and bring about fundamental changes to the fabric of society in order to propel us into the information era. The Malaysian e-government is settling down in Putrajaya, which will emerge as an electronically driven government centre built as a spacious garden city. The aim for 2020 is that about 330,000 people will be employed and live in Putrajaya.
Today, the Prime Minister’s Department and many other ministries have moved to Putrajaya. E-government goes beyond mere computerization or transfer of the manual system into an IT-based electronic system for carrying out the duties and responsibilities of government. It requires that services should be more efficient and effective. It also envisages that “new services, new information, new service channels and improved service levels” should be the primary products of this reinvention. E-government is not only designed to boost the way services are provided, but also to improve the internal working process of government. The project aims to improve the ease, the accessibility and the quality of interaction of citizens and companies. At the same time, it should improve flows of information and processes within government.
The Malaysian government wants to streamline the internal processes to improve the quality of their services, reduce costs and increase productivity. Data security needs to be sharpened and data protection should be intensified. Citizen involvement in government issues will be enhanced. Examples of e-government projects in Malaysia are electronic delivery of driver and vehicle registration, licensing and summons services in relation to the government multipurpose card, electronic procurement, generic office environment and project monitoring system. The Government Multipurpose Card, known as ‘MyKad’ is to collect different sources of information from citizens on one card to improve all kinds of services. While the Federal Government has undertaken various projects to introduce e-government at its new offices at Putrajaya (such as the Pilot Project to develop an electronic planning approval system with expertise from Singapore), various efforts are also being undertaken or implemented at the State and Local Authority levels to integrate elements of e-government into their workprocesses. Most of these projects are ad hoc and piecemeal, carried out at departmental or subdepartmental level. Many have failed and have even tried again (sometimes, to fail in subsequent attempts as well). Just as many are waiting in the wings eager to develop their own system to move their manual processes into the electronic media. While it is agreed that failures are many in the IT world and that it could take several attempts before success is achieved, failure also creates fatigue and fear amongst the officers and will lead to disillusionment and disinterest or total “shutting out” from further participation or leadership in pushing the electronic frontier in government. Some of the reasons for the failures have been discussed by Lee, et al (1996a).
The most critical problem for most government departments is that its officers are generally unfamiliar with cutting-edge technology and are therefore unable to clearly and precisely specify the type of system to be developed by their consultants or contractors undertaking the development of their application systems.
Use of IT in managing urban development process
Since the last few years, several local authorities in Malaysia have embarked on developing systems based on information technology (IT) to aid management of urban development process. The decision to develop and adopt IT-based systems for managing urban development process can be attributed to several factors. First is the availability of suitable technology. The advancement in IT, particularly in relation to computer aided design (CAD), geographical information system (GIS), database management system (DBMS), as well as in terms of hardware, has provided the opportunity for local authorities to adopt innovative and effective technologies to aid and improve the management and decision-making in urban development process. With CAD, maps and plans can now be prepared digitally. DBMS allows all the maps, plans and other data to be properly kept and easily retrieved. Using GIS, digital data represented on the maps and plans can then be retrieved and spatially analysed for decision-making purposes.
IT-based systems can also overcome the problems of paper-based systems aforementioned.Today, data is stored in digital format and thus, storage is easy and requires little ‘physical’ space. Data is now kept centrally, in a magnetic disk (hard drive) roughly the size of an adult palm. Technology has allowed tremendous increase in terms of storage capability of the disk although its size remains the same. One whole room of data stored under paper-based systems is now possible to be crammed into only one single disk.
Government policies and initiatives also help to spur the use of IT-based systems in managing urban development process among the local authorities. The National IT Agenda (NITA), for instance, which was launched in 1996, identifies the need to transform Malaysia into information society and knowledge-based society. Towards this end, NITA provides the foundation and framework for the utilisation of IT in five strategic thrust areas, which were then translated into various initiatives.
Components of the Approval System
In designing and developing the multi-department development approval system, there are several key components including:
(a) workflow applications;
(b) data model for information sharing;
(c) the network (LAN, WAN and WWW); and
(d) hardware and software to support the applications (client-server technology).
(a)Workflow Applications
The term computerization is often associated with the process of converting a manual paperbased process of work to an electronic or IT-driven workflow. While it generally captures the essence of the exercise, it is a much-abused term with many such computerization projects merely providing the means to record information but omit to integrate the workflow into the system. In some situations, the computer may be used to track the progress of an application as it goes through numerous stages and rounds of evaluations and amendments.
Unfortunately, these tracking systems are also isolated from the workflow requiring hardpressed staff to take on additional duties of filling up paper forms which are then sent for data entry by the systems section. The logical starting point for the development of the approval systems would appear to be the identification of the tasks required for undertaking the job. Text-book models for systems development would require the systems analyst to trace the workflow through each stage of work, documenting the forms and information captured and generated and decisions made in order to be able to translate it into an electronic process. This requires the consultant to spend a considerable amount of time understanding and documenting the workflow.
(b)Data Model for Sharing Information
For a multi-department development approval system where each department will apparently maintain its own server or servers, it is vital that a model for data sharing be agreed upon. In the model, key information that is used by more than one department or for more than one task will be identified. The custodian for that information must then be assigned. The custodian will be responsible for its maintenance and updates while all other departments will have read access or restricted ability to edit or update. Another major category of information critical for development approval is land and building ownership and its cadastral base. Many local authorities already have these individual records in databases and this should form the basis for a GIS-enabled land records system which can be accessed by the other technical departments, that is, as the focal point where all land-related information are linked.
The other major categories of information related to development approval would logically be stored and maintained by the respective departments given the mandate and responsibility for each of the types of approval, namely, planning permission, building plan approval, certificate of fitness for occupation, earthworks, streets and drainage, landscaping, structures, business licensing and change of use.
(c)LAN, WAN and WWW
To facilitate data sharing and workflow in the electronic medium, a communications backbone is required. A very basic setup only requires three components: a HUB, network cables and network-ready computers running Windows 98 (or Mac OS). By connecting each computer to the HUB using CAT 5 UTP or coxial cables, we create a Local Area Network (LAN) in which resources can be shared. All users will see the same up-to-date information as and when the data is edited or added. Across departments, a fibre-optic backbone connecting departmental HUBs would provide a campus-wide network where all computers connected to this network would be able to access shared resources throughout the organization. In many organization (including institutions of higher learning) however, the culture of sharing information has not taken root resulting in tens or hundreds of computers connected on the network but with very little collaborative effort over the network.
Extending the network beyond the physical boundaries of a building or campus would create a Wide Area Network (WAN). It requires a lease line from the telecommunications provider and a router at each end of the line. Workers separated by vast distances would be able to “see” their whole organization’s network neighbourhood as though they were in the same building or campus. WANs are expensive and dedicated to users for the same organization (and its business partners). The World Wide Web (WWW) on the other hand offers the world-wide audience access to information published by local authorities. Developers and consultants would be able to investigate planning guidelines with map-enabled webs or searchable database-driven webs without having to travel long distances from their offices to the local authority’s office. They could also track the progress of their applications through restricted webs from the comfort of their office (anywhere in the world)
(d)Client-Server Technology
A database management system is required to serve as the storage facility as well as engine for retrieval of data captured during the process of evaluating development proposals. Popular DBMS software includes high-performance Oracle, Sybase, MS SQL Server and mid-range products such as MS Access and Foxpro. The mid-range products are deceptively simple to use and with perseverance, officers in government departments have been able to develop small systems for registration of applications for approvals and partial implementation of the workflow for development approvals. These efforts are excellent as starting points for moving their departments in the direction of e-government.
In a client-server environment, there is a front-end (or a software application) where users interact with the computer to carry out the tasks related to the workflow. On the other end of the network is the back-end where the database engine seats on a server sending out data and files as requested from the front-end.
Conclusion
Malaysia has been serious in engaging in turning its government into an electronic one. The road ahead for e-government is exciting and holds much promise. However, the road is long and there will be many hurdles, which could potentially stifle progress. It is not enough to transfer paper-based manual workflows into an IT-driven system. Successful e-government will require re-invention of the concept of government. It demands that the government bureaucracy response in a way that promises efficient and innovative services and guarantees access to digital information that will help to promote the e- as well as the k-economy.
However, as we move in that direction, we must also re-examine the modals of urban growth. Can or should local authorities continue to base their decisions on urban development using the central place theories predominantly used in most Structure Plans in Malaysia? Planners and futurists are divided on whether the hierarchical structure of cities will persist in the information era or will die as distances become non-existent (Hall, 1999)
By: AZLINDA BINTI AZIZ (2007130921)
Reference :
-Dr. Badaruddin Mohamed,
-Associate Professor Dr. Lee Lik Meng,
-Associate Professor Dr. Alias Abdullah
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