E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen's adoption strategies

E-Government (electronic government) also known as digital government or online government. It provide a platform for exchanging information, providing services and transacting with citizens, businesses, and other sectors of government with the using of IT and e-commerce.

Nowadays, the applications of E-Government in Malaysia are becoming popular, for example, e-Filling, KWSP’s i-Akaun, KWSP’s kiosk machine, E-Perolehan, registering or renewing licenses and tracking state regulations. Basically, the interaction parties of E-Government can be categorized into few types, which are Government-to-citizens (G2C), Government-to-business (G2B), Government-to-government (G2G) and Government-to-employees (G2E).

Let us briefly talk about the e-Filling in Malaysia; it allows tax payers submit their tax payable assessment form through internet by filling the virtual online form. With e-filling, it reduces the workloads of Inland Revenue Board and provides convenient services for tax payer.

Although e-government brings lots of benefit to users, most of the citizens reluctant to use it. The common problems encountered by consumers are as follows:

• Lack of knowledge in operating computer or using internet functions.
• Lack of confidence towards the system security due to the happen of severe online fraud cases. They don't willing to reveal their information under the internet based environment.
  
• Users worries about the accuracy of online processing, potential errors such as double transaction or omission of transaction.

Here are some suggestions to encourage more citizens to use the e-government application:

• Increase the security and reliability level of the e-government application to enhance the confident level of users.
• Provides more guidance and education to users and let them understand more on the overall e-government processing.
• Maintaining and testing the system recently to minimize the potential errors.

References:
http://clive1201.blogspot.com/2007/11/funny-things.html
http://go.worldbank.org/M1JHE0Z280
https://spsd.hasil.gov.my/PKI/e/mainpage.html

Review a local e-commerce site- Lelong.com

Do you have experience of online shopping or participating in e-auction? Do you visiting the “e-bay”- a well-known worldwide electronic auctions website that allow you to make bids if you are a buyer or place offers if you are a seller.

This is the link to ebay.com: www.ebay.com

In Malaysia, there are quite a number of local e-commerce sites like the “e-bay”. So, now I would like to introduce a famous local e-auction and online shopping site to all of you- that is lelong.com. Did you hear this name before this?

This is the link to lelong.com: www.lelong.com.my

This e-commerce site has established in Malaysia several years ago. Lelong.com allows the users to have online internet auction and trading for many types of products or services like electronic products, books, home appliances and so on- even the houses or cars. Just like e-bay, lelong.com provide search engine in order to help the users easily find what they are interesting in. Besides, this e-commerce site also allows you to open your own “store”. Lelong.com has three different language versions- English, Chinese and Malay. It makes lelong.com stands out among the competitors in Malaysian market.

Maybe, lelong.com is not as famous or well-known as the e-auction giant- e-Bay, but this is a pure Malaysian and local e-auction site. If you always visiting the e-auction site like e-bay to buy or sell thing, why not next time you try to visit lelong.com?

A review on a post on Legal from My E-Comerce blog-How to lose your ID easily to fraudsters at home?

After review a post - How to lose your ID easily to fraudsters at home? from http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/Legal , I realized that many people include me are simply throw those statement and letter which are consist the personal information, details into dustbin. This action may bring kickback from some misappropriation of those personal informations. For example, people who stole personal details use the information to take a loan under innocent party's name.

Nowadays, misappropriation other personal information is getting worsen. In a survey result, most of the Malaysian are scare that their Identity Card and credit card being misappropriated. For the sake of individual interest, people must manage and dispose properly their credit card statement, copies of passport, Identity Card and some documents which have personal details. For example, those letter or documents can be destroyed before throw it. This can reduce the probability of fraudulence activities through steal what you throw in the dustbin.

Malaysia Government and those in charge governance can promote some activities such as conference, seminar regarding how to protect their personal information and they can enhance the verification of those documents when in apply credit card, loan and other.

In conclusion, we have responsibilities to protect our own private information and protect our interest. Therefore, we cannot throw anything at will because we need to protect our environment (can be recycled) and reduce the criminal activities caused by this reason.


some reference website(Chinese website):
http://search.sinchew-i.com/node/12349?k=%E6%9C%80%E6%80%95%E7%9A%84%E4%BA%8B%E6%83%85-%E8%BA%AB%E4%BB%BD%E8%AD%89%E8%A2%AB%E7%9B%9C%E7%94%A8

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Nowadays, more and more people involve theirselves in the e-auction, though the number of fraud cases in e-aution are still staggering. 51,000 cases of internet fraud cases were reported in 2002. In 2006, that number ballooned to 97,000. (quoted from http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/whats-internet-auction-fraud-and-how-do-i-prevent-it)


However, we can lower our risk by taking note few things as follow^^

1. User Identity Verification

As to provide a safe e-auctioning platform, e-auctioneer will verify their user identity. Lelong.com.my has 3 categories of application of membership. Their users have to verify as buyer, seller or a company by offering their personal information, such as Mykad or hand phone number. RM10 fee is required and all verification of the e-auction will need to be submitted online (http://www.lelong.com.my/verified).

Lelong Membership verification^^

2. Feedback forum

The Lelong.com.my allows registered buyers and sellers to build up their online trading reputation. It gives users a place to comment on their experiences with other individuals. But, beware of feedback from buyers dated only a few days following a sale — it may be a fake. Delivery usually takes several days, and most buyers typically use their products for several days before responding with comments to the seller.

3. Escrow Service

An escrow service acts as a third party or intermediary for buyers and sellers who have reached an agreement on terms of the transaction. With escrow service, both parties in the trade are protected. Lelong.com.my, eBay, Yahoo! and other large online auction sites provide escrow service.

How lelong.com.my escrow service works???

Electronic Currency--E-micropayment systems: Peppercoin

Today, ecommerce is certainly nothing new. People purchase online newspaper, digital images, games, CDs, and many other products and service every day. All of these online payments were small, typically under $5. Credit cards or debit cards do not work well.

Peppercoin(peppercoin.com) was founded by Ron Rivest and Silvio Micali with a vision to enable convenient and profitable credit and debit card use for small payments. The users do not require to deposit credit in advance. all of the things they need to do, it is just enter their credit or debit cards information with the merchant online as usual. The Peppercoin software will process the payments.

How Peppercoin works???

When a users purchase a product or service from a merchant, the transaction passes through a small-payment gateway to the payment service’s system. The gateway provides payment information into the system’s service for aggregating multiple payments by users to merchants. The user aggregation service authorizes consumer spending, integrates with credit cards or other payment instruments, and presents a summary aggregated bill. The merchant service handles the sellers’ end of the transaction. The banks that handle the money transfer have their own aggregation services.

Reference:

http://www.geercom.com/r8019.pdf
http://net.educause.edu/elements/attachments/rfi/rfi_2/Peppercoin_summary.pdf

http://www.schwartz-pr.com/case_studies_pages.php?ind=19&id=43

Review on a post on e-tailling from My E-Commerce blog- Amazon launches SMS shopping

After reviewed a post that related to e-tailing from My E-Commerce blog (http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/e-Tailing), I would like to share some personal opinion. The post i reviewed is about Amazon.com, an e-commerce giant, launches their new business practices- SMS shopping on 1^st April 2008.

For this SMS shopping, I am very interesting in this practice. This is the first time I heard about SMS shopping. In Malaysia, I never heard SMS shopping from my family members, friends and anyone around me, maybe one of the reasons is Malaysian basically do not have those habit perform their business transactions not so directly and thus do not have interest to know such practices.

E-tailing, also well known as online retailing become more and more popular because there are less costly and have a bigger market. However, the more popular the online retailing represents the more competitive in such market. Online retailer need to launches more special idea and those practices to differentiate them self with others that can bring convenience to the customers just like the SMS shopping above mentioned.

As a new generation, I would still like to try this “SMS shopping” although I also lack of confidence to perform such business transaction just like most of the Malaysian. The reason is, why not we try? Maybe we will love it after we try………….

If you need further information, please visit: Amazon.com website.

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers

Pre-paid cash card is one of the payment services that allow us to transform cash into card and enjoy the convenience that no need to bring along a lot of cash and lesser the troublesome of exact fares.

One of the well-known pre-paid cash card in Malaysia is Touch-n-Go which either can be a card or built in the Identity Card with 64k chip. Touch-n-Go mostly uses in the Malaysia transportation such as public bus, trains, Highways’ Tolls and car park with its linked network. Recently, this card’s functions were expanded more widely in making payment transactions with A&W, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donut, 7-Eleven, Carrefour hypermarkets, Caltex convenience stores and Cineleisure.

Compared the Octopus application in Hong Kong with Touch-n-Go, Octopus is more advance and innovative. Even the vending machines also can be paid though this payment service. The most interesting is the Octopus may either in the card form or accessories for example the key chains, plush toys and jewelry.

In Taipei, well-known pre-paid cash card is EasyCard, which completes the payment transactions with the wireless signals through Identity Card memory chips and induction circuits implanted in the card. This card mostly be used in the transportation services.

In Singapore, EZ-Link Card also same functions as the card mentioned above, it can be used in various services and industries such as restaurant, convenience store, government services, shopping mall, academic and transportation.

The following website hope may help you for further information~~

Touch-n-Go:
http://www.moha.gov.my/eng/system/print_details.asp?tt=content&contentid=445

http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/2008/04/using-touch-n-go-card-to-buy-fast-food.html

http://www.touchngo.com.my/WhatTNG.html

http://www.touchngo.com.my/WhatTNG_card_TNG_4.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/12/nation/20902911&sec=nation

Octopus:
http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/hong-kong/getting-there/hong-kong-transportation/octopus-card.html

http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2582

http://www.contactlessnews.com/library/2008/05/12/octopus-extending-tentacles-outside-of-hong-kong/

EasyCard:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/06/13/2003414650

http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/service.asp?catid=%E4%B9%98%E8%BB%8A%E6%8C%87%E5%8D%97&small=%E8%BB%8A%E7%A5%A8%E7%A8%AE%E9%A1%9E

EZ-Link Card:
http://sun.systemnews.com/articles/103/1/news/16948