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