Local E-Government in Malaysia

Abstract

Despite the many quarrels and complaints about the quality of local government in Malaysia, it continues to be an important part of the overall governance system of the country. Information and Communication Technologies, particularly the Internet, have been prophesied to massively transform the quality of governance and government including local government. This chapter examines the local government development with reference to Web-based services of a cross-section of local authorities in Malaysia. The academic nature of the chapter pertains to examining issues surrounding Web site design and quality of information within the local government in Malaysia. The practical aspect of the study concerns with ascertaining if local authorities in Malaysia are ready to embrace the challenges in the information age, with particular emphasis on the ability to offer value added E-Services via local government Web sites. The survey results paint an extremely uneven and a very infant picture of E-Local government in Malaysia. The local authorities, just as other public agencies, have some way to go to tap the full potential of the Internet to render services to their public. They are still at the broadcast or publish stage of E-Government development. Much must be done to improve the design, the responsiveness, the information currency, and the interactivity dimensions of the digital window to propel local government into the national E-Government changes that are quietly taking shape. Only then can Malaysia’s E-Government initiative reap the maximum benefits offered by the information age.