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

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA

In 1997, the Malaysian government launched the Electronic Government initiative, generally known as e-Government to lead the country into the Information Age. Malaysia has so far implemented systems known as seven main projects such as Electronic Procurement (eP), Project Monitoring System (PMS), Electronic Services System (E-services), Human Resource Management Information System(HRIMS), Generic Office Environment (GOE), E-Syariah and Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX). Besides these seven main projects, an online service was introduced to increase the ease and efficiency of public service to people. Among others were Public Service Portal (myGovernment), e-Tanah, e-Consent, e-Filing, e-Local Government (e-PBT), e-Kehakiman, Custom Information System (SMK), Pensions Online Workflow Environment (POWER), and Training Information System (e-SILA).

THE CITIZEN’S ADOPTION STRATEGIES

E-Government form an emerging field, which is rapidly gaining attention and importance. Citizens expect and demand governmental services with a high degree of quality, quantity, and availability in a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, and year-round fashion. Governments all over the world are developing information systems and electronic services that have the capacity to meet these emerging service needs and demands of citizens and other clients. Results show that perceived ease of use, compatibility, and trustworthiness are significant predictors of citizens’ intention to use e-Services and that perceived reactive advantage, perceived image, perceived compatibility, perceived usefulness, and relative advantage are significant elements of e-Government adoption. The government must also concern about information quality and system quality. Besides that, accuracy, relevancy and completeness are also important and were more significant than timeliness and precision. Efficiency was the most significant factor.

Electronic Currency

• Electronic currency (also known as e-money, electronic cash, electronic money, digital money, digital cash or digital currency) refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically. Typically, this involves use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit are examples of electronic money. Also, it is a collective term for financial cryptography and technologies enabling it
• E-currency is precious metal-backed Internet currency. To open an account, an individual "deposits" money with an online e-currency company that then converts the amount into gold bullion. Via the Internet, the account holder can transfer ownership of some or all of that gold into someone else's e-currency account. Ownership can be repeatedly transferred.
• E-currency is a sort of online version of "warehouse banks," which similarly converted account holders' deposits into gold or silver bullion stored in the bank. These institutions became popular in the 1980s among domestic right-wing extremists, who used them to launder money, hide assets and to commit other financial abuses.
• While the records of e-currency companies may be obtainable by court order, and all transactions involving $10,000 or more in cash must be reported, some economists and Secret Service officials have expressed concern about the potential for money laundering using e-currency channels.
• E-currency has been widely used by perpetrators of pyramid scams. Swindlers demand payment in e-currency because, unlike with checks or credits cards, the charges clear instantly and cannot be cancelled. Experts estimate that about half of e-currency transactions are related to scams or online games.
• The most popular e-currency service is e-gold, operated by Gold & Silver Reserve, a Florida-based company. It claims more than 200,000 accounts and more than $14 million in currency. A January 2002 account reported that its clients made 8,600 transactions daily. About half of the e-gold system's physical reserves are located in Dubai, apparently for financial reasons, but also to help in the marketing of e-dinar, which was launched in September 2000
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Prepaid Cash Card for Consumer...

Prepaid credit cards offer a convenient way to control credit card debt while still enjoying the flexibility of plastic.

Example of Prepaid Cash Card in Malaysia.

The Touch 'n Go TnG smart card is used by Malaysian toll expessway and highway operators as the sole electronic payment system (EPS). The credit card sized smart card made of plastic with Philips MIFAREwhhich is known as Oyster card. microchip technology embedded in it. It is the same technology used as electronic payment of Transport for London

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 use together with smart tag (a non-stop electronic toll collection system), will be able to process up to 1,200 vehicles per hour.

Touch ‘n Go not only used for passing toll but also for a purchase purpose. For example, we can used it in A&W, BURGER KING, CALTEX, 7-11 and also CATHAY CINEMA.

Example of Prepaid Cash Card in Hong Kong.

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payment in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. It is also used for payment at convenience stores,supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters,car parks, and other point-of-sale applications such as service station and vending machines.

Children aged between 3 and 11

The standard version of Octopus Card

Elder used card

eZ-link in Singapore

The EZ-Link card is a contactless smartcard based on Sony's FeliCa smartcard technology, used for payments in Singapore especially for transportation in Singapore.

The card is commonly used in Singapore as a smartcard for paying transportation fees in the city-state's (MRT), (LRT) and public bus services. The card also serves as a supplementary identification and concession card for student in mationally recognised educational institutes, full-time national service personnel serving in the Singapore Amed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Foce anf Singapore Police Force or Senior citizen who are over sixty years old.

Mobile Payment System in Malaysia....^0^

Three billion people are expected to own mobile phones in the globe by 2010. Mobile commerce is a natural successor to electronic commerce. A mobile payment or m-payment may be defined, for our purposes, as any payment where a mobile device is used to initiate, authorize and confirm an exchange of financial value in return for goods and services. Mobile devices may include mobile phones, PDAs, wireless tablets and any other device that connect to mobile telecommunication network and make it possible for payments to be made. Mobile payments can become a complement to cash, cheques, credit cards and debit cards. It can also be used for payment of bills (especially utilities and insurance premiums) with access to account-based payment instruments such as electronic funds transfer, Internet banking payments, direct debit and electronic bill presentment.

In Malaysia, Mobile Money (MM Wallet) is one of the examples of mobile payment system. It is PIN-based Mobile Payment Solution designed by Mobile Money International Sdn Bhd to address the limitations and bottlenecks created by cash, cheques and credit cards. This gives the freedom to shoppers to buy products online and pay the merchant using his/her mobile phone without being physically present at the store. Mobile Money will encourage more consumers to shop online. This will definitely be a great boon to the e-commerce industry in Malaysia. It will surely encourage more merchants to adopt online selling as an extra sales channel which complement perfectly with their offline sales channel to help them sell more of their goods and services. Realizing these needs of merchants in Malaysia, we are the 1'st shopping cart software provider who has integrated Mobile Money as a payment method in our webShaper e-commerce software. This feature allows merchants to accept payment via Mobile Money and process the payment in real time within clicks!

There are a lot of Mobile Merchant Benefits such as it can sell to anyone, anywhere at anytime. No Minimum Monthly Transaction, No Rental Fee, No Merchant Account Required, it only required little sign up fee, but get paid in shorten period. Besides, it can provided Multi Methods to Request for Payment, such as though SMS, Mobile Money Website, or even real time Mobile Money Weblink API weblink that can be integrated with your POS (Point of Sales) System or online storefront system.


Mobile Payment Process