“It TOOK less than 10 minutes,” was how a tourist described his experience paying for a parking compound in the historic city of Melaka.
He had used Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPHTJ) JPay app.
Gone are the days of searching for the local authority office, taking a queue number or waiting at a service counter.
What once took considerably longer can now be completed with just a few taps on a smartphone.
While such an experience may seem routine today, it reflects a significant transformation in the way local government services are delivered across Malaysia.
Behind the convenience enjoyed by the public and tourists lies an ambitious digitalisation agenda spearheaded by the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) through its Digitalisation Strategic Plan 2021-2025, aimed at strengthening government-to-citizen and government-to-business service delivery.
Under the strategic plan, the ministry has introduced a range of digital platforms, including PBTPay for payments to local authorities, i-Tegur for public complaints, OSC 3.0 Plus to standardise development plan approval processes and i-KrediKom for checking licensed community credit companies and channelling complaints.
In Melaka, this vision has been translated into action through digital initiatives introduced by several local authorities, including Jasin Municipal Council (MPJ) and MPHTJ.
Besides offering online services, both councils have begun using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency and quality of public service delivery.
For MPJ president Muhammad Zahiruddin Mohd Zahari, digitalisation is no longer an alternative service channel but an integral part of a new work culture in public service delivery.
To date, he said, 87.2% of MPJ’s services have been digitised, covering 41 of its 47 service categories, enabling the public to access various council-related matters online without having to visit the office.
He said the use of MPJ’s digital platforms have grown steadily, with the council’s official portal recording 860,090 visits.
It has 5,719 registered users of eMPJ, 646 users of eMohon and 3,607 users of the Community Management System.
“As of July 14, a total of 48,470 digital transactions have been recorded, covering payments for assessment rates, compound fines, licence fees and others.
“Overall, the public has responded positively and supports the counter-free initiative because it simplifies transactions, speeds up service delivery, saves time and allows people to access our services anytime,” he told Bernama.
Melaka’s digitalisation has been a success not only in urban areas but also in districts with large rural populations.
However, Muhammad Zahiruddin acknowledged that the initiative had not been without challenges, particularly in improving digital literacy among senior citizens and those less familiar with technology, as well as addressing Internet connectivity issues.
To overcome these challenges, MPJ organises awareness programmes and provides guidance to help residents gain confidence in using digital services.
“There are still some residents, especially senior citizens, who prefer dealing with our staff at service counters.
“That is why our officers provide assistance at the counters by helping customers navigate the portal or app while explaining how digital services work.
“This approach not only makes the process easier for customers, but also builds their confidence to use online services independently in the future.”
MPHTJ, meanwhile, is using AI to improve the efficiency of its service delivery.
Its resident Datuk Sapiah Haron said the council’s most widely used digital services were for the payment of assessment tax and compounds, licence applications and renewals, as well as for lodging complaints.
She said digitalisation brought marked improvements, resulting in fewer visitors at the service counters, shorter waiting times and faster service delivery.
“Applicants can also track the status of their applications or complaints in real time, improving transparency and customer satisfaction.”
At present, AI functions as a tool that assists officers in analysing data, identifying complaint patterns, prioritising actions and generating reports efficiently.
“However, all official decisions continue to be made by officers in accordance with existing policies and regulations,” she added.
MPHTJ AI officer Ain Shamsiah Razali said the AI feature integrated into the council’s portal acted as a digital assistant, allowing the public to obtain information about council services.
She said AI also automatically categorised complaints, prioritised critical cases, identified recurring issues and expedited the distribution of complaints to the relevant departments.
“As with any AI-powered technology, there are occasions when the system may not accurately interpret users’ enquiries, particularly if the questions are incomplete or use unclear terminology.
“In such cases, users can still obtain information through the links provided or seek assistance from relevant officers.”
