Running smoothly: Sim (second from left) and Malaysian Industrial Relations Department director-general Khalid Jali (left) touring the new building of the Penang chapter of the Human Resources Ministry in George Town. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Plans are under way to digitalise the Malaysian Industrial Court system by implementing a digital recording system to reduce cost and expedite the legal process, says Steven Sim.
The Human Resources Minister said this is an artificial intelligence (AI) system that provides real-time transcription of court proceedings.
“The government will spend RM5mil for this AI-powered digital transcription system to enhance efficiency at the industrial courts.
“The system will transcribe court proceedings, reduce delays and improve overall case management,” he said.
“At the moment, some courts still rely on manual transcriptions, which can take time.
“With AI, transcriptions are generated instantly, allowing for faster legal processes,” Sim told the media after launching the upgraded state Human Resources Ministry’s building here yesterday.
“This digitisation of the Malaysian Industrial Court system will include hardware upgrades for digital recording using AI.
“The instantly generated transcripts during case proceedings will streamline communication and make it easy to understand.
“It will display the transcripts immediately on the screen to ensure that the process of delivering justice is effective.
“This will increase transparency during trials, directly increasing fairness and confidence in the Malaysian Industrial Court,” he said.
Sim said it will be carried out in phases, with Penang among the states for early implementation this year.
He said with the new system, case data could be retrieved within three days compared with the current 30 days.
“Fees for accessing court records have also been reduced to RM15,” he said.
When asked about Industrial Court decisions not being final and that cases can be appealed to the High Court, Sim said legal reforms are under way.
“A task force under the ministry is conducting a comprehensive review of all 28 labour-related legislation, including the Industrial Relations Act 1967.
“Many of these laws are outdated, with some dating back to pre-Independence.
“The task force will harmonise, update and reform these laws to ensure they remain relevant and effective,” he added.
