KUALA LUMPUR: The Digital Ministry has launched a new policy to speed up the Digital Automation and Technological Advancement adoption in the public sector as part of Putrajaya’s efforts to foster a data-driven government, says Gobind Singh Deo (pic).
The Digital Minister said the policy will serve as the foundation for long-term digital transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation cannot be developed without strong data governance.
“This is long-term work. Digital transformation is not something we can plan for two or three months.
“AI is based on data and data must be digital if we want to make better decisions.
“When decisions are made based on data, we can make them faster, reduce wastage, target better without wasting money and improve how we work,” Gobind said after officiating the event yesterday.
He said the Public Sector Data Digitalisation policy (PPDSA) is an important policy to digitise data in the government as non-digital records and fragmented data systems remained as legacy issues in the public service.
Gobind also said it is important to determine the storage methods and security of data that is created from the newly launched PPDSA.
“That is why we have the Malaysian Government Central Data Exchange (MyGDX) platform, which will enable data sharing,” he added.
Gobind said the PPDSA was drafted in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s vision of strengthening governance and reducing wastage.
“This policy is also the foundation to data sharing to foster an administration that is more efficient, transparent and responsive.
“It is a brave step forward in the government’s efforts to strengthen the transformation of the delivery of digital services, so that it is faster, more accurate and fairer for all,” said Gobind.
MyGDX, spearheaded by the National Digital Department (JDN), involves 81 agencies, comprising 51 data providers and 23 data consumers.
These agencies are connected through 49 integrated systems which already processed over 23 million Application Programming Interface (API) transactions.
The minister said the National AI Office, through the Data Commission, is currently having discussions with the industry to determine priority areas to focus on.
JDN director-general Nik Zalbiha Nik Mat said the policy will lay out a framework to ensure that government agencies are working together while enabling cooperation with the public sector.
“It is important that the policy is practical, relevant and fulfills the requirements of public agencies on the ground,” said Nik Zalbiha.
According to her, the policy was developed on four main objectives – driving the digitalisation of public sector data; increasing the sharing of digital data; strengthening public sector governance and fostering a data-driven culture.
