Kuala lumpur: It took less than 10 minutes.' That was how a tourist described the experience of settling a parking compound through the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) JPay application, which he downloaded before touring the historic city of Melaka.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, 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 the 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 Ministry of Housing and Local Government (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 the Jasin Municipal Council (MPJ) and MPHTJ. Besides offering online services, both councils have begun leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency and quality of public service delivery.
For MPJ president Muhammad Zahiruddin Mohd Zahari, digitalisation is no longer merely an alternative service channel but an integral part of a new work culture in public service delivery. To date, he said, 87.2 percent 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 has grown steadily, with the council's official portal recording 860,090 visits. It also has 5,719 registered users of eMPJ, 646 users of eMohon and 3,607 users of the Community Management System (SPK). 'As of July 14, a total of 48,470 digital transactions had been recorded, covering payments of 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 without having to visit a physical counter,' he said.
Interestingly, in Melaka, digitalisation has not only been a success in urban areas but also in districts with large rural and village populations, demonstrating that the initiative can benefit communities from different backgrounds. However, Muhammad Zahiruddin acknowledged that the initiative has not been without challenges, particularly in improving digital literacy among senior citizens and residents who are less familiar with technology, as well as addressing Internet connectivity issues in certain areas.
To overcome these challenges, MPJ is continuously organising awareness programmes and providing guidance to help residents become more confident 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 hands-on assistance at the counters by helping customers navigate the portal or mobile application while explaining how the digital services work. 'This approach not only makes the process easier for customers but also gradually builds their confidence to use online services independently in the future,' he said.
MPHTJ, meanwhile, is utilising AI as a support tool in improving the efficiency of its service delivery. Its president Datuk Sapiah Haron said the council's digital services that are most widely used are those for payment of assessment rates and compounds, licence applications and renewals, and lodging public complaints. She said digitalisation has brought marked improvements, with 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,' she said. She added that at present, AI functions as a decision-support tool that assists officers in analysing data, identifying complaint patterns, prioritising actions and generating reports more efficiently. 'However, all official decisions continue to be made by officers in accordance with existing policies and regulations,' she said.
MPHTJ AI officer Ain Shamsiah Razali said the AI feature integrated into the council's portal acts as a digital assistant, enabling members of the public to obtain information about council services at any time. She said AI also automatically categorises complaints, prioritises critical cases, identifies recurring issues and expedites 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 the relevant officers,' she said.
Although technology is driving the transformation in service delivery, both local authorities agree that the human touch remains essential, particularly in assisting those who are still unfamiliar with digital platforms. In the era of smart cities, the success of digitalisation is no longer measured by the number of service counters that have been removed, but by how effectively the public can access faster, more transparent, convenient and inclusive government services, whether they live in the heart of the city or in a village in Jasin.