SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW FOR THE

LAUNCH OF DIGITAL APPLICATION “MYKADUN”

28 May 2023
Digital Penang, Wisma Yeap Chor Ee

 

Yang Berhormat Professor Dr. Ramasamy Palanisamny

Second Deputy Chief Minister of Penang

Yang Berhormat Zairil Khir Johari

EXCO For Infrastructure And Transport

                                                                   

Members of Penang State EXCO

 

Members of The Legislative Assembly of Penang

 

Members of The Board of Directors, Digital Penang

 

Head of Departments And Representatives From Government Agencies

 

Technology Specialist Ng Kwang Ming

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digital Penang

Distinguished guests

 

Members of the media

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon, everyone.

We are gathered here today for the launching of MyKadun or Digital Integrated Service Centre (DISC). It is a digital application unprecedented in Malaysia that will transform the operations of our elected representatives’ service centres to ensure we can serve our people faster, better, and in a larger capacity. The Penang State Government plans to roll out this initiative in phases with the end goal of digitalizing all our 40 service centres throughout Penang to ensure no communities are left behind. I would like to share that this state initiative is aligned with our Penang2030 Vision as we empower our people to strengthen civic participation.

Indeed, the statistics speak for themselves. We have found that service centres in Penang serve an average of 300 individuals on a monthly basis. This implies that we are entrusted to serve an average of 10 individuals every day. Looking at the brighter side of things, I believe this shows a high level of civic participation as our people actively seek to address their concerns by working closely with the state. It is no doubt a daunting task for our officers running the operation on the ground. However, it is this trust and connection that we have built with the communities that pushed us to seek more ways to improve our roles as civil servants.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Service centres act as the nerve centre that serves the people with their connection with the local governments, state departments and agencies. Understandably, a tremendous amount of paperwork is involved just to ensure smooth facilitation and close coordination between officers. However, a closer look at the current operation has revealed some opportunities to improve our service. We found that 85% of service centres still use paper-and-pen for record-keeping purposes, at least 3 copies of documents are needed to process a case, and an additional copy is required just to make a report. This undoubtedly leads to hidden costs such as unnecessary waste of time which can be put to better use by our officers.

“If we can improve this process, then surely we could enhance our efficiency and serve more people?” That was the question we asked ourselves and it paved the way for deeper discussions that eventually led to MyKadun. This digital application enables our officers to seek references and check the status of cases with just a few clicks. More importantly, it is also integrated with existing state services that include iSejahtera, eRumah, ePintas, E-Aduan MBPP, and MBSP eAduan. I would like to share that it was not an easy task to string these services together. Each of them presents a different set of challenges that require unique solutions. However, the result was worth the effort. With MyKadun, we now reduce the hassles of our people as officers using the system are able to provide a wider range of services in a shorter time.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am happy to share that some KADUNs such as Tanjung Bungah are among the first to adopt MyKadun. In the pilot run, we already received encouraging feedback from officers quoting being able to handle cases in a shorter time and provide better service to the public. To ensure these benefits are extended to all communities, we are working closely with all service centres for the adoption of MyKadun, starting with Bukit Bendera in June, Bukit Mertajam in July, Bayan Baru in August, and Batu Kawan in September. This means that communities in a total of 13 KADUNs on both Penang Island and Mainland can enjoy better public service in just 4 months. With our continuous effort to push this initiative to eventually cover all 40 KADUNs, the Penang State Government ensures that we are able to serve all of our people to the best of our capacity.

Before I end my speech, I would like to extend my gratitude to the hardworking officers in Digital Penang for pushing this initiative to fruition. MyKadun was a long time in the making with plenty of adjustments made to ensure we meet the people’s needs. Now, we have achieved a milestone that is unprecedented in Malaysia. Moving forward, Digital Penang will continue to engage service centres in a collective effort with the Penang State Government to serve the people.

Thank you.