Public Services

JPJ Kiosks An Easy Solution

2007-05-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

>>Paperless transactions will help reduce bureaucracy

THE kiosks that have been set up for the public to interact with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) for various transactions have received good response - so good that more kiosks are being set up in and around the Peninsular.

The current number of 27 kiosks which were set up since October last year will be increased to 50 by the end of June this year.

All the kiosks have been set up at JPJ's testing centres in Peninsular Malaysia (see graph for locations) by three companies namely MyEG, Komms and Speed. To date there are 107 testing centres nationwide.

The kiosks can be used to check and pay for summonses, renew driving licences, printing learner driver licences, and checking the Kejara demerit points.

JPJ director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said their next plan was to extend the services to Sabah and Sarawak by setting up similar kiosks there.

The idea of having kiosk, he said, was part of JPJ's e-Services, an electronic Government initiative towards creating a multi-service delivery channel through the use of Information and Communications Technology.

"The move is customer driven. We want people to feel at ease when interacting with Government agencies at their own pace as well as having their own space using their personal infrastructure like telephones and computer.

"We want to encourage people to interact with the Government through these channels," he said.

He added that these paperless transactions would also help reduce bureaucracy.

"People will prefer this too as they do not need to drive to an agency, find and pay for parking and then take a number and wait to be attended to," he added.

Life will be easier for the public who must be made aware of the existence of such facilities.

Ahmad Mustapha also said that apart from the kiosks, Internet and short messaging services (SMSes), JPJ was also planning to introduce another ICT services in the future called the Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

"We hope to introduce the IVR, which is similar to the phone banking used by banks now, as part of our revamp to the e-Services in future," he say.

Ahmad Mustapha added that from January to April this year, a total of 32, 819 learner drivers printed their licences and since April 11, driving licences can also be renewed via the kiosk or via the Internet.

So far, only 63 customers have tried the renewal via both transactions. He is hoping that more will follow suit.

Renewal slips can be printed out through the kiosks, while those using the Internet can make payment for licences through credit cards and print a receipt as proof of payment while waiting for their licences to be posted to their home addresses.

The fee charged is RM2.

To ensure drivers do not forget to renew their licences, the department has even taken it upon itself to send out reminders about a month or two prior to the expiry date, he said.

There are also plans to send out SMS reminders.

Since May 1, mobile phone users could check the expiry date of the driving licence, Kejara demerit points, and unpaid summonses by sending an SMSes.

They should type JPJIC number (not hyphenated) and sent to 32252 to get all the information for a fee of less than RM1.

The e-Services had also been used for the Highway Code Test for learner drivers before they are issued with the Learner Driver Licence to drive on the road.

The test through computer is conducted at the various test centres nationwide.

It includes questions on the highway code and a separate vision test.

Each student is identified through their thumbprint and they can choose to answer the questions in either Bahasa Melayu or English.

"They have to answer 50 questions in 45 minutes on computer. Last year 822, 889 students were tested through the computer while from January to April 30 there were 268, 584 students," he said.

He added that students are allowed to familiarise with the computer system earlier to ensure they are able to use the computer for the test, adding that those who are not computer savvy at all would be allowed to sit for the regular written examination.

"The illiterates would be tested orally to ensure they know the law.

Ahmad Mustapha also said that most Malaysians were more comfortable answering the Highway Code Test in English.

Sabah and Sarawak were the last states to receive the English version in April and May respectively, he said, adding that there were plans to have examinations in other languages like Mandarin and Tamil but this would take time.

"Foreigners can also sit for the computer exams to get driving licences but they must know English at least if they do not know Bahasa Melayu," he said.

Check the expiry date of your driving licence, Kejara demerit points, and unpaid summonses by SMS. Type JPJ [space] lC number (not hyphenated) and sent it to 32252.

Faster, Easier And Better

2007-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Check your status via the fast and easy way with e-Insolvency

AS we all know, e-Insolvency provides the corporate, government and public sectors an online search service for individual bankruptcy and company liquidation status. A search is done through the service providers appointed by the Government.

But many are still unaware of the purpose of this online service offered by the Insolvency Department of Malaysia. What exactly are its functions and how does it deal with the problems of bankruptcy?

Who is vulnerable towards bankruptcy?

According to statistics provided by Insolvency Department of Malaysia, among the highest bankruptcy cases recorded in 2006 were individuals with personal debts (either through credit payment or hire purchase), business mortgage/collapsed business, corporate guarantors, credit card debts and others.

It was reported that credit card non-performing cans stood at RM740.5 million as at December 2006. Besides failing to settle card t card debts or personal loans, there are those who failed to clear their housing and car loan payments as well as others who lost heavily in the stock market.

At present, many credit card holders have a minimum of two to three cards, or at least just one. Hence, the deluge of credit card users today clearly ascertains that daily expenditures have increased substantially, as compared to ten years ago.

Nonetheless, attractive as it may be, the misuse of credit cards has caused serious financial problems due to users' negligent spending behaviour. Affected users were mostly in their late 20s.

Many will find credit cards imperative for personal and business use because carrying a huge amount of cash or traveller's cheques is not only daunting, but also inconvenient.

However, if a card lands on the hands of a person who is uncontrollable in managing money, having such cards can easily lead the cardholder towards financial ruin and eventually, bankruptcy.

Understandably, the more you spend, the more vulnerable you are towards being declared as a bankrupt.

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME: Wan Mohd Hazan Amri says e-solvency is for anyone with Internet access.

Why is checking bankruptcy status via e-insolvency so important?

Whether you are thinking of applying a home loan or in the midst of starting your own business, it's advisable to check on your bankruptcy status first, to clear unsettled payments.

Most often than not, individuals and companies will use e-Insolvency to run a background check of their own or an individual's financial history to clear any unsettled payments to avoid any financial problems. There are other reasons for the public to utilise e-Insolvency:

* To fulfill agreement documents associated with loans

* To obtain permits such as business, transportation and others

* To begin court proceedings on an individual or a company

* To register a company or business locally or internationally

* To appoint an individual to the highest position within the company

* To become a Commissioner of Oath

* To become a committee member of an enterprise or union

* Matters regarding army pension

* For individuals and companies to prove that they are no longer insolvent

Do people actually use e-Insolvency?

According to Insolvency Department of Malaysia, 70,000 to 81,000 searches were conducted monthly in 2006, where 80% of searches were done through e-Insolvency. The other searches were conducted at counters. Most online searches are done by law firms, individuals, business partnerships, private companies and government agencies.

e-Insolvency is indeed beneficial to the public as they can track the status of people that they had been guarantors for.

Moreover, it is also useful for employers, especially in the process of employing senior management as they can run a background check as part of the recruitment process.

The benefits of using e-Insolvency, as according to Wan Mohd Hazan Amri B.Hj. Hasbullah, Director of Information Technology, Department of Insolvency Malaysia, is to help make the search process faster and easier.

“Years back, searches were conducted at counters that require manpower. Hence, results can only be obtained much later. With e-Insolvency, users can conduct a search anywhere, as long as you have a computer with Internet access, e-Insolvency helps users save cost, time and money as they don't need to travel all the way to the Putrajaya Headquarters to check on their status,” says Wan Mohd Hazan Amri.

“Moreover, mistakes tend to occur less when users themselves conduct an online search because they are more familiar with their own particulars. After a user pays and keys in their details, results are shown instantaneously and they can print a draft form of the certificate.” adds Wan Mohd Hazan Amri.

However, there's still a need for counters around the country. The reasons being:

* The e-Insolvency system only accepts payment via credit card or prepaid account and does not accept cash or postal order or cheque

* Individuals who request for a free search, which is a government's request and replacement for mistakes in original certificate.

* Individuals who does not have Internet access

* As an alternative if e-Insolvency encounters technical problems

To prove that e-Insolvency facilitates individuals, Jaafar Jama'an, Director of Information Technology of Legal Affairs Division, Prime Minister's Department, provided an example of a case where an entrepreneur intended to start a business overseas.

The entrepreneur decided to check on the bankrupt status via e-Insolvency, To the entrepreneur's amazement, there were debts that were not compensated and he was declared as a bankrupt.

Once settling the debts at Insolvency Department in Malaysia, the entrepreneur can then start the business abroad after being declared as debt-free. Instead of taking three months to obtain results on your search, you can now check your status in the comfort of your home.

It is hassle-free and convenient because there's detailed information on checking your status, online payment, prepaid accounts and certificate delivery services.

So, trouble yourself no more by checking your bankruptcy status online.

EASY FOR AL: Jaafar Jama'an says e-insolvency facilitates everyone.

Your questions answered

What does the Government's service providers offer?

1. Bankruptcy and Liquidation status

2. Online certificate printing (Non-Original Certificate)

3. Original certificate printing (optional)

*lt's optional as some wants to check the status without printing the original cert.

Why use e-Insolvency services?

It’s the easiest and fastest way to check your bankruptcy status as well as your company's liquidation status.

Who is eligible to use e-Insolvency services?

ANYBODY who has Internet access can utilise these services, as long as you:

1. Register with any of the service providers (registration is FREE)

2. Open an e-Account and payment can be made via Credit Card or e-Cash.

Where can I find e-Insolvency services?

You will be able to access these services via the Service Providers appointed by the Government, which are www.myeg.com.my, www.e-services.com.my , www.rilek.com.my. These are electronic links between the Government and the public/businesses.

When can I use e-Insolvency services?

As long as there's Internet access, you can use it anytime and anywhere.

How do I obtain the Original Certificates?

The Insolvency Department of Malaysia Headquarters in Putrajaya is responsible to print all Original Certificates requested via the Services Providers.

10 easy steps to obtain your Original Certificate

1. Users make an online payment via Service Providers

2. Submit enquiries

3. Service Providers to request data from Insolvency Dept

4. Data sent to Insolvency Dept

5. Insolvency Dept receives data and publishes it on web portal

6. Users receive data as well as allowance for printing of drafted detailed status

7. Service Providers send reconciliation and payment details to Insolvency Dept

8. Insolvency Dept receives payment

9. Original Certificate is printed at the HQ

10. Obtain Original Certificate. You can collect your certificate from Insolvency Dept HO or from other branches of Insolvency Dept or to be sent to your home/office address.

Further enquiries can be made through Legal Affairs Division, Prime Minister's Department at: elnsolvensi@bheuu.gov.my (03-8885 1000(p), 03-88851286(f)); helpdesk@myeg.com.my (03-7956 8606(p), 03-7952 9506(f)); helpdesk@eservices.com.my(03-42511199(p), 03-4252 5731(f)); feddback@komms.com.my(03-8996 0749(p), 03-89960748(f)).

Popularity Of Portal Screen

2007-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

OUT of the 479 online services hosted by the official Government's portal - www.gov.my the most popular among Malaysians are sites on job opportunities and applications.

Statistics compiled by the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), which developed and now maintains the portal, show that out of the top five online services visited by the public, three were those linked to job applications.

Ahead of them is RISDA (Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority), which registered 539,801 hits for vacant positions in the agency.

This was closely followed by the 202,256 hits recorded by the Human Resources Ministry via its electronic job finder website Electronic Labour Exchange.

Another hot site on the www.gov.my website is that of the Public Service Commission an impressive 182,432 hits ensured the department fourth placing among those ranked.

The Road Transport Department which had 200,647 hits by the public to mainly check and pay traffic summonses and the Employees' Provident Fund which recorded 106,206 hits on account statement enquiries rounded up the top five. Naturally, the top five downloaded forms charted by the www.gov.my portal were forms for job applications.

Holding on to the first spot was the local government department (23, 243 hits), with the Internal Revenue Board hot on its heels (14,455 hits) RISDA (13,869 hits), Majlis Amanah Rakyat or MARA (1,320 hits) and institute of Language and Literary Malaysia (1,046 hits).

The www.gov.my portal has seen a ten-fold increase in activity in just six months. In October 2006 there were only 28, 292 accesses detected for online services per month.

By March this year however, the figure rose to 296357 accesses.

This is a clear indication that waiting in line for public services will soon be a thing of the past.

The number of visits to the portal each month and the number of page hits have also gone up within the same period - from 173,496 to 269,482 visits and from 12.8mil to 21.8mil page hits respectively. Average daily visits now stand at 8,693 from that of 5,597 previously.

According to the profile, Mondays are the busiest days - the portal records the most activity and visits on Mondays.

This is usually the case as most people start their working week on Monday. Tuesdays and Thursdays tie for the second busiest day.

And the busiest month for the portal? November!

Last year, there were 477, 539 accesses for online services in November, a spike that even surpassed figures recorded recently.

There were 49.6mil page hits; an average of 12,204 visits daily and 477,539 accesses into its online services in that month alone.

And, while the usual number of accesses for the forms posted on the www.gov.my portal are about 100 a month, the figure rose almost three-fold to 3,381 accesses in November.

Why does November see such a heavy usage of the portal?

Government official attributed the massive traffic to those seeking for information on job vacancies in government departments and agencies.

The next time you are thinking of looking for a job, it would probably be a better idea to let your 'mouse' to do the searching for you.

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