Local authorities need to go digital — Jaujan
TAWAU: Local authorities need to master ICT as a means to connect villages and districts to get information.
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Jaujan Sambakong said local authorities needed to know outside information so as not to be left behind in the ever evolving ICT.
He said whatever systems were being used, it needed basic knowledge, and advised the 100 participants representing 26 public sectors to appreciate the State Public Sector ICT Seminar 2018 Local Authority level held at Tawau Library Auditorium yesterday.
Jaujan said the days of using manual were over and had shifted to computers, and if left behind, it would mean that the people were more advanced then the local authorities.
He also called on the participants to share the benefits of the seminar as knowledge was constantly evolving and that local authorities needed to go digital.
The ‘information society’ today, he said, wanted fast information to carry out various economic activities and were a knowledgebased society, and in this context, the public sector needed to interact with the people using digital which would be more efficient and creative.
He said the public sector only needed to focus on training and step up its skills towards continuous learning to ensure quality transformation of its human resource.
Jaujan said with ICT, counter services could be reduced and self-service kiosks or online services increased to provide efficient and orderly services.
On the National Budget 2019, he said it would help to stabilize the country’s economy.
“For me, it is the best budget for us after we just took over the government,” he said.
“I only hope the people will cooperate, be patient. We have plans, we have direction, we can do better than before,” said Jaujan.
He announced that the Sabah state budget will be announced by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Abdal who is also the Finance Minister this Friday.