Civil servants still using old way to communicate

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TUARAN: Most civil servants are still using the old method of communication, said State federal secretary Datuk Muhammad Hatta Aziz.

“Many of us still refuse to receive official letters through email and ask for the original copy to be sent through mail or fax.

“This method is not only inconvenient but it also increases costs to implement such practice,” he said when launching a seminar entitled Green IT at Kampus Intan Building here yesterday.

Muhammad Hatta said the persistent refusal of some civil servants to capitalise on the information and communication technology (ICT) can have detrimental effects on cost and time.

Citing an example, he said due to lack of awareness on the Green ICT, the ICT equipment was not switched off after use while insignificant documents were printed which led to wastage of papers and toners.

“No matter how sophisticated the technology is, human factor and skills on the use of technology will determine the impact derived from the technology,” he said.

Muhammad Hatta said the public sector must shrug off a misconception that public service was inefficient and outdated.

“The current development and sophistication do not allow us to continue to give lame excuses for incompetency,” he added.

Some 200 staff from Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning (MAMPU), State Computer Services Department (JPKN), Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Cocoa Board and Kampus Intan attended the seminar.

Meanwhile, organizing chairman Mohd Fareed Abdullah, who is also Kampus Intan director, said the seminar was aimed at contributing to the national policy on green technology that was launched in August last year.

He said the event should be a platform for civil servants to network and share the new development of ICT in the country.

Three speakers presented their working papers at the seminar.

State Computer Services Department (JPKN) director Minggu Jamaan presented a paper on the challenges of implementing Green ICT which included the mindset among civil servants who are not interested to be responsible in the green culture.

“Apart form the mindset, our people are also not committed in this culture and at the same time there is no enforcement of the policy and procedures.

“Lack of Green ICT programmes for the customers also contributed to the challenges,” he said.

The other speakers were assistant director of ICT Planning MAMPU Kuala Lumpur, Yaacob Yusuf and deputy director of ICT Services MAMPU Kuala Lumpur, Izuan Saad.