The state of Selangor is planning to develop a new integrated application that brings together services and complaint channels from all 12 of the state’s local authorities (PBTs). State Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the proposed “super app” is intended to simplify and speed up dealings with the various councils.
The initiative comes amid feedback from residents who are increasingly faced with multiple applications for different government services. The proposed super app would potentially give residents a single platform for dealing with their respective PBTs.
One App For 12 Local Councils
Ng said the state government had taken note of a proposal to establish an integrated complaints platform, adding that the current approach can be improved to make public services more convenient. He was responding to a supplementary question from Muhammad Hilman Idham (PN-Gombak Setia) during the Selangor state assembly sitting earlier today.
According to Ng, feedback from users indicated that having too many applications can leave them confused about which one they should use for a particular service. The proposed platform could eventually bring together services offered by Selangor’s 12 PBTs, namely:
- Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)
- Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ)
- Majlis Bandaraya Diraja Klang (MBDK)
- Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MBSJ)
- Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS)
- Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ)
- Majlis Perbandaran Kajang (MPKj)
- Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Selangor (MPKS)
- Majlis Perbandaran Hulu Selangor (MPHS)
- Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Langat (MPKL)
- Majlis Perbandaran Sepang (MPSepang)
- Majlis Daerah Sabak Bernam (MDSB)
These councils handle a range of everyday services, including assessment tax payments, business licences, building plan matters, parking and various public complaints. Having them accessible through a single application could therefore eliminate the need for residents to figure out which council-specific platform they need to use.
Selangor Already Has Quite A Few Apps
The proposed super app would also have to contend with an existing ecosystem of state-level digital services. For example, Smart Selangor Parking (SSP) is used to pay roadside parking fees and check or pay PBT compounds across Selangor, while SELangkah provides access to various health, welfare and support programmes.
There is also the Air Selangor application for checking and paying water bills and reporting supply disruptions, while NINE by Wavpay has been introduced as an integrated digital wallet and platform for various state government service matters. In other words, the state’s desire to consolidate its digital services is understandable.
However, putting a large number of government services under one roof also means that security and reliability will become even more important. A problem with a single platform could potentially affect far more services and users than an issue with an individual application.
Hopefully, Security Will Be A Priority
Ng said data security and confidentiality would be prioritised as part of the proposed initiative, with regular monitoring to ensure users’ information is not disclosed or misused. He added that vendors involved in developing and operating the application would also be vetted, with only capable providers that have good track records being selected.
That is particularly worth highlighting given what happened to several Selangor parking systems just last month. To recap, Smart Selangor and Flexi Parking were taken offline following a cyberattack, leaving users unable to make payments through the affected systems. The state government subsequently instructed local councils not to impose parking charges or compounds while the issue was being resolved.
The affected systems were eventually restored, although users continued to experience problems with logging in, topping up balances and accessing customer support. The company operating the systems later said that attackers had breached a legacy server through an SQL injection attack, while also confirming that the systems had been taken offline and that affected parking credits were subsequently restored.
So while a single app for Selangor’s local authorities sounds considerably more convenient, the state will hopefully take the lessons from that incident into account when designing it. After all, having one app to deal with all your council-related matters would be beneficial, but having that one app go down because of a preventable security or infrastructure problem would be considerably less so.
Physical Counters Will Remain
Despite the push towards digital services, Ng stressed that PBT counter services would not be discontinued. This is intended to ensure that individuals, especially senior citizens and residents in rural areas, can continue accessing government services in person.
For now, the proposed super app remains an initiative. The state government has yet to reveal details such as its name, development timeline, specific services or which existing applications will eventually be integrated into it.
(Source: Bernama)