(BERNAMA; July 20, 2005)

KUCHING, July 20 -- Sarawak hopes to achieve full electronic government status, with major work processes computerised and major services offered online, by end of the Ninth Malaysia Plan period, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Wednesday.

Dr Chan, who is also Sarawak's Industrial Development Minister, said under the state government's electronic government initiative, the main thrust is information and communications technology (ICT) for the public service and the development of a knowledge community and economy that is ICT-literate and skilled.

"We cannot have a situation where the government is far ahead of the economy and the people in the use of ICT. The economy is the domain of the private sector and the government's roles are strictly regulatory and promotional," he said at the opening of the Small and Medium Business (SMB) ICT Solution Campaign Roadshow 2005 here.

Kuching is the third leg of the seven locations of the nationwide roadshow organised by the SMI Association of Malaysia to help small and medium businesses to maxmimise their potential for business growth and to stimulate the adoption of ICT among the SMBs.

Dr Chan said local businesses presently have been quite slow to adopt ICT, with only about 24.5 percent of the SMBs embarking on rudimentary ICT such as Internet access and use of personal computers.

As such, there is a need to generate the momentum and awareness that integrating ICT into their businesses is the key to grow and compete with emerging economies like Vietnam and China, he said.

He added that local businesses must also quickly develop their ICT and e-commerce strategies to address the growing issue of not being left out of the Internet revolution as the government viewed SMBs as one of the bedrocks of the economy.

Dr Chan said SMBs are critical in maintaining the country's commercial and industrial productivity competitiveness as they played an important role in supporting the bigger businesses to provide jobs and the bulk of industrial and commercial output.

-- BERNAMA