(Utusan Malaysia; September 8th, 2004)

SHAH ALAM Sept 8 - The e-syariah project, one of the flagship applications of the electronic government, will be linked to various government departments connected with the management of Syariah Court cases to enhance efficiency.

The departments include Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), National Registration Department, Immigration Department, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said the process to link e-syariah with these departments would take about two years to complete.

"We will always find ways to facilitate the management of Syariah cases," he told reporters after opening the 5th annual conference of Syariah officers here Monday.

The e-syariah project costing RM39 million will link all the Syariah Courts on-line and it is expected to be fully operational in 2005.

Earlier in his speech, Samsudin said that when fully operational, the e-syariah project would provide more efficient and quality management of Syariah Court cases and thus helping to avoid delay of cases.

He said the Syariah courts had been equipped with information and communications technology (ICT) facilities for the implementation of e-syariah.

The e-syariah portal meanwhile would provide the Muslim population and the law practitioners easy access to register and review status of cases on-line, he said.

Samsudin also said the Syariah courts needed to expedite the setting up of a one-stop centre, front office and back office to provide quality and customer-friendly services to the Muslim population.

He said the need for these counter services should also be considered when planning new court premises in future.

Samsudin also urged Syariah officers to learn Arabic and English which would help them in their duties.