6. Conclusion and Recommendations

Despite the high potential of Malaysia’s connectivity architecture and the clear impetus that investments in ICT have provided for e-government initiatives, further efforts are required for Malaysia’s e-government to become gender-responsive. Malaysia’s expressed commitment to gender equality requires a lot more attention in integration and follow through, with standardised systems in place to collect the necessary sex-disaggregated data and to process these accordingly for closer monitoring and gender analysis.

Recommendations are that the Government of Malaysia:

  1. Adopts a gender analytical lens in e-government initiatives by considering the gendered realities of women and girls in the country. This can be done through close examination of the existing gender gaps and a thorough analysis of the reasons why these persist. E-government initiatives cannot risk perpetuating gender disparities that exist in Malaysian society as these will have larger negative socioeconomic implications in the longer term.
  2. Strengthens integration of national commitment to gender equality and ICT and e-government policies. One way to do this is to ensure that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each Ministry and their departments include a heavier emphasis on inter-agency collaboration. The current use of the e-Kasih database to aid low-income households, for example, can be enhanced by a stronger collaboration to ensure one entry or access point to all forms of e-aid programs across sectors that the government may develop or implement. Standardised criteria that consider women’s and girls’ needs and their lived realities should be developed to ensure that women and girls do not fall through the cracks and loopholes of e-government initiatives as beneficiaries and end-users. These criteria should not be limited to income but to also consider issues of inequalities in access to opportunities in other areas such as education, continuing adult education, career advancement, legal issues commonly faced by women and girls (e.g. unwanted pregnancies, abandonment due to HIV and AIDS), and so on. Definition of categories of beneficiaries too, need closer scrutiny. The example of how “single mothers” omit women who have been abandoned but remain legally married shows how shortcomings in the definition of categories of beneficiaries can deny aid to those in most need.
  3. Makes concerted efforts to change staff’s attitude towards citizens and their input and participation in the design and delivery of e-government initiatives, paying special attention to include women and girls from vulnerable groups and communities. This could be facilitated by developing a policy of participation for government ministries and agencies, similar to the privacy and security policies that have been developed. A client’s charter alone does not necessarily support and encourage input and participation of those who are meant to be served by e-government initiatives as these tend to be provider-oriented rather than user-oriented.
  4. In addition to facilitating one-stop shops for government services, develops a more comprehensive information distribution plan and system to ensure that knowledge of the existence of such services reach those in most need of these, paying special attention to informing potential users in rural areas, and vulnerable groups, especially women and children in both rural and urban areas. A closer work relationship could be forged in this regard with NGOs. Information should be accompanied with follow through in responding to queries and in facilitating applications. Educational outreach to potential users should also complement such an information distribution plan and system.
  5. With the move towards open data, ensures that all measures are taken to protect the privacy of women and girls. An empowerment approach to this issue should be adopted, by informing women and girl users of e-government initiatives of how their privacy can be compromised, with illustrative examples, and how they can seek redress if violations occur.
  6. Refrains from making assumptions about women’s and girls’ IT literacy. The popular use of Facebook and Whatsapp should not be interpreted as IT literacy. A level of knowledge, experience, and skill is required to be able to navigate portals and websites that are often less user-friendly in design compared to Facebook and Whatsapp. Hence, even a higher ownership of smartphones among women and girls does not necessarily indicate high levels of IT literacy or assured access to e-government services.
  7. Enhance legal framework on data protection and privacy rights in line with international norms and standards. This may also help enhance public perception of trust and use of digitalized public services.
  8. Includes the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development as a key member of the E-Government Steering Committee(EGSC). This would help ensure a better alignment of the gender equality commitments that the government has made and the goals and focus of the National Policy on Women with e-government initiatives, as well as better ensure a more gender-responsive implementation. As the Ministry’s portfolio includes the wellbeing of vulnerable groups like persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and children, it would make sense for this ministry to join the core EGSC.
  9. Recognises that misogynistic attitudes are huge barriers to achieving gender equality in the country. The government should make concrete efforts and take the necessary steps by law and through attitudinal change programs to counter and address misogynist attitudes online and offline, including among those in positions of authority. If political will and commitment to ensure redress is not forthcoming, then this could affect how women are eventually treated and discriminated, including through online interfaces for government services transactions. Effective measures to counter misogynist attitudes should also be implemented in cyberspace as many of the misogynist attacks on women in Malaysia have taken place over social media.
  10. Considers how the MyKad as a multipurpose smartcard is becoming the backbone of all government transactions for G2C delivery and hence, should not in any way impede benefits to the people, but should only serve to enhance government services to them and their overall wellbeing. It is timely that the government shift the emphasis from a regulatory focus to ensuring that information on the MyKad is optimised to benefit Malaysians. In particular, health data information is pertinent for better health care, and all information on the MyKad should be freely accessible to the concerned individual to allow for assessment of accuracy by Malaysians. Changes to personal data due to personal health and psychological issues such as gender dysphoria should be facilitated rather than obstructed. The official recognition of gender dysphoria would also be in line with the EMP 2016–2020 goals of ensuring inclusive growth regardless of gender. All service providers who use the MyKad to ensure access to services for their clients should be made aware of the problems faced with the biometric system by older persons, transgender people and in general, people who suffer changes in their fingerprint biometric data due to health issues.
  11. Takes steps to address VAW and the issue of ensuring safety of women and girls, following examples such as the establishment of a child sex offenders registry.
  12. Uses the power of digitally enabled networks for women political leaders irrespective of political alignment, in line with the goals of the EMP 2016–2020, and Malaysia’s commitment to ensuring 30 per cent of women in decision-making positions. This could be in the form of a policy-making portal that will allow for women to provide input to women members of Parliament on the policies they desire as well as to give feedback on any policies that the government may develop.
  13. Enacts an Equality Act so that gender equality can be better integrated through legislation without the over reliance on the initiative and leadership of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.
  14. Enacts the Freedom of Information Act at federal government level to ensure greater transparency and accountability to the peoples of Malaysia in decision-making, related processes, and public expenditures.