Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri all in for E-courts

It’s about time the courts in Peninsular Malaysia follow the electronic court (“e-court”) system as implemented in Sabah and Sarawak since few years ago. Wait until minister in the Prime Minister’s Department visit the courts in Sabah and Sarawak, then the nation’s eyes will be drawn to the application of ICT in Peninsular Malaysia. Good start, though…

Impressed, Nazri wants all courts to go electronic

By Nancy Nais
news@nst.com.my
(c) New Straits Times
2009/08/17

KUCHING: The courts in Sabah and Sarawak have been described as the most sophisticated and at the forefront of information and communications technology development compared with other states in the country.

Court transcripts and rulings can be obtained within three minutes of a request being made by lawyers in cases carried out by teleconferencing. At the moment, this is done in civil cases.

An impressed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz saw this happening at the Kuching Court Complex and wanted it implemented nationwide.

“Sarawak and Sabah are way ahead of Peninsular Malaysia when it comes to court efficiency because of the electronic court system implemented two years ago.

“The video-conferencing facilities enable the court officers here to conduct proceedings with the courts and lawyers elsewhere in Miri, Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching,” he said, adding that maximising the use of technology helped save time and travelling costs.

“I am very impressed. It is high time the states in the peninsula implemented the electronic court system.” Nazri said he would discuss with the judiciary and the chief justice in Kuala Lumpur to get the courts in the peninsula to do the same.

He said the Federal Government spent RM1.95 million to upgrade the state judiciary’s ICT. This year, RM289,000 was spent on upgrading the Bintulu, Miri and Batu Niah court buildings. The translators here, who are well-versed in various ethnic languages, also got the thumbs-up from Nazri, who noted that their abi-lity helped the courts to dispose of cases faster and efficiently.

Cities and towns in both states are now equipped with video-conferencing facilities, short messaging service and file tracking system.