NEWS: Government to have independent appraisal of e-court system

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will appoint independent IT consultants to advise on past proposals for implementing an e-court system.

“We will review all contracts related to IT so that whatever e-system we implement finally is one that is efficient, transparent and keeps track of all case files so that at any one time we will know their status,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who is the de facto law minister, told The Star.

“I want independent IT consultants – no one connected to any service provider company – to tell us whether the past proposals are useful and workable.”

He said this when asked for an update on the Government’s RM40mil pilot e-court management system that included a court recording and transcription (CRT) system.

On whether the government would replace the analogue CRT system in 65 court rooms at the Jalan Duta Court Complex, which opened last year, since judges testing that system found it fraught with problems compared with the digital CRT systems in 11 other courts, he replied:

“If a system works we will use it, if not, we will change it; I am only responsible for what happens from now.”

On the fact that any time gained from using CRT to record proceedings was lost in delays in transcription because judges’ secretaries or court clerical staff – standing in as transcribers – were unfamiliar with legal jargon and not competent in English, he said training could be provided.

Zaid said it could be possible to implement a suggestion that such staff be part of a closed service so that the judiciary would not lose them to another department after the staff members are trained.

“I believe that the career prospects of these people need to be taken care of. If JPA (Public Services Department) is amenable to the idea, a suitable solution can be found,” he added when told that the judiciary, however, would not want support staff to lose out on promotions.

“But that is a long-term strategy. In the short term, transcription services could even be outsourced,” he said.

Bar Council secretary Lim Chee Wee said the Government could call for an open tender if it was looking for a new IT service provider.

“Good governance dictates that the Government must award contracts on an open and competitive tender basis instead of direct negotiation,” he said.