By Danial Dzulkifly
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 – Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari has expressed confidence that Selangor will be transformed into a “completely smart state” by the end of his second term in office.
Setting a progressive course for the state, Amirudin envisions a system where government services embrace digital solutions.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged the substantial challenge ahead to fully transition into the digital realm and emphasised the importance of adopting a comprehensive strategy.
“Let’s face it. There is no silver bullet to achieve this vital transition. There cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said at the launch of the Selangor Smart City and Digital Economy Convention (SDEC) 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, here, today.
“To do this, first, there has to be a recognition for a collective approach to accelerate this journey by working with community leaders, data scientists, technologists, and the private sector to improve the collective, aggregation and use of data to improve the lives of citizens at the local level.”
The vision to make Selangor as Southeast Asia’s premier Smart State by 2025 was announced by the state administration back in 2016.
However, Amirudin admitted that implementing such a progressive policy poses its own challenges.
“Yes, we have faced some bumps in the road along the way, some of it due to an imbalance in terms of ideas versus execution, or a lack of complete understanding of the methods to harness the inherent spirit of innovation in our community.
“But this time around, I am confident that we have learnt from the initial teething process, and today, I reiterate my commitment to you that we are prepared to walk the talk to make Selangor a true Smart State where government services will be made to revolve around people and offered seamlessly by the end of this term.
“Achieving it may be a huge task and responsibility, but I am confident that by avenues and platforms such as this conference, we will be able to share experiences, all while renewing our commitment to protect the safety and privacy of our citizens at a time when the region is facing increasing threats from an industry of scammers.”
Amirudin described Selangor as the “perfect and most opportune test bed” to gather, learn and analyse data, especially in the four main cities of Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang.
In terms of connectivity infrastructure, Selangor stands to gain from the roll-out of the 5G network, he said, although it brings its own set of challenges.
“Similarly, we must also begin to better understand the supply side, not just in terms of internet bandwidth, but energy usage to cater for future demand.
“I know full well there will be a growth in the world of solar through more panels on rooftops, more electric vehicles, more mobile charging stations and higher capacity batteries, connected through various means to the existing electric power grid.
“But we have to calculate and project future demand because increasing internet connectivity will mean increasing energy which will be required to power these needs,” he said.
Amirudin also launched the Selangor Government Data Exchange (SelGDX) portal during the event.
The SelGDX portal is an integrated data-sharing platform encompassing state agencies and the public sector in Selangor.
The portal began its operations on October 13, 2023, and was developed with the involvement of more than 70 departments and government agencies in Selangor.
It positions Selangor as the first state in Malaysia to develop a cross-agency data-sharing platform.
