First world technology, third world mentality

Malaysian Business, Apr 1, 2003 by Charles Raj

IT IS always difficult to change the mindset of people in the way they do

things. Old habits die hard, they say.

But with the rapid pace of technological change, a nation has not much

choice but to adapt if it wants to progress. More importantly, its people

must be receptive to the changes, especially those in government.

Thus, recent cases of enforcement authorities bungling up when carrying

out their duties is a major cause for concern.

Some time ago, an officer from the Road Transport Department (RTD)

actually fined a motorist for not producing his conventional driving

licence. The motorist had, in fact, produced his smart card, which amongst

others, contains information found in an identity card (IC) and a driving

licence. The officer insisted that the motorist produce his driving

licence and that the smart card was insufficient.

The fact is, motorists need not carry ICs and driving licences if that

information is contained in their smart cards. The RTD officer obviously

did not know that. He probably also forgot that the RTD had been provided

with hundreds of smart card readers to be utilised when conducting checks.

Another more recent case involves the police. When they rounded up more

than a hundred Indian IT expatriates on suspicion of being illegal, they

failed to take along the relevant devices which could verify the

authenticity of work permits. Thus, the passports of many of these Indians

were defaced when the officers tried to check their validity manually by

scratching their surface.

Both these instances beg the question: Why were these officers ignorant?

Did they not realise that the Government had spent millions of ringgit to

introduce the latest technology to assist in their enforcement activities?

Further, the repeated breakdown of the baggage handling system at the KL

International Airport (KLIA) prior to the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

in February begs to address the question of maintenance. How is it that

such breakdowns seldom occur at other such ultra-modern airports?

To be sure, even a seemingly technologically advanced country like the

United States fares no better. A couple of years ago, a few of its

immigration officers were stumped when Malaysians presented their latest

machine-readable passports. They were confused and taken aback that there

was even such a thing as a machine-readable passport! Now, thankfully,

Malaysian passport holders are accorded special lanes in some US airports.

It perhaps boils down to a question of the attitude of those entrusted

with the job. While Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad is

pushing for a higher level of IT in the country, there are civil servants

who are resisting these changes, or are just plain ignorant. Their

attitude is perplexing and disappointing, to say the least.

There are those who still prefer to do things the old way. They have

first world facilities at their disposal but are unable to use them due to

their third world mentality.

And sometimes, all the technology in the world won't help. In a recent

Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) fraud case, a clerk confessed that she

failed to check if the IC number of the applicant matched that of the

account holder!

As Malaysia pushes towards achieving Vision 2020, there must be

significant changes in the way we do things. There is no escape.

Therefore, those who are involved or who are affected must be adequately

trained and educated. Sometimes, it is not just a question of ignorance

but also the fear of mastering new technology.

Ignorance is not bliss. It can have dire consequences.

It can even lead to a diplomatic spate, as the recent treatment of

Indian nationals showed.