PENANG is more prepared to face the current Covid-19 crisis following the initiatives taken by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) in venturing into digital services.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the local council started to adopt digital services a few years ago.
“Digital service is now a need. I want to congratulate MBPP for being a forward-looking local government.
“Indirectly, we are more prepared to deal with the crisis that we are facing now. The impact of the coronavirus has accelerated digital transformation.
“Digital services are in line with our Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’,” he said after visiting the MBPP one-stop payment centre at the Esplanade today.
Chow said that digital services could increase convenience and reduce physical contact to help break the chain of Covid-19 infection.
Also present were state Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang and MBPP secretary Datuk Addnan Mohd Razali.
Chow and his team were briefed on the new norm practised by the local council.
Jagdeep said the council was practising cashless transaction.
“About 50% of the transactions last year (2019) were cashless transactions.
“About 350,000 out of 741,000 transactions last year (2019) were cashless transactions. The 741,000 transactions amounted to almost RM370 million.
“We expect the number of cashless transactions to increase this year,” he added.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
Video by Chan Kok Kuan