Mampu enters third phase of open-source masterplan

PUTRAJAYA: The Government is working to come up with more of its own IT solutions as it enters the third phase of the Malaysian Public Sector Open Source Masterplan.

Launched in 2004 and headed by the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu), the masterplan aims to enhance the usage of open-source technologies in the public sector.

In the third phase of the masterplan, Mampu aims to enable, empower and sustain the open-source ecosystem in the public sector.

"We want to enhance and improve our achievements in the second phase and strengthen the public sector open-source ecosystem to be self-reliant," said Datuk Nor Aliah Mohd Zahri, Mampu deputy director general of ICT.

Nor Aliah said this while presenting a paper at the Malaysian Government Open Source Software Conference 2011 here.

In this phase, the role of the Open Source Competency Centre (OSCC) will change to handle a more consultative and regulatory role as Government agencies and ministries set up their own mini OSCCs.

"These mini OSCCs will be the guide, trainer and knowledge centre for the development of Open Source Applications within the various ministries and agencies," Nor Aliah said.

Up until the change, the OSCC was been the single point of reference for open-source developers in the public sector.

Nor Aliah said the OSCC will be transferring its knowledge as a one-stop information centre to the mini OSCCs parked at the ministerial level. The transfer is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Mampu also has other plans in the third phase to further strengthen the development and adoption of open-source applications within the government sector.

Among them is to have open-source software leaders in all ministries who will lead the efforts in developing open-source based solutions. Mampu also plans to implement a ranking system in ministry offices to gauge the public service's understanding and adoption of open source.

Encouraging signs

According to Mampu, the Malaysian public sector's adoption of open-source software has been encouraging.

Nor Aliah said about 60% of government personnel are trained in open-source development and some are also working for certification.

"Mampu has developed many applications using open-source technologies such as MySurfGuard, MyMeeting and MyWorkspace," she said.

The masterplan will also prepare the country to be a nation that is also a technology supplier and not only a user, Nor Aliah said.

"Open source is the future. The uncertain global economic outlook will drive the adoption of open-source technologies and we will be ready for that," she said.