KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) — The Sentuhan MADANI Kiosk initiative will be expanded with the opening of a third kiosk at One Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya, scheduled for April, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the popular shopping centre was chosen due to its strategic location for the people to access public services.
“With this approach, we hope the Sentuhan MADANI Kiosk can serve as a model for transforming public services to be more people-friendly, digital and relevant to current needs.
“This initiative has gained attention from all quarters. Several ministers, MPs and corporate entities have expressed interest in implementing it in their areas. This shows that the initiative adds value by making public services more accessible,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters at the launch of the Sentuhan MADANI Kiosk at KL Sentral Station today.
The Sentuhan MADANI Kiosk initiative has been expanded to a second strategic location at KL Sentral, benefiting more users following an overwhelming response to its digital services in Putrajaya.
The kiosk provides access to over 100 government services from six major agencies: the Road Transport Department (JPJ), Pos Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Employees Provident Fund, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad and MyDigital ID.
The initiative is a brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2025, aimed at accelerating the digitalisation and integration of government services at key locations, making it easier for people to conduct transactions outside of office hours.
Also present at the launch were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) chairman Datuk Mohamad Nasir Ab Latif, Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan and MADANI Monitoring Unit director-general Mohd Khalid Mohamed Latiff.
At the same event, visitors were given the opportunity to exchange 500 helmets for free, courtesy of JPJ, and enjoy bubur lambuk distributed by MRCB, the main developer of KL Sentral.
Meanwhile, when asked about follow-up actions to prevent yesterday's wall panel collapse incident at Masjid Jamek Station from happening again anywhere, Loke said maintenance work is continuously carried out to ensure public safety.
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Light Rail Transit service, confirmed that a wall panel at Masjid Jamek Station collapsed at 4.04 pm during heavy rain. However, there were no casualties, and no major structural damage was reported at the station.
On another matter, Loke said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has been directed to enhance monitoring and baggage screening at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to tackle wildlife smuggling.
“For KLIA, we will ensure improvements are made to the x-ray machines, and we have instructed MAHB to increase monitoring.
“We may also need to strengthen the standard operating procedures for screening passengers' hand luggage. We acknowledge the (smuggling) incidents and we want to upgrade the facilities,” he said.
On Tuesday, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Malaysia has become a transit country for smuggling high-value wildlife parts such as elephant ivory and rhino horns, and exotic reptiles.
He revealed that data from Indian authorities showed eight cases of wildlife seizures from flights originating at KLIA Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 in 2023 and 12 cases in 2024.
-- BERNAMA
