The Government has launched an application system for the Syariah Court that it said would help speed up the administration of justice under syariah law.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the E-Syariah application system, a web-enabled Syariah Court case management system that also integrates other related functions.
Dr Mahathir said in his speech at the launch that the introduction of E-Syariah was not for the "sake of having a sophisticated system, even though we do not want to see Islamic law enforcement (processes) remaining at an out-moded level."
He added there had been cases where "years passed" before a verdict was handed down.
"Justice delayed is justice denied ... E-Syariah would help speed up the judicial process," he said.
Instances of Syariah Court cases -- which largely involve disputes under Islamic family law -- dragging on for several years have increasingly fallen under the spotlight, although the problem is nothing new.
Women's organisations, in particular, have regularly highlighted the need for cases filed with the Syariah Court to be expedited more efficiently.
The introduction of E-Syariah was expected to help in that direction, according to the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu).
Acknowledging that "the Syariah Court has received much media publicity of late, not all of which have been good," Mampu director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Rais Abdul Karim said "attention should be given to the need to standardise the administration and improve the processes and procedures of the Syariah Court -- the quicker the better."
"Technology can help us in this regard," he said.
However, Dr Mahathir was quick to caution that "E-Syariah is not the answer to all problems ... it is only an enabler."
Rais said that the real measure of the system's success would be when "the people themselves use it ... they will be the judge of its effectiveness."
He also said the main challenge would be "the capacity of the Syariah Court to make the changes in working practices and attitudes" that would be required to take full advantage of the system.
Mampu initiated the development of E-Syariah, which is the newest of several components that fall under the Multimedia Super Corridor's Electronic Government Flagship Application.
E-Syariah will be implemented across 106 Syariah courts in 102 locations nationwide, with installation spread out over several stages, to be completed by 2005.
The entire application system comprises six components: Syariah Court management, office automation, lawyer registration, library management, portal, and an inter-agency network.
According to Mampu, the system would enable judges and court registrars to communicate electronically to exchange information, as all court employees, including judges, would have their own e-mail addresses.
Judges and registrars would also have online access to such cases, and be able to monitor ongoing ones.
A database of all cases filed with the Syariah Court will be maintained for that purpose, and to avoid duplication of cases in other states.
The E-Syariah network would also be linked to the National Registration Department's Agency Link-up System (Alis), Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) and the Malaysian Legal Assistance Bureau.
The extensive links would ensure that all information related to a particular case would be easily accessible, according to Mampu.
"Individual information can be verified against records kept by the National Registration Dept, bureau officers will be able to check the status of their client's case through the Internet, and marriage records in Jakim will be made accessible," said Rais.
The lawyer registration component will be used for the registration of new lawyers and for the renewal of practising certificates, all maintained in a database to facilitate monitoring and coordination by the authorities.
E-Syariah would also be equipped with a web-based library management system that would enable users to conduct electronic searches, and make online bookings for books and other library materials kept at the Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Department (JKSM) library and State Syariah libraries.
The E-Syariah portal would provide the latest court procedures and regulations and be opened to members of the public. The public would also be able to make enquiries on the status of particular cases and use the online Faraid calculator.
Faraid is the system for the distribution and allocation of a deceased Muslim's estate and property.
According to Mampu, several E-Syariah components have been fully implemented in Perlis, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and the Federal Territory, while the remaining states would be covered by the middle of this year.
The E-Syariah system was designed and developed by Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd. The system's implementation project is being lead by JKSM, which is being assisted by KPMG as project management consultant.