IPOH, Dec 16 — The Perak-developed e-Penghulu digital system will be expanded nationwide to improve the tracking of development funds, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced today.

Speaking after a coordination meeting here, the deputy prime minister also revealed a significant policy shift: his ministry’s scope will now officially extend beyond traditional rural communities to serve all Malaysians, including those in urban and suburban areas.

Ahmad Zahid praised Perak’s e-Penghulu system, which was developed in 2019 to manage public services and complaints at the penghulu level, as a proven and effective tool.

He said the system will now be adopted by all states to enhance accountability by tracking not only his ministry’s allocations, but also development funds channelled from other ministries. 

“We have seen how effective the e-Penghulu system is in Perak.

“The ministry will fully utilise this system, and I have instructed all state rural executive councillors to adopt it to monitor programme implementation and expenditure,” he said.

In a redefinition of the ministry’s role, Ahmad Zahid said its responsibilities will no longer be limited to providing basic infrastructure in rural areas.

He explained that while only 8.1 million of Malaysia’s 34.5 million people live in designated rural areas, the ministry’s agencies, such as Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and the Community Development Department (Kemas), operate nationwide.

“Our duty is to serve all Malaysians, whether they live in rural, suburban or urban areas,” he said, noting that Mara’s 270 institutions and Kemas’s preschools cater to communities from all backgrounds.