KOTA KINABALU: Sabah now has its very own e-wallet, Sabah Pay, to enhance state government services and facilitate convenience of payment for the people.
Developed and managed by Sabah Credit Corporation, Sabahans can now pay their bills as well as renew licenses through the smartphone application.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the new payment approach is timely as the world gearing towards digital industrialisation.
“We have seen how transactions are being done globally and we must keep abreast with the changing of environment.
“I do hope everyone will be on board and use Sabah Pay. It is (a) convenient and cost-effective money transfer (process). You can do a transaction without having to carry your money around,” he said at the launching of the e-wallet today.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau and Sabah Credit Cooperation chief executive officer George Taitim Tulas, among others.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Shafie also hoped for the system to be used by tourists and the possibility of the e-wallet to be utilised outside of Sabah in the future.
When asked whether the state government would make it compulsory for tourists to only use Sabah Pay, he stressed that could only be done when such a system is implemented and the state has good network coverage.
“There are areas we cannot cover yet, like Sipadan island for example. It is not equipped with a network. So, it will be very difficult and not convenient for the tourists if we impose. We don’t want to discourage them to visit places.
“There must be a timeframe and we cannot impose (compulsory use of Sabah Pay) 100 per cent. The moment we matured with an upgraded system and able to enhance our capacity, only then it could be done.
“(By then) any transaction can be done and should be done,” said Shafie.
Meanwhile, George said discussions were ongoing with Sabah Parks on how to implement payment for entrance fee exclusively via Sabah Pay.
George said they would also engage with Alibaba Group to establish ways for Chinese tourists to make payment using Sabah Pay through their existing Alipay e-wallet.
“This is so our tourists from China can pay the entrance fee using our e-wallet. They can top up their Alipay but pay through Sabah Pay.
“So, we are also looking at bringing Sabah Railway, public transport, and other government agencies that have entrance fee on board.
“We want to get (the involvement of) all departments, including the district and municipal councils. We start with five agencies this month and will increase the following months. Hopefully, we will manage to get 80 per cent on board by year-end.”
Sabah Credit Cooperation has collaborated with Sunline International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd which operates Boost, as the system developer and integrator; Alibaba Cloud Malaysia Sdn Bhd as the cloud service provider; and AmBank Group.
At the moment, users can use their Sabah Pay to pay the water bill, house assessment, compound, and permit, among others.
The five government agencies listed in the e-wallet are Kota Kinabalu City Hall, Land and Survey Department, Water Department, Environment Protection Department, and Veterinary Services Department.
Users can also use Sabah Pay to pay for e-hailing and food delivery services.