MGPWA aims to support government agencies in promoting better service delivery that can effectively reach the people through online portals or websites. It is conducted by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the agency directing MSC Malaysia, the country’s national ICT initiative designed to attract world-class technology companies while grooming the local ICT industry.

The MGPWA is a thorough assessment of government websites and portals based on the pillars of Content, Usability, Security, Participation, and Services.

Several amendments to the assessment criteria were made this year – criteria such as loading time, copyright and fax number, for example, were eliminated, while the criteria of ‘single sign-on’ option and ‘look and feel’ of the interface were added. Government websites and portals are awarded between zero and five stars based on their assessment results.

Along with the MAMPU portal, the MyGovernment portal – the single gateway to Malaysian government agencies – which is developed and maintained by MAMPU, also won a 5-star rating.

A total of 1,349 portals and websites were assessed this year – 281 were rated 5-star, compared to 285 in 2011.

In addition to the 5-star rating, the MAMPU and MyGovernment portals were also awarded the status of Strategic Achiever, a special title introduced this year and given to 5-star-rated portals or websites which meet the MGPWA’s additional criteria around ICT Security Incidents, Penetration Test, English Review and Public Complaints. 114 portals and websites were awarded this title in 2012.