KUALA LUMPUR: The public is encouraged to make use of the ActNow mobile app which empowers them to highlight community issues to the relevant authorities.
MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon (pic) said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between GoCare – an initiative under the MCA Crisis Relief Squad (CRSM) – and the social enterprise behind the ActNow app on Thursday (April 21) signified both parties' commitment to create a better living environment.
“There are many issues around us such as dirty rivers, blocked drains and potholes and we should not turn a blind eye to them.
“Through the app, users can directly report these issues to local councils and play a role in creating more conducive surroundings,” he said at the MOU signing.
GoCare advisor Ng Sing Phing said the collaboration was a bold move to take up public responsibilities and provide a platform which benefitted the community.
“We look forward to the success and leadership of ActNow in being a good example for the public sector to invest in social enterprises that benefit the community,” said Ng, who is also CRSM secretary-general.
ActNow chief executive officer Melvin Lam said the greatest challenge would be getting users to report on community issues.
“Most (people) have a fear of reporting due to the possibility of trouble coming their way, alongside worries of data leakage to untrusted parties.
“Hence, the application was designed to counter this fear by allowing users to report anonymously,” he said.
Lam said the app currently had about 5,000 users and it was projected to reach 100,000 users in a year.
The majority of users were from urban areas nationwide, he added.
Points covered in the MOU include GoCare getting its members to use the app to report community issues, educating the public on the app and promoting its use, and future collaboration on community projects between the signatories.
The ActNow app is multilingual and available for download on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.