How computerisation can speed up administration is evident from the working of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and a number of departments like the LGED. Even in the eighties, the BRTA did its work manually. Mountains of paper at each BRTA office was the common scene. This understandably bred delays and corruption for even the simple work of registration of a car after its purchase. Now registration and other documentation are done much faster within one working day or only some hours and also with less hassle.
The same kind of efficiency, speed of working, transparency and reduction of corruption can be achieved by introducing computers in all spheres of the government administration. The use of the computer-that has much reduced the need for human discretion-- is reportedly already succeeding in bringing corruption down in some key departments. With greater computer automation, perhaps corruption can be reduced substantially.
The courts represent another set of institutions where computerisation is badly required. The procedures of the courts from the higher to the lower levels are found to be extremely slow. This is because of the ossified system of record keeping through handwriting. The system breeds not only inefficiency or a very slow process from checking documents to preparing for different stages of trials. The system also creates ample scope for tampering with documents and records. But a computerised system can rapidly obliterate these ills and inject speed at every stage.
The police department can similarly benefit from computerisation. This department is a vital institution and experienced some logistical improvements in recent times. But in respect of computerisation, it has not even made a modest beginning. Policemen still handwrite their investigation reports. The files are sometimes kept under leaky roofs at police stations in remote areas and get destroyed or spoiled in different ways. It is standard procedure in many countries to maintain up-to-date records on criminals and suspects in computer data bases. These things are still mostly unknown to policemen in Bangladesh. Ultimately, all governmental activities should be computerised at the earliest not only to increase efficiency but also to check corruption. All government employees should be trained for a smooth transition from the traditional to the computerised system. The present government should set a time-frame for completing this task and aim for doing a major part of the work before it ends its tenure.
Quelle/Source: The New Nation, 21.06.2007
