Among all states in Eastern Europe, Moldova has once again finished last in the latest UN rating of countries’ readiness for e-government, while nearby countries like Ukraine and Belarus improved their scores. According to the study, the Moldovans are the worst prepared country for the coming information society.
The UN experts have assessed Moldova’s readiness for e-management. According to the recently published E-Government Survey 2008: From E-Government to Connected Governance, Moldova takes bottom place in the region.
Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are in the Top 3.
The E-government readiness index is calculated on the basis of development indicators of e-government web-services, telecommunication infrastructure and population readiness for such an innovation. Among the Eastern Europe countries, Moldova is in the last place. Worldwide, countries such as Rwanda and Uzbekistan score better than Moldova. Neither of these locations are known for being tech-savvy.
"Moldova's main problem is that the country is basically an endless pit of corruption," said a Western diplomat in Chisinau, speaking off the record. "And with online processing comes accountability. You have databases and a clear record of every transaction, so the possibilities for payoffs are no longer there. Obviously no one in the Moldovan government can see the point in that, as long as the point of being in government is the skim cash off the top."
Advantages for Transdniestria
Transdniestria (also known as Transnistria) has been 'de facto' independent for almost 18 years, which has enabled the small state of 550,000 inhabitants to develop its own government institutions which have nothing to do with the government of Moldova. The pro-independence state, which declared independence in 1990, has pushed forward on its own with a more modern version of the nation state.
Under its official, constitutional name of Pridnestrovie, the new and emerging country now has its own Parliament, Presidency, a Central Bank, a customs service, police force, and over a dozen different government ministries. All of them are online, as are local city governments throughout the length of the country.
On their websites, Transdniestria's government institutions communicate directly with the citizens. Examples include the PMR State Customs Committee, which has a lively question and answer session on its site in Russian, or the Foreign Trade Committee which uses its website to drum up business for the unrecognized state.
Transdniestria's Constitutional Court uses its website for another purpose: To publish the full text of all court proceedings, as well as photos and streaming video online. The portal Pridnestrovie.net has a listing with links to the official websites of ministries and other state institutions. The government's strategy is to fully emulate Taiwan with a plan to bring all government services completely online.
The definition of e-government (from electronic government, also known as e-gov, digital government, or online government) refers to government’s use of information technology to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.
e-government may be applied by the legislature, judiciary, or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance.
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Quelle/Source: The Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review, 04.03.2008
