Let us review what is happening locally to bridge the digital divide .We are geographically well positioned at the southern periphery of Europe to exploit the Internet revolution. But let us stop dreaming and reflect on what we have achieved so far. How can we justify the operating costs of MITTS and CIMU, when both manifest overlapping functions and duplication of efforts? Both agencies stand tall and awesome like the twin towers in ‘the Lord of the Rings ‘trilogy. Paradoxically this exercise is what the minister for IT is now lamenting that is most desired. Certainly it is no panacea to increase productivity and cut overlapping but the opposite effect is now fostering a stratagem of ‘anything goes’ mentality. It is no consolation that we boast of having an IT minister who has toiled hard to sow the seeds of a silent revolution towards achieving better awareness of ICT. Certainly progress has been moderate in this sector yet we find that 65 per cent of homes in Malta have an internet connection.
But critics lament that the government shoulders an important task in educating both the private sector and consumers on how best to use information technology. Again funding for IT is not enough; we need more teachers and students at our university to embrace the subject.
The ministry replies that adequate funds were allocated in the budget for this sector as this incorporated a complex vote of Lm13.5 million on IT together with an additional Lm2 million spread on other votes, resulting in more than Lm15 million being invested in the sector. The minister blamed any delay in progress in this sector squarely on bureaucracy in the civil service. One must acknowledge that changing the mindset about IT is enigmatic given that in the not so distant past politicians shunned computers. Last year the ministry sported ambitious plans to take ICT to towns and village squares by means of free lectures to all concerned. This plan has slowed down considerably possibly because funds allocated by the 2004 budget could not stretch that far. Certainly as a country with no natural resources this is acting penny wise pound foolish. There is hope in many EU programmes on funding research and innovation such as FP6 /7 that can be tapped. Regrettably last year a survey showed that many government departments were persisting in using their own databases instead of the central government database. Such a mentality has to change. Another problem was that instead of utilising IT to reduce new jobs some departments bureaucrats used it to employ more people. Here one can add that during the budget debate Dr Gatt said there was a tendency in the civil service to opt for old models to be resorted to, such as centralised planning, small empires and the snail believing its shell to be the world mentality. He is quoted to lament that there are many spokes in the wheels.
This summer we were courteously invited to propose budget reforms in the pre-budget document issued by Dr Gonzi. Many are expecting a comprehensive overhaul of our ICT base coupled with a cabinet reshuffle. We are witnessing many chickens coming home to roost. For many years we have put our trust into politicians and party appointed strategists some of whom have under-performed. The opposition laments that incompetence has bequeathed us with a legacy of festering sores of economic disarray. Definitely where it concerns IT infrastructure -the message on the wall is loud and clear –we have been lacking behind in the “Silicon Valley “ revolution while Rome burns silently yet unnoticed in the background. Have we taken the easy option of under funding progress while harbouring a massive public sector that is not fully utilised? The answer can be found in the economic survey. This shows that up to September 2003 the State employed over 47,285 workers (inclusive of temporary employees) in a country with a total labour supply of 144,544. Unbelievably, this is close to one third of the working population . Rocket science is not needed to conclude this is a heavy overhead and this leaves little in the state coffers to fund innovation and IT research. No prises for correct guessing why a gargantuan resistance to change is so deep rooted. Yet slowly the grinding wheel of progress is turning. Thanks to Dr Gatt’s ministry, today more computers are in use than ever, resulting in an explosion in the use of emails with the use of letters and telephones being progressively edged out. Locally web-designer firms have mushroomed and surfed profitably on the wave of a corporate insatiable desire for quality and savvy websites. This was only possible because the country had invested heavy and wisely in micro fibre technology. The e-government concept is increasingly gaining ground and headway is also being made in e-commerce.
Certainly we ought to keep our gun powder dry when targeting the digital divide particularly in the public sector by attacking the ingrained silo mentality. Many argue that given our slow convergence in this sector during 1990’s we cannot expect the IT minister to work miracles by starting a bonfire on bureaucracy that is demonising digital literacy.
Only a maverick politician can turn the clock back and ingratiate an IT culture among the grass roots. Let us stop and reflect on this Herculean task. Many would turn to Dr Gatt and console him for the heavy load bequeathed by the prime minister to engineer an egalitarian feat much desired by a nation of enlightened digital users. The future beckons for more initiatives ( possibly aided under the EU funding ) to turn this fair land into the Silicon Valley of IT excellence.
We can only succeed if we jettison our silo mentality.
Autor: gmm
Quelle: Malta Today, 25.09.2005
