Jointly organised by the Civil Service Institute and E-Prime Networks Sdn Bhd and supported by the Canadian High Commission in the country, the guest of honour was Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Rahman.
The event began with welcoming remarks by president of E-Prime Networks Pg Hj Mohd Suhaimi bin PPLBIDDI Pg Hj Alauddin, during which he explained that the role of e-justice is to improve the safety and security of all citizens. He also said, "We know the society to which we aspire. Compassion, democracy and egalitarian will not come about by belief alone but the society that we seek to create."
The duty is rooted in the provision of improving access to quality, swift and visible justice, transformation of our institutions and systems, and comprehensive strategic development of our human resource capabilities where modernisation needs to be considered and integrated approach within all clusters needs to be identified and adopted, he added.
The purpose of the programme is to modernise the administration and delivery of justice through re-engineering work processes, usage of enabling technologies, strengthening of strategic planning and management capability, organisational development and human resource interventions.
He also said, "These litigants will not longer view the processes of the court as replete with barriers to access. They will see a system that provides them with fair access to the exercise of their legal rights."
He said the seminar is all about being different in practice whereby the information technology works across all sectors by using the latest technology to deliver government services - where and when it is needed.
He also said most case studies showed that questions of accountability, responsiveness, accessibility, improve performance and efficiency of the legal system are the issues by which the community measures the performance of the court, whatever the administrative structure is.
Later; the guest of honour, in his speech, said, "We are today facing the challenge of providing public sector services to citizens and businesses through the use of information and communication technology'(ICT). The justice sector is no exception. The citizens and businesses require the public services in the field of justice that are accessible, efficient, reliable, and is able to comply with their needs and expectations."
He added that the e-justice systems must be interoperable, so the data and information can be smoothly exchanged, processed and delivered to the customers in a form that they understand.
The systems of justice comprise four components or users: law enforcers, claimants, courts, and rehabilitation process.
An e-justice system will therefore be seen to bring all the different classes of users of the justice system together, uniting the processes and procedures in an integrated, seamless manner through the use of the IT technology available today.
He explained that there are no two identical systems of justice.
The system is developed to incorporate the diverse needs of the agencies involved in the justice system and the demands of the people who are subjected to it.
Any e-justice solution developed in Brunei would inevitably require the participation and inputs of all local agencies to ensure that it is best suited to the needs of the country.
"The challenge of implementing a solution such as an e -justice system is a task of gargantuan proportion. An e-justice system, if successfully implemented, will be an invaluable tool for the attainment of justice for the country and society in which it is developed," he said.
He also said the development of an e -justice system should be a project which should be given a flagship status in any e-government initiative.
The demands of development such as a system will require the collaboration of different talents of each agency involved.
He concluded that the agencies involved in the e -justice system initiative will be faced with the challenging task of re-looking, re-examining and rethinking the way they work under the current system, and to look for ways to improve its efficiency and effectiveness
This, he added, will require change, which can be the most difficult task.
High Commissioner of Canada in Brunei Mr Paul SH Lau also presented his remarks before a keynote address was made by Don Rose from the Justice Development International Ltd on "Effecting Change: Easing the Impact on Justice Organisations .
Bill Devey from Among International Consulting Ltd, Shaun Caldwell from OA Solutions, and Rich Allan from Sierra Systems Group Inc, at the seminar, delivered their presentations on "The Canadian e-Justice Experience: Empowering the Justice System",
"Case Management Systems: From Paper to Productivity" and "Integrated Justice Systems: Leveraging Your ICT Investment", respectively.
Present at yesterday's event were senior government officials and Canadian representatives from Forensic Logic Inc, Viscount Systems Inc, Response Biomedical Corporation, and Scintrex Trace Corporation.
Autor: Laila Rahman
Quelle: Brunei Direct, 17.08.2005
