The senior official, who could not be named, informed The Brunei Times that the lag in the initiative is due to implementation of ideas which sometimes falls short within the management system of each respective ministries and could also be attributed to the lack of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Programmes.
According to him, the e-Government initiative must be enhanced with PPP ventures to ensure a complete implementation; total reliance on government sources can generate loopholes, in turn bringing down the whole system. "Government agencies are not profit-driven, which differentiate the private sectors from us." He added, "Infrastructure can be built, there is no doubt about it; however, to run it as effectively as the (private) sector, I am not sure."
He also applauded the action taken by several ministries such as the Ministry of Home Affairs which had awarded a local enterprise, Aria Enterprise, with a multi-million dollar project. This could be a milestone for ICT companies to follow, he said. However, he stressed, to keep the momentum going, the venture must be followed up with other projects.
He also encouraged the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) form of partnership instead of just awarding infrastructure projects as this will increase the sustainability of each respective companies while enhancing the diversity of the economy.
The BOT system is where a private firm is assigned or awarded projects usually implemented by government agencies. The private firm then build and operate the services themselves for a number of years as stated in the contract before handing it over to the government. These projects encompass a number of industries ranging from ICT and transportation to public utilities such as bridges. "BOT ventures are crucial as this will lead to employment. That is something that must be implemented in other projects," he added.
This was also reiterated by several entrepreneurs who wishes to tap into the lucrative ICT markets but have so far proven unsuccessful due to implementation failure by the government. Harris, an entrepreneur who wishes not to disclose his full name agrees with the senior official on BOT type ventures. "I have doubts about the e-Government initiative as there were a lot of talks but so far only a few of us (entrepreneurs) has actually got it. Aria Enterprise is one of those who have achieved their dreams, but how about the rest? There is so much to work on for full connectivity in the ICT world but only less than five per cent has been implemented," he said.
He added that this could also be attributed to budget constraints; an oft-cited reason provided by government agencies. "I have sources who inform me that budgets of ministries are only used to a certain extent while, the rest are saved. This is not for the ICT sector only but the rest as well. If the budget is not used to implement projects, then what is the use of the budget?" he asked.
Two ministries have announced a full implementation of the e-Government initiative this week. Apart from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Land Transport, Ministry of Communications has also announced a full Business to Government (B2G) type of e-commerce, the first of its kind within the country, to better facilitate and hasten paperwork relating to the vehicle and transportation industries. "A landmark achievement towards fulfilling the e-Government initiative," said Hj Mokhsin Tanjong, an employee of the ministry.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Junaidi Bahrum
Quelle/Source: Brunei Direct, 04.04.2009
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