Shaping new forms of governance in the digital era requires knowledge of the dynamics of the electronic processes and structures in the government as well as an adequate insight in the capabilities of ICT technologies. Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hazair Bin Haji Abdullah made these remarks at the launching of the Brunei-Korea-e-Government Seminar held at the Civil Service Institute yesterday.
Pehin Dato Haji Hazair said establishing an e-government provides a rare opportunity for all to scrutinise the current work processes in government. E-government will redefine how agovernment relates to citizens and businesses as well as how it relates internally to its own agencies and its own employees.
He added that a successful e-government is expected to bring dramatic improvements in the coordination of government resources, better analytical tools to solve increasingly complex problems faced by modern governments and decision support tools to enhance effectiveness of public policy. Easily transmitted information can lead to the improvement in the dispensation of public services. Interactions with government will become much easier and convenient and extend beyond normal working hours.
He reiterated that e-government innovation will require addressing a broad array of issues, including organisation and policy as well as engineering practice and technology research and development.
The Permanent Secretary also touched on the issue of leadership. He said any reform effort is doomed if the leadership aspect is not addressed. Much of the change or shift in paradigm will depend on how well leadership in public agencies perceived its role in bringing about effective change in organisations. Leadership elements in setting out the strategic vision and direction are extremely important.
He added that we need a very strong commitment to make change. E-government requires not merely transforming a paper-based procedural system into an electronic system. The mission and the vision of what need to be achieved must be clear and stated.
We must make sure we know who are to benefit and how they are going to benefit. At the same time, commitment from all levels is essential as well as continuous learning and assessment by all parties involved, as technology is not static but very dynamic.
In the implementation of the e-government projects, he said due diligence has to be considered. This includes due diligence in socio-economics, business, technology, market and security.
He also touched on the issue of security where it is becoming an extremely important element to the success of e-government projects as threats grow and expand on a daily basis. Therefore, it is imperative that e-government networks must be secured and be kept in pace if not ahead of the ever-evolving threats.
At the same time, Pehin Dato Haji Hazair said we should be aware of the distinctions between threat itself and the vulnerabilities within the system such as any design flaws and weaknesses in the legal framework which lead to the potential of the system being compromised. "Understanding the difference means that we will be more prepared in facing them".
Learning from each other's experiences in the implementation of e-government projects should also be done.
"We must gauge and see whether other countries' experiences can be applied and if so, we must take the best practices and apply it on our own. We are all fully aware of the degree of maturity in the development of e-government varies between countries where some are only at the beginning, some are evolving and some have matured."
Pehin Dato Hazair urged all relevant organisations both in the government and private sectors to take advantage of this seminar, to learn something more so that missions can be furthered towards a better e-government.
The seminar was co-organised by the Civil Services Institution and Brunei-Korea Association for Friendship (B-KAF) and supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Also present at the event were Dato Paduka Awang Haji Alimin Bin Abdul Wahab, President of (B-KAF), Mr Woongnam Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, government officers and invited guests.
Quelle: Brunei Direct, 09.06.2004
