According to a report released by the United Nations titled "United Nations Survey 2008; from e-Governance to Connected Governance", e-governance was best tool to check transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness of any government.
The report says that in E-Government Readiness for Southern Asia, Pakistan ranks 5th out of nine countries of SARAC, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Iran and India are ahead in these indicters and is ranked 131, while small countries of Africa and Latin America are ahead of a Pakistan like Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Algeria, Kenya, Suriname, Tunisia, Swaziland, Namibia, and Angola, Turkmenistan, Gabon, Maldives, Antigua, Barbuda and Guyana.
While in Web Assessment 2008 Pakistan is ranked at 70, while underdeveloped Jordan, Angola and Mauritius are ahead in e-governance.
Interestingly in 'Head of State Websites that Encourage Citizen Engagement' Pakistan is ranked below Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Viet Nam and many unknown African countries like Togo, Uganda, Nevis, Cameroon, Congo, Namibia, Niger and Nigeria.
The report indicates that in E-Participation Index, Pakistan is ranked 98 with Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger Swaziland, Angola and least develop country of Asia, Cambodia having better position in e-participation.
In the report it is stated that now world characterized by rapid change driven by globalization, the knowledge-based economy poses some challenges but also opportunities for the private sector and the public sector alike.
Using Information Communication Technology (ICT), Pakistan having 60 percent Tele-density, public sector organizations of any government can set new paradigm in formulating strategy, planning, consultation and implementation with 100% transparency.
In the report it is not only recognized but also urged member countries that e-government is for the benefits in order to reap from e-governance by providing better services, more choices, more personalization and greater accountability of how citizens' money is spent.
This report therefore looks at the issue of connected governance from the perspective of how governments manage and how they should manage their back office processes. Above all e-government helps in E-Decision-Making by taking into account the e-inputs of citizens into the decision-making process. The government informs its citizens on what decisions have been taken based on the consultation process.
In Pakistan, there is a recent example of an officer of Planning Commission who put all the information of two projects on a certified website worth Rs 6000 perhaps ensuring 100 percent transparency in spending the tax-payers' money while the commission had allocated Rs 360 million for the purpose of monitoring the projects.
---
Quelle/Source: The Post, 30.102.2008
