IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Officials in the private sector have stressed the importance of their sector's role in e-government projects, either through setting up the project or by providing electronic services to the public. The Director-General of Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), Saad Al-Barak, said e-government is a computer project which could succeed or fail just like other computer projects. "Manual work should be reduced to give computers the responsibility and increase production. This is why we should restructure government institutes before launching e-government," Al-Barak said. He stressed many services must be handed over to the private sector, since it is not only a matter of computers, but a matter of competition to provide the best services at the lowest prices possible. Al-Barak added the government sector is packed with people representing a quarter of the population - the highest rate in the world. "The job system in many countries does not allow creation of jobs outside the government sector, but the economic situation in Kuwait allows this," he added. Al-Barak stressed e-government projects must be given priority by the Kuwaiti government, adding the technical team in charge of the project must hire experienced and competent staff. Meanwhile, Jassem Al-Mutawa, a member of the technical committee in charge of using technology, stressed the private sector is capable of initiating competition and providing new services. "The government must trust the private sector to do this job, especially since both the parties enjoy good relations," he added.

He said the private sector has a vital role to play in providing the citizens with the best services by using the most advanced technology. Al-Mutawa, citing the Interior Ministry's experience in this field, said, "what the Ministry has done by giving the private sector the authority to issue visas through hotels at special prices is a step forward to the e-government. Such procedures help reduce the ministry's workload and attract more tourists," he added. He stressed the e-government project must have international experts from well-known firms to set up the required infrastructure. The Director of Trade Relations at the Burgan Bank, Wael Al-Sultan, said "the banking sector has also an important role to play when it comes to financial matters and collecting fees via the net." He added government services vary in their use of technology as some government institutes still use slow traditional means to complete their work.

Al-Sultan praised the banking sector in Kuwait and the services it provides to citizens, adding the government is in need of the private sector's help since it has more experience. He pointed to the importance of changing some regulations on fees, adding the new system will enable citizens to pay via the phone or Net and this requires a new law.

Quelle: Arab Times