A research group of the US’ Brown University shows that Vietnam gained a big leap in developing e-government (jumping from 126th in 2006 to 90th in 2007). Is this good news for Vietnam?
It’s good news for Vietnam but we should not be satisfied with it. Though we gain a big leap, we are still behind 89 countries, economies. To have an e-government at the same level with that of Singapore, the Republic of Korea or Northern European countries, where citizens can have contacts and transactions with the government via the Internet everywhere, anytime, we are still far from it and we have to exert efforts for many years.
A Singaporean or Canadian citizen who is travelling in Vietnam can still fulfill business establishment formalities through the Internet. When they declare information online, their private information will be automatically filed up by computer if they have registered to any government agency online before. To reach that level, the working process of each state agency must be standardised, clear and computerised. Moreover, the information system, including databases of those agencies must be linked into one. For citizens, a real government is a door and that door is a networked computer. That door is open 24/7 and is always near citizens.
Many people say that Vietnam doesn’t have electronic citizens so this will make the process to build the e-government slow?
I don’t worry about that issue. The people are not only ready to receive benefits from e-government but also will acquire them. Let’s imagine if the government is ready to provide services online; are the people willing to use them or do they still want to go and wait at state agencies?
The state, by developing e-government, will help the people to become electronic citizens soon. For example, everybody wants to have a code to use in all transactions with the government, instead of using the numbers of identity card, insurance card or driving licence.
How is the building of e-government in Vietnam progressing so far?
The gap between the expectations and the demands of the people and businesses and the fact is very wide. It is easy to see that most ministries, sectors and provinces have had their electronic portals or websites to have contact with the people and businesses. However, most of those only provide one-way, insufficient information. Some provinces and agencies begin to receive feedback from the people and businesses but this task is perfunctory. The number of online services is modest and they are becoming familiar to the people in big cities only.
How difficult is it to develop e-government in Vietnam?
New and unprecedented things often face difficulties at the beginning. E-government requires changes related to machinery and humans as well as synchronous measures. Only the requirement of publicity, transparence has affected the interests of part of state employees, thus the development of e-government faces many barriers. In addition, many state employees are afraid of learning information technology.
However, the driving force to overcoming those hindrances is bigger and bigger. That’s the requirement from the people and businesses, from the development of technology, and from the examples of leaders. If ministers and chairmen of provinces and cities have online dialogues to the people and have their own websites like the Prime Minister, there will be strong and widespread promotion.
The Ministry of Information and Communications is assigned to design the e-government scheme. How is it performed?
We have designed and submitted this scheme, which is named “IT application in state agencies to 2010” to the Prime Minister. This scheme is worked out based on experiences at home and abroad. This is not a super scheme with a huge fund but a guiding programme to bring into play the initiative of agencies at all levels.
The first step in building e-government is computerising administration?
Of course. If the administrative system and formalities are computerised, the operation of the state machinery will be thorough, effective and more transparent. At that time even if the transactions between the people and the government are not performed online, the people would be still better served. On the other hand, without computerising administration and the connection of information in the administrative system, how can transactions with the people through the Internet be performed?
Quelle/Source: VietNamNet Bridge, 28.09.2007
