IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Congratulations are in order for the Ministry of Transport and Works on the launching of their website. At the launch, the Minister remarked that this new initiative was a great method of accessing the public and a useful way of getting their projects out to them, a view shared by this newspaper. We must also add that it is pleasing to see the wealth of information available on the website and we urge the Ministry to keep its promise to update the site on a weekly basis. Given the immediacy of the online experience, it is terribly frustrating to be greeted with out-of-date information on an organisation’s website. It was also noted at the launch that the website will form part of the Ministry’s efforts to improve on customer service and it is hoped that those charged with its maintenance will keep that in the forefront of their minds at all times.

Read more: Barbados: Maximise website potential

Barbadians are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the deadline for filing taxes has passed. This year, we were presented with a new experience as the option to file income taxes online became available for the first time. This was greeted with much apprehension from many members of the public, while others welcomed this change of pace and refreshing upgrade to the way business is done in Barbados. However, as with many new ventures, the introduction to online filing did not come without hiccups.

Read more: Barbados: Embracing ICTs in public services

"There is an urgent need for public sector reform," and to make this a reality, Government intends to introduce a new Public Sector Bill, and if necessary, review the Constitution to enshrine individual rights and freedoms in the supreme law of the land.

This assertion was made on Wednesday by Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner. She was delivering the feature address to open a four day Pan-Commonwealth workshop on "Managing the Global Crisis: Public Sector Reform through Business Process, Re-engineering and Leveraging Information and Communications Technology".

Read more: Barbados government to reform public sector

There must be a major change in the way in which public service institutions function, if Barbados is to cope with the many and varied challenges emerging from the current global environment.

This assertion was made recently by Prime Minister David Thompson as he delivered the feature address at the recently held 67th Annual Delegates’ Conference of the Barbados Workers’ Union at “Solidarity House”.

Read more: Modernisation of public service a must, says Barbados PM