“The cost cutting nature of technology today provides opportunity and enables delivery of the much needed economic and social information more efficient while transcending distances to provide wider and broader access. Electronic government or E government is a tool employ to develop strategies to enable the integration of information communication technologies into government’s development plans further enhancing consultation and social dialog. The launch of a website porter is yet further development in the area of E government through accessibility to organize information. The primary objective is the overall empowerment of people.”
Musa says that as part of the public sector modernization initiative, for the past five years the department has grown much and the Belize Health Information system now stores its medical records in computers, the financial management information system project has enhanced the operations of the treasury department, and the land information system project has allowed the public to make payments wherever they are. Even though the government had a website before, Musa says this new website portal is better since it will cut down on cost and yet make things more easily available to the public.
Prime Minister Said Musa
“Well what have been happening in the past is that there is a government website but also there are different ministries of government, different agencies of government that have been trying to maintain their own websites. What we have found is that this is not only expensive but it’s a little confusing to the public who would want to have access on any particular area, whether it be the laws of Belize or whether it be what the particular ministry is doing. What this is doing now is consolidating the whole exercise. All government information will be on this website. One of the values I see on this government portal is for example if you want to full out an immigration form an application for passport, the time will come when you will be able to do that online as oppose to have to go to the office to get the form and fill it out at home you can do that on the web similarly with an application for a job in the public service. There is a standard form and again that form will be published on the web and people can do it online.”
As a gateway to all government information, the website will provide information on government’s business, policies, initiatives, news, public service regulations, and the laws of Belize. The website will also continue providing information on Belize’s history, geography and culture. Heading the information technology and electronic government unit in the office of governance is Michelle Longsworth.Longsworth says the website is designed with detailed information from each government ministry.
Michelle Longsworth
“You have been on the previous website. You will notice that that website basically only give you press releases, cabinet briefings and some other static information like annual reports etc. that was all that was there. It was just data generated from press office. This is different. What we are trying to do here is to provide a one stop entry to all government agencies meaning that when you come to the site there is a standard format for each ministry’s page. On that ministry page you will find a standard format giving all the basic information of a ministry including the portfolio distribution, press releases for the ministry but you will also find the entire department for that ministry listed where you can find specific to a department under a ministry. A lot of the ministry’s pages are not populated as yet but we are getting information, the content is being updated and we hope that by the end of the year we have all the ministries pages populated.”
Michelle Longsworth, Head of the Information technology and electronic government unit in the office of governance. The website will also serve as an intranet for ministries to communicate and share information more easily. The office of Governance came into being in 2005 and for the next two years will focus on three key areas, namely; human resources development and management, information and communication technology and e-government, and governance and modernization initiatives. To visit the website you can log on to www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz.
Quelle/Source: LoveFM, 22.11.2006
