Under this programme, people whose ID cards expire will get new issues with embedded tiny chips containing their personal data.
The new smart cards will have multiple applications besides being an official proof of identification.
For instance, the cards will also contain social-security and healthcare information and double as the holders’ driver’s licence.
In addition, cardholders will be able to access the Internet and e-government services.
According to the premier, the cards will be issued with a 13-digit ID number.
In following stages, cardholders may have an option whether to also have other applications such as a digital purse service for making payments.
The premier said Finland, Italy, Estonia and Malaysia have already introduced the smart ID cards for their citizens.
Besides these nations, Singapore is another good example. Its government has just won the Stockholm Challenge 2002 in the e-government category for its electronic services provided to citizens.
Among the highlights are efforts to cut red tape in interactions with the government, interactive volunteer-referral service, directory of social services, on-line application for exit permits or on-line application for building renovation permits. At its website, ecitizen.gov.sg, Singapore citizens can also e-file their individual income tax via the Internet or telephone, making it easier and more convenient for people to manage their tax duties. The website even offers chances for those who file tax forms early to win prizes of up to S$50,000 (Bt1.2 million).
Interestingly, the website has a section called ZIP (Zero-In-Process) zone in which difficult and systemic problems facing citizens will be tackled with increased speed and more effective actions as rules, regulations, procedures and policies are constantly refreshed to make sure that they stay relevant to the public’s changing needs.
These tough problems are those involving more than one public agency, those that fall into grey areas between existing regulations and agency boundaries, those that do not fall under the responsibility of any agency, or recurring problems which point to an underlying systemic problem or the need to review policies.
The section also tackles rules and regulations that may have outlived their original intended outcomes, but are still rigidly applied.
As for Thailand, e-government plans are on the table at several agencies.
For instance, the Interior Ministry has chosen a number of areas for testing e-government services, namely, Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district, Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang district, Udon Thani’s Muang district and Chiang Mai’s San Sai district.
Once the integrated computer system is ready, people in these places will be able to access selected services such as renewing their driver’s licences, paying taxes or transferring land ownership, in a single location.
A total of 51 agencies including the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Civil Service Commission, the Land Department, the Social Security Office, the courts, the National Police Office and the Comptroller General’s Department will share information via such a system in the initial stage, according to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
The ministry also plans to open one-stop service centres at convenient locations such as district offices or post offices.
Those with Internet access would be able to take advantage of certain services via their computers.
In addition, it will set up a central portal to combine all web addresses of individual government agencies so that users do not have to jump from site to site for different services.
Each citizen will have the 13-digit code, given by the Local Administration Department, the agency that issues ID cards, to identify themselves.
All these efforts point to a new era of government services which promises to be more efficient and user-friendly. It will definitely be an incredible departure from the older days when most government services were often criticised for being downright inefficient.
Quelle: The Nation
