EGAP II takes off from the Singapore government's vision to become the leading e-government to better serve the nation in the digital age. By 2006, eGAP II plans to create a networked government that delivers accessible, integrated, value-adding e-services to the citizens and help bring citizens closer together, said Tan Eng Pheng, director, e-Government Planning and Management Division, Government Chief Information Office, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).
The Singapore government launched the first e-Government Action Plan (eGAP) in 2000 and put up about 1,600 public services online over a three-year time frame at a cost of $1.5 billion. While the original eGAP I aimed to provide counter services online, eGAP II plans to create seamless integration between services and agencies to improve the user experience.
Building on the foundation of eGAP I, IDA has set aside $1.3 billion for eGAP II. There are three main targets set for 2006. The first target is to implement 12 more cross-agency integrated e-services. The second is to have 90 per cent of those who transact with government to do so electronically at least once. And the third is to satisfy at least 80 per cent of these users with the overall quality of e-services.
The 12 new integrated e-services will be focused on areas such as education and training, career management, lifestyle and business. Under business, for example, a service such as OASIS (online application system for integrated services) will allow a company to register a business and apply for all the required licences by visiting just one web site. Other existing examples of integrated e-services include Tradenet, Corenet and Gebiz.
Under eGAP II, Tan said there will be greater personalisation of e-services to prevent information overload. A centralised portal for online community will be created to engage the citizens. There will also be additional channels for public feedback on policy making and review. "Even globe-trotting citizens will be just a click away from home," added Tan. Another desirable outcome of eGAP II will be a networked government, which will be implemented by building knowledge enterprise between government agencies.
However, e-Government is not just about portals and web sites, stressed Andrea Di Maio, research vice president, Gartner. Gartner has identified e-government into four main types, expert, specialist, generalist and automated.
So far, according to Di Maio, most of Singapore's e-government efforts have been concentrated on the automated type, that is, providing information, frequently asked questions (FAQs), self-service and e-commerce where the transaction volume is high but the complexity is low. With eGAP II, the complexity of the transaction will increase.
According to Tan, IDA will monitor the benefits of eGAP II on customers as well as repeat usage. According to IDA's statistics, the top transactional e-service used by the public is to query property resale transacted prices.
Cost wise, moving certain counter activities such as business registration online makes the services more convenient to use and also cheaper to operate, said deputy prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. "Ultimately, eGAP II is not about IT, but about changing the approach to government," he said.
Quelle: Computerworld Singapore, 29.07.2003
