E-authorities - The Singapore enjoy

An African proverb admonishes us that: "every time the rhythm of the drum beats changes, you have to exchange the dance movement accordingly."

it is not privileged information that facts and communique era has launched the whole globe into what is now called the e-international-meaning electronic international. today Governments across the world are somersaulting to reinvent and re-engineer governance with a purpose to be greater effective, efficient and obvious inside the provision of information, goods and services to their citizens electronically.

happily Ghana has already commenced dancing to the music of the technological track because authorities has laid the inspiration for e-authorities by using organising the government of Ghana internet site popularly referred to as Ghana Portal that's being controlled by means of the facts services department of the Ministry of statistics in Accra. government has also hooked up the Ghana-India Kofi Anan IT Centre of Excellence and peculiarly, Ghana has formulated an statistics communique era framework for extended improvement, being spearheaded with the aid of the Ministry of Communications.

although, when it comes to the practicability, accessibility and value of e-government services by way of residents, Ghana nonetheless has a few mountains to climb and some rivers and lagoons to struggle through. it's far against this backdrop that this creator deems it applicable to proportion the Singapore e-authorities experience with fellow Ghanaians. however, even earlier than shedding a few mild on e-authorities strategies and implementations in Singapore, it could be vital to provide an explanation for what e-government is within the first place.

On Saturday July 31 this yr, on the Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, this writer got here throughout a set of Ghanaians on their way to Zimbabwe to take part in a ebook truthful in that us of a. Then in a chart with considered one of them, in which it was found out that i used to be on my manner from Singapore wherein I underwent a brief training course in e-authorities, my interlocutor exclaimed:

'Eeeee-government!' "what's that animal, too?" he truely shouted unconsciously.

As a depend of reality, my friend confessed that, he was hearing for the first time the term e-authorities. Later when we parted organisation and he went to Zimbabwe and i used to be airborne to Ghana, I started debating with my inner self: "If this man, nicely-educated, residing inside the capital metropolis of Accra, taking part in an international occasion along with a ebook truthful, has no longer but heard of the time period e-government until then, then what takes place to most of the people of uneducated and less fortunate brothers and sisters dwelling in deprived rural communities of the united states of america?

because we are living in a global of know-how control (KM) and enjoy Sharing, I can not declare to be an professional in this field, but the little I understand approximately e-authorities have to be shared with others for the benefit of all who care to know; for the advancement of mankind and to the consideration of the Divine Intelligence or the primary Giver of information itself.

The question is: what's E-authorities? The United international locations defines e-authorities as "permanent commitment with the aid of government to improve the connection among the personal citizen and the general public region through more suitable, value-powerful and green transport of offerings, statistics and understanding." It went further to provide an explanation for that there are five classes of measuring a country's "e-gov" development in terms of web Presence. This includes: rising - better - Interactive - Transactional and completely integrated. All UN member states were referred to as upon and advocated to embark in this e-government challenge and programme.

consequently the world frame has a way of assessing the development of every country in this regard. drastically inside the UN file for this year on e-authorities globally, Singapore, a small Island town nation of Land- area of 697.1sq km with a populace of four.185 million souls is sharing the second position with the potent america of america with Canada quite simply sitting on top of all.

How did Singapore make it to the top of e-authorities league table of the arena? What strategies and regulations were installed vicinity; whilst and the way did that usa reap this type of technological feat over and above the splendid powers of this planet of financial inequalities?

Computerisation

Singapore set off on its e-government adventure as some distance back as approximately 25 years ago. In 1981, Singapore embarked upon a computerization programme of the government machinery. It first installed a national computer Board and national Computerisation Plan. The Plan was to make certain a systematic boom of local IT enterprise; improvement of IT manpower pool; Civil service Computerisation Plan and the manufacturing of 850 IT experts.

countrywide IT Plan

After the Computerisation programme, the Singapore government embarked upon what changed into called the countrywide IT Plan. The countrywide IT Plan initiated what became referred to as the Beginnings of Computing Communications Convergence. It also constituted what changed into dubbed electronic statistics Interchange (EDI), which turned into basically geared toward bridging government and enterprise. This plan took place in 1986 that is 5 years or so after the Computerisation Programme.

IT 2000 Blueprint for Intelligence Island

This Blueprint strategy that also commenced over five years after the
countrywide IT Plan in 1992 was to effect what turned into referred to as Flagship tasks on the Singapore Island. It had the goals to create an electronic community linking all libraries in that united states of america; secure infrastructure for e-trade; professional machine for checking all constructing plans within the us of a and primarily to establish Singapore ONE, this is, to create one community for everybody in Singapore. It was this method that shot Singapore as much as the position of the arena's first national broadband infrastructure kingdom inside the e-world.

Infocomm 2001

the subsequent step Singapore took, after accomplishing a nationwide broadband infrastructure, changed into to launch what was dubbed Infocomm 2001. This challenge become released in year 2000 and aimed at developing Singapore right into a colourful and dynamic global records communique capital, with a thriving and wealthy e-economy, and a pervasive and "Infocomm-savvy" e-Society and complete telecom liberalisation in that country.

connected Singapore

In 2003, Singapore authorities released the final onslaughts on its e-government programme by means of establishing what turned into certainly known as connected Singapore. This approach became to unleash the capacity for the entire realisation of all e-authorities opportunities through the data comm mission of the us of a.

in short, the previous steps acknowledged in Singapore as the 5 (5) national Strategic ICT Plans supply us a top level view of the method Singapore followed to turn out to be the 2nd e-state within the e-world today at the back of Canada. The Singapore government has a philosophy that: "whatever services that may be added electronically ought to be added electronically" length.

every other African proverb reminds us that, "if your tormentor who's strolling once you does now not stop, you, too, have to now not prevent strolling." as long as Ghana stays a developing united states, Ghanaians ought to no longer forestall fighting to develop and development.

inside the first a part of this text the definition of e-government according to the United countries was furnished. Singapore government used the UN definition of e-government as a manual, however simplified it for clean understanding by using everyday character in the road.

consistent with Singapore, e-government is the usage of generation to
enhance the get entry to to and transport of government offerings to benefit residents and organizations. It pointed out that the beneficiaries of e- government consist of the government itself, organizations and the citizens of the united states concerned.

How did the Singapore government use era to enhance get entry to to and shipping of government records and services to the human beings? E-authorities movement Plan II (2003-2006) in order to obtain its stated goals the Singapore authorities formulated an movement plan known as e-government motion Plan II for the yr 2003 to 2006.The imaginative and prescient of the government changed into to be a leading e- authorities to better serve the kingdom within the virtual economic system.

The goal of this Plan became to make sure "a Networked authorities
that promises on hand, integrated, value-brought e-offerings to our clients; and facilitates carry residents nearer collectively". A slogan turned into developed consequently: e-authorities- Delighting clients, Connecting citizens.

What are a number of the offerings that the Singapore government offers for its clients who are the citizens of the united states of america? Even earlier than we contact on a number of the offerings furnished online, shall we discover why Singapore authorities got here to the belief that the beneficiaries of e-government include government, corporations and citizens?

it is critical to be aware that within the scope of e-government, there are numerous classes that fit into the vast definition of e-authorities. for example, e-authorities constitutes: a government- to-residents (G2C); B- authorities-to-commercial enterprise (G2B); C- authorities-to-employees (G2E); and in the end D-government to- authorities (G2G).

G2C: authorities-to-citizens, in keeping with experts, consists of all the interactions between a central authority and its residents which could take place electronically. The goal of G2C is to provide citizens faster, greater responsive, more convenient and less complicated approach to public offerings.

G2B: inside the case of presidency-to-commercial enterprise, it refers to e-trade in which authorities sells to organizations or gives them with services, in addition to companies selling services and products to government. once more the goal of G2B is to allow businesses to have interaction, transact and communicate with government online, with more pace and convenience.

G2E: government-to-personnel consists of activities and services between authorities devices and their personnel. because the term implies, the objective of G2E is to increase and domesticate IT capabilities among government employees to supply efficient and fee-powerful offerings.

G2G: apparently, government-to-authorities seems to have dual importance. One, G2G is said to encompass activities between government and other Ministries, Departments and companies (MDAs) of the equal authorities.

the opposite that means of G2G is a situation wherein Governments have to address their different counterpart governments of various countries. This 2nd G2G inside the opinion of professionals is anchored on consider and interdependence, which permits for information sharing amongst governments on regional, sub-regional and international problems.

as an instance, the control of terrorism; the control of move border sicknesses like SARS, which came about in Asia a while in the past or even HIV/AIDS. This G2G additionally has to do with commonplace financial challenges in addition to ethnic wars and conflicts issues dealing with West African States for example. For Singapore government to obtain the enviable e-authorities reputation through powerful online services shipping to its citizens, positive strategies were again adopted:

I) E-authorities Infrastructure

The authorities put in region a countrywide records Infrastructure as spine for e-government services delivery. This method changed into christened Public provider Infrastructure (PSI) in Singapore.

physical Infrastructure

government itself supplied net get right of entry to factors in convenient places including public libraries, purchasing malls, government workplaces, hospitals, subway stations and golf equipment and relevant public places for the citizens to use freed from rate.

technology Infrastructure

right here, the government furnished computer systems, servers, networks (broadband and wireless), mobile devices, clever cards as well as technology requirements which can be open and scalable including Java, XML, net services.

Authentication Infrastructure

under this the authorities provided E-authorities id and Password for all its citizens. It made it less complicated for terribly citizen to understand the way to log on line and get entry to government data and offerings.

II) E-authorities legislation &coverage

Having put in location the necessary infrastructure for the e-government services to the residents, the next approach the Singapore government adopted was the enactment of applicable policies and rules and policies that govern the implementation of the programme.

some of the primary rules have been supposed to guard privacy and information security; data protection, records privacy, pc misuse, legal popularity of electronic transactions, legit manipulate of cryptography, protection audits and properly as standards and certification of security practices. Singapore's regulation and code of practice encompass pc Misuse Act; digital Transaction Act, which turned into enacted in 1998, tried to define the rights and responsibilities of transaction events, and also supplied criminal repute on the use of digital facts and signature. The authorities also supplied data protection Code.

III) E-authorities offerings

After installing region ICT infrastructure and legislation and policy the government then advanced a internet site referred to as E-Citizen Portal. This internet site became to enable residents to invite questions and get hold of solutions. particular digital services deliveries are supplied on this website.

some of the services in this website include payment of taxes and fines; Issuance and renewal of driver's licenses; helping citizens locate employment; countrywide campaigns and recognition creation on social services such fitness and schooling; advent of internet and IT education guides; e-gaining knowledge of and smart card in colleges. So pc literacy started out proper from the primary school in Singapore and so forth.

within the bad and rural communities, the government provided free computer systems and net get entry to points and published officials who realize how to perform the device to assist the illiterates to benefit from the on line services.

In truth, in Singapore nowadays some offerings just like the issuing of Passports and birth certificate, you need to sit within the comfort of your home and fill the necessary forms and 1ec5f5ec77c51a968271b2ca9862907d them to the right government. government will praise you for obtaining the offerings on-line. interestingly in case you move for my part to those offices for the offerings, you will pay penalty for going there in my opinion. And after paying the penalty you'll be directed to go and use a laptop in a corner
there in the office still to use for the documents you wanted.

in the case of agencies, E-tender became added in that any employer that wanted to bid for government contracts can best do that via the net. company taxes ought to simplest be filed electronically. Annual reports and periodic business reviews are all supplied online. As within the case of E-citizens Portal, there may be also one-stop Portal for all authorities procurement possibilities with
over 8,000 buying and selling partners. it's far in this Portal that each one corporate bodies do commercial enterprise with the government in Singapore. that is called integrated e- services.

that is the extent of E-government services in Singapore. Is it any marvel that they are the 2d e-state after Canada in the e-world? Ghana, too, can do the same no matter how long it takes. what is critical is for the Ghanaian IT experts to present the suitable technological advice to the authorities of Ghana.