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e-Government Sets Road To Diversification Says
Canadian Professor
Courtesy of Brudirect.com
By CT Hj Mahmod
3
February 2005
Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei's initiative to develop its e-government
has attracted the attention of Professor Jim Tam from a leading Canadian University, who said he is confident the
e-government project will set the Sultanate on the road to economic
diversification.
Professor Tam of Ryerson University, who is also a former ICT
manager, however said, "Achieving e-government success requires active
partnerships between government, citizens and enterprises".
To ensure its success, he added, "Brunei could benefit from the insights
learned from e-government implementation in other countries". And
already in the pipeline is today's (February 3) e-government conference on
"Enabling Government into the 21st Century". He is also confident
that the e-government project led by the Prime Minister's Office would avoid
the common obstacles.
Simply defining e-government as government
on-line, he said it involves the provision of government information and the
delivery of government services via the Internet.
The system should be used by the government
effectively to provide accurate information to its people, potential tourists
and investors.
But to begin with, Brunei's national goals and policies
must be competitive internationally, so that the e-government content, speed
and ease of use are critical elements for success. In fact, Professor Tam
added, the content of the e-government system is the government.
E-Government implementation is not a big bang, he
believes, "like a single event that transforms a government
overnight". On e-Government system implementation, he explained that it
is a process often involving a huge investment of money, time, and human
resource as well as unforeseen risks.
ICT implemented through e-government has brought
untold benefits to many nations. Among the good examples are Singapore and Finland. As the world is becoming
increasingly globalised, nations without the smart
use of ICT will be marginalised quickly.
But for Brunei Darussalam, joining other
international community in the development of an e-government, the Sultanate
has stepped into a new era. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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