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Bandar Seri Begawan – "e-Government is an
ongoing journey. In Brunei, the first five years of the
journey, from 2001 to 2005 has well established the adoption and awareness
of the e-Government program in the ministries and other key
stakeholders."
Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communication, Hj Ibrahim Hj Mohd Ali, said
this in his speech yesterday on behalf of the Minister of Communications, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong,
at the opening of e-Government Brunei congress organized by DZ
Hampton at The Rizqun International Hotel.
He said that Brunei has been on the e-Government
implementation bandwagon with the launch of e-Government Strategic
Framework For Action 2001-2005 in the year 2001. This e-Government program
is part of the national IT Strategic Plan named "IT2000 and
Beyond" established in late 2000. However, he said, it must be also
noted the computerisation in the public sector
started much earlier, in the 1970's.
The strategic framework set the blueprint and roadmap for the
implementation of Brunei Darussalam's e-Government
Program and a $1 billion budget was allocated in the then 8'" National
Development Plan.
"The first five years had delivered the basic infrastructure.
The IT networks and key computerised applications
in several ministries are already operational or otherwise being developed
or planned," he stated.
He said that the government via the Ministry of Communications had
conducted a recent review by engaging a team of consultants from BSP,
examining the issues that drive the e-Government program. To move forward,
the government via the BIT Council has identified priority key actions -
some of which were based on the e-Government Implementation Review Report
from the BSP Consultants.
Among these, he said, are the actions to strengthen the policy
leadership of the e-Government program with a recommendation for the
appointment of an e-Government leader and an Overall Government CIO. This
would ensure that the e-Government program will be better led and directed
as well as aligned to national and in particular the civil service agenda,
aspirations and goals. Another priority action is to establish the
e-Government Technical Authority Body.
The main purpose of its establishment would be to put in place an
integrated common architecture and standards for the e-Government technical
and contents infrastructure, so that deliverables and outcomes from the
various e-Government projects could be consolidated and integrated, thereby
eliminating silos and duplications which would make the e-Government
program not cost-effective.
The body will also deal with Programme
Management and HR requirements, providing central and common services to be
shared by all ministries, such as data centres
and disaster recovery collocations with interfaces with other public sector
entities, as well as private sector entities if and when necessary. To be
competent, the Technical Authority Body will need to be staffed with the
necessary human resources in various ICT fields, including Technical
Infrastructure, Data and Applications, Network and Telecommunications, IT
Security, Change Management, as well as ICT Procurement and Project
Management.
He ended his remarks by congratulating DZ Hampton for organising the congress and sincerely hoped that it
would proceed as well as meet its set purposes and objectives.
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