IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Legal consultants agree the use of Internet technology in the government work (e-govt) calls for new legislation, which accommodates the project, in addition to the amendment of certain unified laws.

These comments were made to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Friday by a member of the central technical committee and also the chairperson of the legislation team, Adel Al-Khudhari, and the Assistant Director of the Kuwait Institute of Judicial and Legal Studies Adel Bouresly.

Weiterlesen: Kuwait: Very difficult task; E-govt needs new legislation

The government plans to issue visit visas to businessmen and other visitors via the Internet beginning from October 2003, says Al-Rai Al-Aam daily quoting a reliable source from the Ministry of Interior. "This vital project is being launched to coincide with the start of the e-government conference, which will be held under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah," the source added.

Weiterlesen: Kuwait: Visas online for business

Officials in the private sector have stressed the importance of their sector's role in e-government projects, either through setting up the project or by providing electronic services to the public. The Director-General of Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), Saad Al-Barak, said e-government is a computer project which could succeed or fail just like other computer projects. "Manual work should be reduced to give computers the responsibility and increase production. This is why we should restructure government institutes before launching e-government," Al-Barak said. He stressed many services must be handed over to the private sector, since it is not only a matter of computers, but a matter of competition to provide the best services at the lowest prices possible.

Weiterlesen: Kuwait: Private sector must get e-govt projects

Local experts want the government to implement the e-government project in Kuwait to eliminate red tape and the rampant practice of ‘wasta’ in various state institutions.

The chairman of the Kuwait Graduates Society, Adil Al-Fauzan, says the government, however, is not keen on implementing the e-government programme as it will lose its control of these institutions. He says the ‘implementation of the programme will eliminate bureaucracy and ‘wasta’ of MPs, but the government wants to use ‘wasta’ as a bargaining tool to get the MPs support for various activities.

Weiterlesen: Kuwait: Government afraid of losing control of state institutions