TN: Please cite the main reasons why Taiwan ranked No. 1.
Shih: The Taiwan government took the path of automation twenty years ago. After 1995, automation gradually became computerization and thanks to everyone's efforts, we have achieved abundant and extensive online content in our government Web sites. This is the first reason. The second reason is the constant updates done on these Web sites - they offer very current information. The third reason is speed of e-mail response. Online inquiries are answered within three days.
TN: Do you have security systems that guarantee the protection of online users?
Shih: Our online user identification is very advanced. For example, when filing taxes online, you need to fill in detailed personal information plus that of your family members. So we are certainly concerned about cyberspace security. We don't just rely on the password which is usually the first thing hackers find. It is only one of several security features.
TN: Taiwan wants to go international and become more foreign-friendly. But there seems to be a backlog in the English translation of the abundant online information in Chinese. How do you plan to deal with this problem?
Shih: Translation is a major issue because we aim for accuracy especially in the translation of government policies. Each government unit - for example the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Straits Exchange Foundation, etc. - is responsible for the translation of their Web site content. Moreover, we in government need to achieve consistency in our translations.
TN: Taiwan's e-government no. 1 ranking does not preclude the need for further improvements. Please discuss the areas where further improvements are needed.
Shih: We need to boost our bilingual services. I must admit that very often, we have fresh information in Chinese but they are not immediately translated into English for the benefit of our foreign online users. By the end of the year, we hope that our government Web sites can all have bilingual content.
Another area we would like to strengthen is online services for the disabled. This is a big job. We will need online interactive systems for blind people for example. How can you communicate the rich colors of an online picture to such users?
A third area that needs to be developed is that of an integrated portal for e-Taiwan, "My e-Government Portal" sort of thing. Such a single, highly user-friendly portal can boost communication between government and the people. So this is one of our main objectives.
TN: Upgrading and maintaining an e-government depends on trained personnel. Can you talk about the training you give to e-government staff?
Shih: We now require our government employees to be information technology literate. Thirty-something employees or sixty-something veterans should at least know how to use the Internet or e-mail their friends and colleagues. We want our employees to consider this an area of personal improvement. In March, the Executive Yuan organized a conference on e-Government to remind all government units of its importance, and I think the outcome from that conference attended by department heads has been very positive. We have been implementing online training for our employees and this practice further enhances their online abilities and ultimately strengthens e-government.
We now have an e-mail usage rate of 82 percent among our government employees and an Internet usage rate of around ninety percent. We hope that by 2007, all our employees will be Internet-friendly.
TN: What is your vision of the future for Taiwan's e-government?
Shih: I envision greater interaction between the government and the people. This is why we need to work on a single e-government portal and online one-stop services. For example, investors can just deal with the Ministry of Economic Affairs online without having to go through other government ministries to process their investment applications.
Another area is the use of online services by mobile phone. In Taiwan, the cellular phone penetration rate is over a hundred percent. This opens up a world of possibilities for greater government-to-people interaction. Imagine receiving on your mobile phone a reminder from the Motor Vehicles Administration to have your car inspected. So we strive for a greater diversity not only of our services but also in the channels to deliver those services.
Quelle: eTaiwan News
