The ambitious plan was unveiled during the contract signing ceremony for the e-government project 'Supply, Delivery, Installation, Testing, Commissioning, Training and Maintenance of IT Facilities for Ministry of Home Affairs' between the ministry and the ZNet Technologies company.
Under the project, the company will supply IT facilities such as desktop and notebook computers, printers and Microsoft software, as well as training for more than 1,500 ministry officials and staff. Heads of mukims and villages in the country are also not left out, as they are also identified as recipients of IT facilities and training under the contract.
Present to witness the signing was the permanent secretary at the ministry, Dato Paduka Idris Belaman and other senior officials.
Signing on behalf of the ministry were two senior administrative officers, Othman Abd Ghafar and Ahmad Mohamad Yassin, while ZNet Technologies was represented by its managing director, Lt Col (R) Rusli Mohd Ariff and Lim Soon Bee.
The supply of IT facilities is expected to take place over the next six months, while training would be conducted over a period of 14 months.
The agreement is regarded as one of the initial steps towards a fully online system for the ministry to handle, among other things, management of public parking spaces, convicts, mukims and districts, as well as applications for business licenses and building tax.
The move demonstrates the ministry's awareness that IT-proficiency is a vital ability and necessary towards fully implementing e-government in the country.
Such proficiency would ensure that the implementation and running of future systems like portals, electronic filing, document and project management, administrative processes, inventory and other tasks proceed smoothly.
To date, only two departments under the ministry have already 'gone online' the Department of Immigration and National Registration and the Labour Department.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Khairunnisa Ibrahim
Quelle/Source: The Brunei Times, 16.01.2007
