This was highlighted in a speech by the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Awang Abu Bakar bin Hj Apong at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Annual E-Government Congress: "From Government Online to Service fransformation".
He said, "I imagine a day when government web sites go beyond being notice boards for posting details of government tenders, but to be widely adopted and used as participatory forums for frank and honest, transparent discussions on policy issues, for the sharing of information and collaborative development of policy in wilds, and even the dissemination of audiovisual briefing through v-blogs and podcasts".
He also highlighted that within the ministry, "we have a strong justification for adopting e-Government systems for our internal processes. Within the ministry's of 2007-2011 strategic plan, the mechanism of improving our own internal operations is through the adoption of international best practices, streamlining procedures and improved organisation networking. In our view, e-Government is the catalyst to achieve this objective".
He also noted that some of the priorities at the Ministry of Communications with respect to e-Government and developing the ICT industry in general. With the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, a body of experts drawn from the public and private sectors as well as academia was formed, the E-Government Technical Authority Body (EGTAB), while the EGLF (e-Government Leadership Forum) was also established.
EGTAB as the advisory body was created in response to a review of the e-Government implementation that suggested, among other things, addressing the issues of improved interoperability plans and the adoption of best practices in the procurement process. EGTAB is currently developing a set of recommendations to address these issues.
Sustainability, development of local ICT workforce and knowledge transfer from implementers to local support staff are interrelated issues. Towards this end, the Ministry of Communications, together with AITI, the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry, are developing new mechanisms to increase local ICT industry's participation in the e-Government project and, to equip them with relevant skills and tools to develop their core competencies.
He also mentioned that the Brunei ICT Awards (BIOTA) was developed to motivate local ICT developers and encourage their participation in the Asia-Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA).
The opening ceremony also saw a speech by Jeremy Millard, Head of e-Government, Danish Technological Institute, Denmark.
He has worked extensively with local and national governments and regional development agencies in all parts of the world. He has also worked on a large number of e-Government assignments.
He highlighted three major policy goals of a government.
The first goal is the search for savings: dynamic, productivity-driven and value for money concept and set of institutions.
The second goal is the search for quality services: inter-active, user-centre, personal high impact on quality of life, maximising fulfilment and security.
The third goal is the search for good governance: Open, transparent, accountable, flexible, inclusive, participatory and democratic.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Yusrin Junaidi
Quelle/Source: Brunei Direct, 28.11.2007
