Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator John Williams, made this revelation as he described the capabilities of the “single card initiative” at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Caribbean Ministerial Consultation on Regional Co-operation for E-Government Capacity Building, at the Fairmont Glitter Bay, yesterday. While outlining the several “e-government” type programmes that are making a difference to the way the public service in Barbados functions, he said: “This project is designed to introduce a tamper-proof national picture card with microchip containing personal data, including national registration number, date of birth, (and) an electronic fingerprint.” Senator Williams added that it will also include other individual information that would make it impossible for the card to be used by a new holder other than its original designee.
Although the development of the card is still in its early stages, he revealed that it will also contain information pertinent to the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Licensing Authority, Immigration Department, National Insurance Department, Registration Department, Royal Barbados Police Force, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Barbados Drug Service.
Senator Williams also told the approximately 80 participants at the Consultation, of the SmartStream project, which is the computerisation of Government’s financial and human resource management system. In addition, he spoke of the Barbados Integrated Portal Project, the Enabling Environment for Private Sector Investment (EEPSI) and the Automated Systems for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), all of which are intended to reform Government’s operations and to improve overall efficiency and service delivery to customers.
He said while the private sector is often reluctant to move into “uncharted economic waters”, it is the responsibility of the governments in the region to develop vibrant E-government programmes in order to develop an “e-commerce” culture.
Senator Williams, stressed that “regional governments must give serious consideration to designing and implementing regulatory policies for digital communications that support constant technological innovation.”
The two-day consultation aims to provide a platform for further dialogue, commitment and closer co-operation at the regional level on government policies and strategies for the application of Information and Communication Technology in the public sector.
Ministers and other high-level officials from across the region will discuss and adopt a Caribbean E-government Strategy and Action Plan, and initiate the establishment of partnerships for its implementation.
This is the fifth of a series of Caribbean Ministerial Consultations on Capacity-Building in Public Administration and Governance organised since May 2000 under the sponsorship of the Italian Government.
Autor: Janelle Husbands
Quelle: The Barbados Advocate, 18.06.2004
