E-Government - The Singapore Experience

An African proverb admonishes us that:				government itself, businesses and the citizens of
"Whenever the rhythm of the drum beats				the country concerned.
changes, you must change the dance movement				How did the Singapore Government use
accordingly."				technology to enhance access to and delivery of
It is no longer privileged knowledge that				government information and services to the
Information and Communication Technology has				people? E-Government Action Plan II (2003-2006)
launched the entire globe into what is now known				In order to achieve its stated goals the Singapore
as the e-world-meaning electronic world. Today				government formulated an action plan known as
Governments the world over are somersaulting				e-Government Action Plan II for the year 2003 to
to reinvent and re-engineer governance so as to				2006.The vision of the Government was to be a
be more effective, efficient and transparent in the				leading e- Government to better serve the nation
provision of information, goods and services to				in the digital economy.
their citizens electronically.				The objective of this Plan was to ensure "a
Fortunately Ghana has already started dancing to				Networked Governmentthat delivers accessible,
the tune of the technological music because				integrated, value-added e-services to our
government has laid the foundation for				customers; and helps bring citizens closer
e-government by establishing the government of				together". A slogan was developed thus:
Ghana website popularly referred to as Ghana				e-Government- Delighting Customers, Connecting
Portal which is being managed by the Information				Citizens.
Services Department of the Ministry of				What are some of the services that the
Information in Accra. Government has also				Singapore Government provides for its customers
established the Ghana-India Kofi Anan IT Centre				who are the citizens of the country? Even before
of Excellence and above all, Ghana has formulated				we touch on some of the services provided
an Information Communication Technology				online, shall we find out why Singapore
framework for accelerated development, being				government came to the realization that the
spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications.				beneficiaries of e-Government include
Nevertheless, when it comes to the practicability,				Government, businesses and citizens?
accessibility and usability of e-government				It is important to note that within the scope of
services by citizens, Ghana still has some				e-Government, there are several categories that
mountains to climb and some rivers and lagoons				fit into the broad definition of e-Government. For
to wade through. It is against this backdrop that				example, e-Government constitutes: A
this writer deems it relevant to share the				Government- to-Citizens (G2C); B-
Singapore e-government experience with fellow				Government-to-Business (G2B); C-
Ghanaians. But, even before shedding some light				Government-to-Employees (G2E); and eventually
on e-government strategies and implementations				D-Government to- Government (G2G).
in Singapore, it may be necessary to explain what				G2C: Government-to-Citizens, according to
e-government is in the first place.				experts, includes all the interactions between a
On Saturday July 31 this year, at the				government and its citizens that can take place
Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, this writer				electronically. The objective of G2C is to offer
came across a group of Ghanaians on their way				citizens faster, more responsive, more convenient
to Zimbabwe to take part in a book fair in that				and less complicated means to public services.
country. Then in a chart with one of them, where				G2B: In the case of Government-to-Business, it
it was revealed that I was on my way from				refers to e-commerce in which government sells
Singapore where I underwent a short training				to businesses or provides them with services, as
course in e-government, my interlocutor				well as businesses selling products and services to
exclaimed:				government. Again the objective of G2B is to
'Eeeee-Government!' "What is that animal, too?"				enable businesses to interact, transact and
he virtually shouted unconsciously.				communicate with government online, with
As a matter of fact, my friend confessed that,				greater speed and convenience.
he was hearing for the first time the term				G2E: Government-to-Employees includes activities
e-government. Later when we parted company				and services between government units and their
and he went to Zimbabwe and I was airborne to				employees. As the term implies, the objective of
Ghana, I started debating with my inner self: "If				G2E is to develop and cultivate IT capabilities
this man, well-educated, living in the capital city of				among government employees to deliver efficient
Accra, participating in an international event such				and cost-effective services.
as a book fair, has not yet heard of the term				G2G: Interestingly, Government-to-Government
e-government until then, then what happens to				seems to have dual significance. One, G2G is said
the majority of uneducated and less fortunate				to consist of activities between government and
brothers and sisters dwelling in deprived rural				other Ministries, Departments and Agencies
communities of the country?				(MDAs) of the same government.
Because we are living in a world of Knowledge				The other meaning of G2G is a situation in which
Management (KM) and Experience Sharing, I				Governments have to deal with their other
cannot claim to be an expert in this field, but the				counterpart governments of different countries.
little I know about e-government must be shared				This second G2G in the opinion of experts is
with others for the benefit of all who care to				anchored on trust and interdependence, which
know; for the advancement of mankind and to				allows for information sharing among
the glory of the Divine Intelligence or the First				governments on regional, sub-regional and
Giver of knowledge itself.				international issues.
The question is: What is E-government? The				For example, the control of terrorism; the
United Nations defines e-Government as				management of cross border diseases like SARS,
"Permanent commitment by government to				which occurred in Asia some time ago or even
improve the relationship between the private				HIV/AIDS. This G2G also has to do with common
citizen and the public sector through enhanced,				economic challenges as well as ethnic wars and
cost-effective and efficient delivery of services,				conflicts problems facing West African States for
information and knowledge." It went further to				instance. For Singapore government to achieve
explain that there are five categories of				the enviable e-Government status through
measuring a country's "e-gov" progress in terms				effective online services delivery to its citizens,
of Web Presence. This includes: Emerging -				certain strategies were again adopted:
Enhanced - Interactive - Transactional and Fully				I) E-Government Infrastructure
Integrated. All UN member states have been				The government put in place a National
called upon and encouraged to embark on this				Information Infrastructure as backbone for
e-government project and programme.				e-government services delivery. This strategy
Accordingly the world body has a way of				was christened Public Service Infrastructure (PSI)
assessing the progress of each country in this				in Singapore.
regard. Significantly in the UN Report for this year				Physical Infrastructure
on e-government globally, Singapore, a small Island				Government itself provided Internet access points
City State of Land- Area of 697.1sq km with a				in convenient places such as public libraries,
population of 4.185 million souls is sharing the 2nd				shopping malls, government offices, hospitals,
position with the mighty United States of America				subway stations and clubs and relevant public
with Canada comfortably sitting on top of all.				places for the citizens to use free of charge.
How did Singapore make it to the top of				Technology Infrastructure
e-government league table of the world? What				Here, the Government provided computers,
strategies and policies were put in place; when and				servers, networks (broadband and wireless),
how did that country achieve such a technological				mobile devices, smart cards as well as technology
feat over and above the super powers of this				standards that are open and scalable such as
planet of economic inequalities?				Java, XML, Web services.
Computerisation				Authentication Infrastructure
Singapore set off on its e-government journey as				Under this the government provided
far back as about 25 years ago. In 1981,				E-Government ID and Password for all its citizens.
Singapore embarked upon a computerization				It made it easier for very citizen to know how to
programme of the government machinery. It first				log online and access Government information and
established a National Computer Board and				services.
National Computerisation Plan. The Plan was to				II) E-Government Legislation &Policy
ensure a systematic growth of local IT industry;				Having put in place the necessary infrastructure
Development of IT manpower pool; Civil Service				for the e-government services to the citizens, the
Computerisation Plan and the production of 850 IT				next strategy the Singapore government adopted
Professionals.				was the enactment of relevant rules and
National IT Plan				regulations and policies that govern the
After the Computerisation programme, the				implementation of the programme.
Singapore government embarked upon what was				Some of the major regulations were meant to
referred to as the National IT Plan. The National				safeguard privacy and information security; data
IT Plan initiated what was known as the				protection, data privacy, computer misuse, legal
Beginnings of Computing Communications				recognition of electronic transactions, official
Convergence. It also constituted what was				control of cryptography, security audits and well
dubbed Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which				as standards and certification of security
was basically aimed at bridging Government and				practices. Singapore's legislation and code of
industry. This plan took place in 1986 that is five				practice include Computer Misuse Act; Electronic
years or so after the Computerisation				Transaction Act, which was enacted in 1998, tried
Programme.				to define the rights and obligations of transaction
IT 2000 Blueprint for Intelligence Island				parties, and also provided legal status on the use
This Blueprint strategy that also started over five				of electronic records and signature. The
years after the				Government also provided data Protection Code.
National IT Plan in 1992 was to effect what was				III) E-Government Services
called Flagship Projects on the Singapore Island. It				After putting in place ICT infrastructure and
had the objectives to create an electronic				legislation and policy the government then
network linking all libraries in that country; secure				developed a website called E-Citizen Portal. This
infrastructure for e-commerce; Expert system				website was to enable citizens to ask questions
for checking all building plans in the country and				and receive answers. Specific electronic services
above all to establish Singapore ONE, that is, to				deliveries are provided on this site.
create one network for everyone in Singapore. It				Some of the services on this website include
was this strategy that shot Singapore up to the				payment of taxes and fines; Issuance and
position of the world's first nationwide broadband				renewal of driver's licenses; Helping citizens find
infrastructure nation in the e-world.				employment; National campaigns and awareness
Infocomm 2001				creation on social services such health and
The next step Singapore took, after attaining a				education; Introduction of Internet and IT training
nationwide broadband infrastructure, was to				courses; e-learning and smart card in schools. So
launch what was dubbed Infocomm 2001. This				computer literacy started right from the primary
project was launched in year 2000 and aimed at				school in Singapore etc.
developing Singapore into a vibrant and dynamic				In the poor and rural communities, the
global information communication capital, with a				government provided free computers and
thriving and prosperous e-Economy, and a				Internet access points and posted officers who
pervasive and "Infocomm-savvy" e-Society and				know how to operate the equipment to assist the
full telecom liberalisation in that country.				illiterates to benefit from the online services.
Connected Singapore				In fact, in Singapore today some services like the
In 2003, Singapore government launched the final				issuing of Passports and Birth Certificates, you
onslaughts on its e-government programme by				have to sit in the comfort of your home and fill
establishing what was simply known as Connected				the necessary forms and e-mail them to the
Singapore. This strategy was to unleash the				appropriate authorities. Government will reward
potential for the total realisation of all				you for obtaining the services on line. Interestingly
e-government possibilities through the Info comm				if you go personally to those offices for the
project of the country.				services, you will pay penalty for going there
Briefly, the preceding steps known in Singapore as				personally. And after paying the penalty you will
the five (5) National Strategic ICT Plans give us an				be directed to go and use a computer in a
overview of the method Singapore adopted to				cornerthere in the office still to apply for the
become the 2nd e-Nation in the e-World today				documents you wanted.
behind Canada. The Singapore government has a				In the case of Businesses, E-Tender was
philosophy that: "Whatever services that can be				introduced in that any company that wanted to
delivered electronically must be delivered				bid for government contracts can only do that
electronically" Period.				through the Internet. Corporate taxes could only
Another African proverb reminds us that, "If your				be filed electronically. Annual Reports and periodic
tormentor who is running after you does not				business reports are all presented online. As in the
stop, you, too, must not stop running." As long as				case of E-Citizens Portal, there is also one-stop
Ghana remains a developing country, Ghanaians				Portal for all government procurement
must not stop fighting to develop and progress.				opportunities withover 8,000 trading partners. It is
In the first part of this article the definition of				on this Portal that all corporate bodies do business
e-Government according to the United Nations				with the government in Singapore. This is known
was provided. Singapore government used the UN				as integrated e- Services.
definition of e-Government as a guide, but				This is the level of E-Government Services in
simplified it for easy understanding by ordinary				Singapore. Is it any wonder that they are the 2nd
person in the street.				e-nation after Canada in the e-world? Ghana, too,
According to Singapore, e-Government is the use				can do the same no matter how long it takes.
of technology toenhance the access to and				What is important is for the Ghanaian IT experts
delivery of government services to benefit				to give the correct technological advice to the
citizens and businesses. It pointed out that the				government of Ghana.
beneficiaries of e- Government include the

Democracy

E-Government - The Singapore Experience