ISSUE 3

Overview of International Symposium On "Best Practice in Electronic Government"

Held in Kuala Lampur between 8th and 10th December 1998; organised by the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) & COMNET-IT (see Forum Issue 2); sponsored by Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Malaysia.

I. BACKGROUND

Introduction

This symposium addressed the issues of best practices in EG in the context of re-inventing government in the information age. The potential of Information Technology (IT) to support a "government re-invention" agenda was well recognised. The symposium provided an overview of the experience of particular countries and a tour d'horizon of how best practices in EG are taking shape today around the world.

Coverage

The symposium covered the breadth and depth of EG encompassing six (6) key areas of concerns, viz:

(a) Applications;

(b) Legal Infrastructure;

(c) Networking Infrastructure;

(d) Data Sharing;

(e) Change Management and Human Resources Issues; and

(f) The Y2K Challenge.

II. PROCEEDINGS

Among the main issues raised and discussed during the three days of the symposium were:

Bridging The Gap Between Information "Haves" and "Have-Nots"

Several speakers raised the concern that information gaps prevailing between countries and communities within the country being further widened as a result of the implementation of EG.

In this regard, the implementation of IT-related initiatives underscores the need to identify measures to further enhance public access to electronic delivery of public services. One strategy that has been used to address to this concern was the example of Australia which implements components of EG at the school level to prepare the younger generation for a knowledge-based society. In addition, remote schools which were equipped with IT facilities and linked through satellite, also serve as community centres as well as single-window point for the delivery of electronic public services.

To narrow the information access gap between countries, the symposium recognises the need for closer professional networking and knowledge sharing to avoid re-inventing the wheel and to leverage on the respective strengths of the pioneering countries.

Role of Public Managers

One area of concern in this regard is the need for fundamental change in mindset from the traditional ways of governance to the introduction of knowledge-based and IT-driven reform initiatives by the public sector managers. A key strategy to address this concern lies in the importance of change management, awareness and education/training programmes.




Cross Border and Trans-national Issue

In the area of Electronic Commerce that transcends physical boundaries, pertinent issues that arise relates to taxation and legislation. Questions frequently asked are: "Which country should levy taxes and whose legislation should be administered? Should the host country or receiving country collect the taxes of goods transacted through electronic commerce?" Experiences in other countries also alert us on the need to prepare ourselves in addressing the possibility of the erosion of tax revenue resulting from cross border electronic commerce.

IT as an Enabler

One of the lessons learnt from the experiences of countries that are advanced in their implementation of EG is the need to clearly understand the problems for which IT is a solution. We are reminded that IT is not a panacea and we should not be mesmerised by IT as an end in itself.

Approach to Operational EG

Based on the deliberations of the symposium, two approaches have emerged - one, where EG is being implemented through departmental efforts, and two, through central initiatives. It is left to the country concerned to decide on the approach as there are both merits and demerits in each approach.

Cross-Sectoral Collaboration

One significant feature of EG is the increasing role of private sector in the delivery of services that was once the sole domain of the public sector. In the Malaysian case, such outsourcing is being used as the model to finance two of the EG pilot projects as a means of relieving the financial burden on the government.

This close sectoral collaboration is also very much evident in the case of Canada's SchoolNet which has also gone a step further through the direct involvement of the community at large. Norway shares the same experience which over a period of 15 years has built up confidence and trust between the government, private sector and citizens.




Data Sharing

Data sharing among member countries of the European Union is being utilised to facilitate free mobility. This is being done through a single entry of personal data in one country that is then transmitted to other countries in the Union. This uninhibited transmission of personal data raises civic concern about confidentiality thereby questioning the obligation of the Government to protect citizens' privacy. The Malaysian Government is well poised to address this issue through the work that is currently being done to legislate a Data Protection Act.

Change Management Issue

There is a certain gap between EG initiative conceptions and organisational realities. In reducing this gap, there is a need to create manageable change for EG. Generally, EG programmes based on organisatonal realities rather than on some theoretical model seem more likely to succeed. Similarly reality-supporting applications, such as e-mail and the creation of simple additional citizen-government communication channels, are more likely to succeed than those based on rationality-imposing applications, such as decision support systems. IT professionals must assume a role more as change agents To support this, there must be a change of the organisational structures and management processes that deal with EG moving away from the conventional model.

IT Human Resource Planning and Development

The availability of people trained in the field of IT, particularly in developing countries was identified as an important issue of concern. The task of planning and programming of the development of both formal and informal IT education and training systems to meet IT related HR requirements need to be addressed. The Government, IT industry, academia and IT professional bodies are the key role players. Cooperation between these will be necessary to meet the HR needs of IT.

Y2K Challenge

For developing countries, the current financial crisis has put a further strain on their efforts, in terms of the short time frame, to take remedial action to overcome the Y2K problem. Y2K Contingency Planning which involves the preparation of alternative business processes and procedures to be effected in the events of Y2K related failure, therefore is a priority and supersedes problem fixing as the deadline approaches. The existing laws of Malaysia are considered sufficient to protect everyone from damages as a result of Y2K non-compliance by organisations.

A fuller text of the proceedings, with questions and answers, plus the speakers profiles are available at www.comnet-it.org. See also http://mampu.gov.my.