E-GOVERNMENT: THE SINGAPORE EXPERIENCE (I)

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic August 17, 2004

ONE African proverb admonishes us that: "Whenever the rhythm of the drum beat changes, you must change the dance movement accordingly." It is no longer a privileged knowledge that Information and Communication Technology has launched the entire globe into what is now known as the e-world meaning electronic world.

Today, governments the world over are somersaulting to reinvent and reengineer governance to be more effective, efficient and transparent in the provision of information, goods and services to their citizens electronically.

Fortunately, Ghana has already started dancing to the tune of the technological music, because the government has laid the foundation for e-government by establishing the 'Government of Ghana website popularly referred to as Ghana Portal www.ghana.gov.gh which is being managed by the Information Services Department of the Ministry of Information.

The government has also-established the Ghana-India Kofi Annan IT Centre of Excellence and above all, Ghana has formulated an Information Communication Technology policy  for accelerated development, and this being spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications. Nevertheless, when it comes to the practicability, accessibility and usability of e-government services by citizens, Ghana still has some mountains to climb and some rivers and lagoons to wade through.

It is against this backdrop that this writer deems it relevant to share the Singapore e-government experience with fellow Ghanaians. But, even before shedding some light on e-government strategies and implementation in Singapore, it may be necessary to explain what e-government is in the first place.

On Saturday, July 31, this year, at the Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, this writer came across a group of Ghanaians on their way to Zimbabwe to take part in a book fair in that country. Then, in a chat with one of them, I told him I was from Singapore where I underwent a short training course in e-governrnent. Then my interlocutor exclaimed: 'Eeeee-Government!' "What is that animal, too?" he virtually shouted unconsciously.

As a matter of fact, my friend confessed that, he was hearing for the first time the term e-government. Later, I started debating with my inner self: "If this man, well-educated, living in the capital city of Accra, participating in an international event such as a book fair, has not yet heard of the term e-government, then what happens to the majority of uneducated and less fortunate brothers and sister dwelling in deprived rural communities of the country?

Because we are living in a world of Knowledge Management (KM) and Experience Sharing, I cannot claim to be an expert in this field, but the little I know about e-government must be shared with others for the benefit of all who care to know, for the advancement of mankind and to the glory of the Devine Intelligence or the First Giver of knowledge itself.

The United Nations defines e-Government as "Permanent commitment by the government to improve the relationship between the private citizen and the public sector through enhanced, cost effective and efficient delivery of services, information and knowledge.”

There are five categories of measuring a country’s "egov" progress in terms of Web Presence. This includes Emerging - Enhanced - Interactive - 'Transactional and Fully Integrated. All UN member states have been called upon and encouraged to embark on this e-government project and programme. Accordingly, the world body has adopted a way of assessing the progress of each country in this regard.

Significantly, the UN Report for this year on e-government globally, Singapore, a small Island city state of land area of 697.1sq km, and with a population of 4.185 million souls, is sharing the second position with the mighty United States of America;  with Canada comfortably sitting on top of them all.      .

How did Singapore make it to the top of the e-government league table of the world? What strategies and policies were put in place; when and how did that country achieve such a technological feat over and above the super powers of this planet of economic inequalities?

Computerisation

Singapore set off on its e-government journey 25 years ago. In 1981, Singapore embarked upon a computerisation programme of the Government machinery. It first established a National Computer Board and National Computerisation Plan.

The Plan was to ensure the systematic growth of local IT industry; Development of IT manpower pool; Civil Service Computerisation Plan and the production of 850 IT Professionals   .

National IT Plan

 After the Computerisation programme, the Singapore government embarked upon what was referred to as the National IT Plan. The National IT Plan initiated what was known as the Beginnings of Computing Communications Convergence. It also constituted what was dubbed Electronic Data Inter change (EDI), which was basically aimed at bridging, Government and industry.

This plan took place in 1986 - that is five years or so after the Computerisation Programme.

IT 2000 Blueprint for Intelligence Island

This Blueprint strategy that also started over five years after the National IT Plan in 1992, was to effect what was called Flagship Projects of Singapore Island. It had the objectives of creating an Electronic network linking all libraries in that country; Securing infrastructure for e-commerce: Securing infrastructure for checking all building plans in the country, and above all establishing Singapore as ONE - that is, to create One Network for everyone in Singapore. It was this strategy that shot Singapore up to the position of the world’s first nationwide broadband infrastructure nation in the e-world.

Infocomm 2001

The next step Singapore took after attaining a nationwide broadband infrastructure was launched, was what was dubbed Infocomm 2001. This project was launched in 2000 and aimed at developing Singapore into a vibrant and dynamic global information communication capital, with a thriving and prosperous e-Economy, and a pervasive and "infocomm-savvy" e-Society and full telecom liberalisation in that country.          

Connected Singapore

In 2003, the Singapore Government launched final onslaught on its e-government programme by establishing what was simply known as Connected Singapore. This strategy was to unleash the potential for the total realisation of all e-government possibilities through the Infocomm project of the country.

Briefly the preceding steps known in Singapore, as the five National Strategic ICT Plans give us an overview  of what made them second e-Nation in the e-World.

The author works with the Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@mail.com

NB: This part 1 of this article was first published by the Daily Graphic on August 17, 2004