East Java Aims to Go ‘Paperless’ in 2012

matanews.com : Surabaya

Although the plan is still in the works, East Java aims to become the country’s first “paperless” administration next year.

Sudjono, head of East Java’s Communications and Information Technology Office, said the provincial government aimed to create a paperless administration starting in 2012 by cutting all budget allocations for paper and only storing and transmitting data and correspondence electronically.

“The hope is that by doing this, performance will become more effective since correspondence will no longer involve paper documents,” he said.

Going paperless, he added, will improve the administration’s efficiency by allowing for a more rapid communication and distribution of information.

It will also make East Java more environmentally friendly and help curb waste, he said.

“This should help create good savings and there will no longer be so much wasted paper,” he said. “This will also help environmental programs involving sustainable forestry.”

Sudjono said his office had already begun to provide its information and technology services electronically through a telecenter, a facility where individuals and groups can learn more about the Internet, and a specialized media center.

The office, he said, has also been involved in bringing Internet services to subdistricts and connecting villages to telephone services since last year.

Under the current system, the administration already has an electronic service to register suppliers and handle tenders.

Sudjono said the service provided by the telecenter, in particular, had proved popular with the public.

“It has already been used by so many groups, there are women’s organizations, youth and student groups, among others,” he said.

Kartiko Eko Putranto, from the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), welcomed East Java’s commitment to creating a paperless administration.

“Paperless offices can be said to be part of the implementation of e-government and e-development,” which is being encouraged by the central government, said Kartiko, who heads a team that is assisting the provincial government with the move to wholly electronic systems.

Kartiko said if it was successful, the province’s experience would become a model for the rest of the country.

The central government is encouraging the widespread implementation of electronic services, starting with the provision of regional information on the Internet. All regional administrations have been encouraged to set up Web sites where people can not only find out how to access government services, but also apply for permits and procurement contracts.

JakartaGlobe