Japan parliament hit by China-based cyberattack

Computers in Japan's lower house of parliament were hit by cyberattacks from a server based in China that left information exposed for at least a month, a report said Tuesday. The government's top spokesman Osamu Fujimura, pictured in September 2011, said he was not previously aware of the reported attack but that the government was investigating the issue.

Computers in Japan's lower house of parliament were hit by cyberattacks from a server based in China that left information exposed for at least a month, a report said Tuesday.Passwords and other information could have been compromised in the attacks, which began in July but were not reported to security authorities until the end of August, the Asahi Shimbun said, without citing sources.
 
The government's top spokesman Osamu Fujimura, chief cabinet secretary and a lower house member, said he was not previously aware of the reported attack but that the government was investigating the issue. However, the Asahi said that lower house officials told lawmakers and parliamentary staff to change their network IDs and passwords, over fears that security had been breached.

The Asahi said politicians' computers and a lower house server contracted a "Trojan horse" virus containing a programme that allowed a China-based server to steal passwords and other information. It was not clear who was behind the attack, it said, adding it was possible the China-based server could have been controlled from a third country.

The cyberattack began when a lower house politician opened an attachment to an e-mail in late July, the newspaper said, adding that the unnamed lawmaker did not report the suspected virus infection until late August. Fujimura said the government was checking the facts of the reported issue.

"If criminal acts are confirmed, police will strictly deal with it," he told a regular press briefing. The report came as Japan probes a series of recent cyberattacks on defence contractor Mitsubishi Heavy, which the Asahi on Monday said could have resulted in the theft of information on military aircraft and nuclear power plants.

China has been accused of spearheading online attacks on government agencies and companies, allegations Beijing has always denied. In June, Internet giant Google said a cyber-spying campaign originating in China had targeted the Gmail accounts of senior US officials, military personnel, journalists and Chinese political activists.

.bangkokpost.com

Russia offers e-government know-how for export

“We are ready to export our e-government model to developing countries,” announced Russian minister of Communications and Mass Media Igor Shchegolev earlier this week at the ITU Telecom World 2011 forum in Geneva.
 

“It is clear that if a developing country without significant financial means is to build [an e-government platform], it will be easier to use our cost effective solution than to build another, more expensive one,” said the minister, who sees an “export potential” in the Russian e-government platform already being deployed.

“There are not many ready made solutions of this kind available in the world, designed in real conditions, if any at all,” Shchegolev said. According to Shchegolev, the cost of the Russian e-government platform amounted to $150 million, including $60 million from the Russian state budget and the remaining part from Rostelecom, the national telecom operator.

This includes, in particular, a web portal for government services as well as an electronic interexchange platform serving different government bodies. By comparison, Estonia spent $1.5 billion for a similar system and Singapore has invested no less than $15 billion over the last 10 years. Not only is the Russian solution cheaper, the Russian minister emphasized that its e-government system is based on cloud technologies, unlike more traditional solutions built in other states.

.ewdn.com

Japan: Fukushima radiation 'two times higher' than estimates

Anti-nuclear activists demonstrate on March 17 in Barcelona,
Spain in reaction to the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.
The debate over nuclear safety has reignited worldwide,
as workers in Fukushima desperately seek to
prevent a nuclear meltdown.
(Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)

Radiation released from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is two times higher than government estimates first suggested, according to a new, worldwide study of radioactive elements in the earth's atmosphere. Scientists measured significantly higher levels than expected of the radioactive element cesium-137 in the earth's atmosphere, according to a study by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research.  
The Japanese government estimated that 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium were released from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, reports the Telegraph, yet the new study says the real figure is more than twice that: 36,000 terabecquerels, or 42 percent of the total radiation released in the Chernobyl disaster.

Initial measurements in Japan did not factor in the radiation that was blown out to sea, the researchers say. Based on data from radiation monitoring stations across Japan, Europe and North America, they believe only around 20 percent of the total cesium emissions fell over Japanese territory.

The rest was carried over the Pacific Ocean, with around 2 percent landing in other countries. The possible health risks of the radiation are unclear. Cesium-137 is linked to cancer and can remain in the environment for 30 years.

The impact of the disaster could have been much worse, however, lead researcher Andreas Stohl told Nature News.

In the days following the accident, clouds of radiation blew back over Japan, but fortunately they passed over Tokyo and other densely populated areas without any precipitation. If it had rained over the cities, the population would have been exposed to far greater quantities of radiation, Stohl said.

globalpost.com

Fukushima nuclear crisis, six months later

Malaysian pavilion is the largest at ITU Telecom meeting in Geneva

Size matters: The Malaysian Pavilion at the ITU Telecom World 2011 conference in Geneva.

Boasting the largest display booth at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom World 2011 conference, Malaysia is showcasing its technological achievements in terms of broadband and connectivity. “The launch of the Malaysian pavilion is a great leap for the country, in terms of putting us on the world map, highlighting our achievements in terms of telecommunications and also other aspects in the technology field,” said Information, Communication and Culture minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim on Tuesday.  
He said Malaysia would present its own set of principles to generate critical discussions at the ITU.

This time around, he highlighted the enforcement of law, especially in terms of social media usage, whereby the minister said users should have a sense of responsibility before disseminating any kind of information. At a plenary session themed Social Media for Social Change, Rais highlighted the need to balance the free flow of information on the Internet, particularly in social media engagement, with human values.

“We encourage innovation through the Internet and social media but it should also be balanced with positive human values, something which should be promoted also by international bodies, associations and non-governmental organisations,” he said.

He said while individuals were free to demand for freedom of expression over the social media, for example via Facebook or Twitter, there should be a sense of responsibility behind all these engagements.

 This was in response to what had happened in London recently, where postings on the social media had sparked off violent riots, which triggered a ripple effect and raised the mercury of the unrest in size and intensity. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had passed on the baton as chairman of the International Advisory Board of the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (Impact) to the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore.

Minister of Transports, Posts and Digital Economy, Gilbert Noel Ouegraogo represented Compaore at the handing over ceremony on Tuesday. Impact is the cybersecurity executing arm of ITU, the United Nation's specialised agency, and is the world's first comprehensive alliance against cyber threats. Currently, Malaysia acts as UN's cybersecurity hub via Impact, based in Cyberjaya, providing support to 137 sember states which are formally part of the ITU-Impact.

 This is the third time Malaysia is attending the Telecom World, featuring homegrown companies like TM, Maxis, Celcom, MSC and Measat. At least 250 world leaders ranging from heads of state and officials, city mayors, telco industry CEOs and technology gurus, of which will lead their own contingent of experts are expected to attend this year's conference held in the land of neutrality, Switzerland. While global technological giants along the likes of Huawei Technologies Co., Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Intel, NTT Group, NTT DoCoMo, Qtel, RIM, Satorys, Swisscom, Telkom SA, Turk Telecom, TDIA, and ZTE also came in force to mark their presence.

thestar.com.my

SINGAPORE TO LAUNCH NEXT-GEN E-PAYMENT IN 2012

By the middle of 2012, consumers will be able to enjoy the convenience of paying for their purchase at more than 20,000 retail points and taxis by using their Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phones. In a similar note, businesses will be able to provide interactive and targeted contents to consumers through NFC-enabled digital signages located at more than 600 locations throughout Singapore, as part of the Infocomm Development Authority’s (IDA) Next Generation e-Payment Programme.

NFC allows simplified transactions such as data exchange to be done between two devices that are in close proximity to each other. This technology is a widely used system for making electronic payments. According to IDA, the programme will be made possible through a Call-for-Collaboration (CFC) with industry players to deploy a nationwide interoperable NFC infrastructure. Meanwhile, through an appointed neutral Trusted Third Party (TTP), payment and other service providers will be able to reach all mobile subscribers through the three mobile operators in Singapore.

The CFC has been awarded to a consortium comprising of seven companies namely; Gemalto Pte Ltd, Citibank Singapore Ltd, DBS Bank Ltd, EZ-Link Pte Ltd, M1 Limited, SingTel Mobile Singapore Pte Ltd and StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd. making this collaboration the first interoperable nationwide deployment of NFC mobile payment system in Asia. In this collaboration, Gemalto will be developing and operating the TTP infrastructure.

DBS, EZ-Link and Citibank will enable a wide range of their credit/ debit scheme cards and stored value payment products, to be issued over-the-air through Gemalto, and stored on the secure chips in their customers’ NFC-enabled mobile phones. These customers will be able to pay for their purchases using any of those payment products at NFC-ready retail points.

The services will be launched progressively across all three mobile operators namely M1, Singtel, and Starhub from the middle of next year. Besides payment services, Gemalto will also be collaborating with service providers to deploy a range of innovative NFC mobile value-added services such as interactive digital signage advertising, mobile coupons and mobile ticketing.

This will allow consumers to interact with these digital signage advertisements and download coupons, tickets and product information onto their NFC-enabled mobile phones. IDA and the consortium of companies will be investing a total of $40 million through the CFC to deploy the TTP infrastructure and more than 10 NFC mobile payment and value-added services by 2014. The services will be rolled out progressively, with at least three NFC mobile payment services made available from mid 2012.

“The TTP infrastructure will enable prospective service providers to reach out to all mobile subscribers in Singapore. Such ubiquitous access will spur the growth and adoption of innovative NFC mobile services,” said Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of IDA. In order to enjoy the benefits brought about by the NFC-enabled mobile payment services, the three mobile operators will announce details on how consumers can “NFC-enable” their mobile phones at a later stage of the project.

futuregov.asia

e-Government in Russia 2011-2020

 Belkina,Project Manager, Saint-Petersburg Information and Analytics Center at WSO2 Con 2011, Colombo.

“E-Government: Concepts and Practices in mature and developing Countries”

Yesterday 2011 October 24 at Palazzo Vidoni in Rome there was the seminar “E-Government: Concepts and Practices in mature and developing Countries”, organized by THINK! The Innovation Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with Forum PA.  

Since today are avalaible the presentation and the video of the intervention of Professor Antonio Cordella, lecturer in Information Systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His current research focus is on ICT in the Public Sector, with specific attention to e-government and the associated institutional changes.

In the next posts will be published the contributions of Shirin Madon (Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science), Mammo Muchie (Director of Research Centre on Development Studies and International Relations at Alborg University) , Claudio Forghieri (Scientific director of the magazine E-Gov), Flavia Marzano (President of Associazione Stati Generali dell’Innovazione.it) e Renzo Turatto (Economist, Head of DTI, Innovation and Technology Department, Italian Ministry of Public Administration and Innovation).

e-Government: have we forgotten of the public sector context?

View more presentations from Think! The Innovation Knowledge Foundation

.thinkinnovation.org

KOREA EMBARKS ON SMART EDUCATION ROUTE

Korea released its SMART Education strategy in September 2011, a route meant to take the country away from traditional teaching and learning methods with plans to digitise textbooks, build a cloud network, and retrain teachers.To provide this “intelligent and customised teaching and learning”, SMART Education has three directions:

• Reform the education system with digital textbooks, online classes and assessments and a build system that will allow easy access to educational content. 

• Strengthening teachers’ competencies in delivering SMART Education with training courses, smart devices and a new human resource direction. 

• Improve school infrastructure for the cloud platform, then build standard platforms for the SMART Education cloud. 

To promote the development and use of digital education content, copyright laws and systems will be revised and a new national educational content and copyright management system will be built. A culture of “giving and sharing for teachers and students” will be created through the Creative Commons License and Korea will also run “preventive and rehabilitation programmes for internet addicts” to resolve the “adverse effects of informatisation”. By 2013, Korea expects to have built the cloud computing environment in 30 per cent of all schools, with the rest completed by 2015.

futuregov.asia

'Ride the waves of change' to achieve e-govt's vision

Awg Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Upstream) at the Prime Minister's Office speaking at the opening of the second e-Government Executive Training programme. - JAMES KON

Brunei's e-Government Vision is to be 'an e-Smart Government in the 21st Century" with a mission to establish electronic governance and services to best serve the nation. To realise the vision and mission, one of the identified key strategic priorities in the e-Government strategic plan is developing capabilities and capacity. The nation's e-government vision and mission was highlighted by Awg Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Upstream) at the Prime Minister's Office in his remarks at the opening of the second e-Government Executive Training programme organised by e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.InC).
 
"The executive training programmes conducted by the e-Government Innovation Centre yesterday will help this strategic priority by providing public officials with the relevant ICT skills and knowledge towards achieving information society and knowledge based economy in Brunei Darussalam."

 A total of 14 Chief Information Officers and Chief Technical Officers from various ministries are currently undergoing the programme. Highlighting the evolving role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technical Officers (CTOs), he stated that their roles are evolving and is no longer simply a matter of keeping ICT projects on time and within the budget but must also continually look at new ways for information to add value and catalyse the development of new e-services as well as delivery channels.

He said, "Clear understanding and appreciation of the benefits and potential of technology will add values to Brunei's e-Government innovation." Apart from understanding the needs and concerns of citizens and businesses, he said, "They must also think outside the box by looking at other ways to implement projects such as outsourcing and public private partnership approaches (PPP).

"We need strong collaboration with our industry partners in the private sector to learn from their best practices and ensure our e-service delivery continues to remain relevant and innovative." Awang Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya further explained that CIOs and CTOs also need leadership and entrepreneurial skills, technological abilities and must be willing to actively work across departments and ministries.

The issues facing the public today require solutions that cut across the traditional boundaries of different agencies and resolving these issues will require CIOs, CTOs and all public officers to work together more closely than ever before.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary (Uptream) at the Prime Minister's Office also commended the e-Government Innovation Centre as it embarks on an executive e-Government Awareness Training programme for permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries in order to equip them with the latest knowledge and skills towards e-Governence to enable e-government initiatives to be implemented, supported and led right from the top level.

Concluding his speech, Awang Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya said the emergence of ICT calls for fundamental transformational shifts and rethinking in the ways we do our business and look at e-Government. The complex and rapidly changing environment demands the government agencies to ride the waves of change and continuously adapt to new trends. "I trust that eG.InC will continue to play an important role in delivering high quality and relevant e-Government training and development services," he said.

.borneobulletin.com.bn

INDIA LOCAL GOVT BODIES TO GET E-PAYMENT FACILITIES

Information Kerala Mission

The Indian government is furthering its drive to streamline public services delivery by providing more e-payment facilities to local self-government bodies. The Information Kerala Mission (IKM), the flagship e-governance project of the Government of Kerala, is poised to introduce e-payment facilities to several municipalities and villages in the county including Kasargod and Manjeswaram.
 
M. Shamsuddin, Executive Chairman and Director of IKM said Kasargod will be the first municipality to enable tax payers to pay land and property tax online. “More local bodies will be added to the list as and when they complete the entry of data, which will be saved at the Kerala State Data Centre,” Shamsuddin said.

The data entered by operators will be subjected to two layers of authentication – one by the authorities of the local body concerned and the other by the quality assurance team from IKM. The e-payment facility is driven by the software, Sanjaya, developed by IKM. Shamsuddin said the government will address the shortage of manpower at IKM in rolling out its various initiatives. “At present, a technical assistant from IKM attends to as many as seven panchayats (a governance system in village). This means that they have to go to another panchayat even as they are attending to the affairs of some other panchayat,” he said.

futuregov.in

INDIAN STATE UNVEILS E-PAYMENT PORTAL FOR ENTREPRENEURS

The government of Uttar Pradesh, a northern state in India, has launched an online payment portal in a bid to make public transactions paperless. State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner V N Garg launched the portal, called Nivesh Mitra, which has a user-friendly interface with online payment facility and other unique features for facilitating quicker processing of matters relating to entrepreneurs and investors.

The e-payment portal accessible at www.udyogbandhu.org also assists entrepreneurs for getting clearances from 12 government departments. With the project, the entrepreneurs can avail of the facility of online payments, which is being offered in association with Punjab National Bank.

Nivesh Mitra is currently functional in 18 districts and is expected to go live in the whole state in the future. Stressing the importance of e-governance, Garg said it could only be made successful on the premise of good governance and has the ability to reduce transaction cost in terms of money and time.

Industrial development department special secretary and Udyog Bandhu joint executive director Anamika Singh gave a detailed demonstration to show the unique functionalities of the web portal. Meanwhile, Garg asked industry bodies to use the web portal and spread awareness amongst general public. He also urged the government departments and district magistrates to take active part in making this initiative effective.

futureGov

MALAYSIA NEEDS A DIGITAL ECONOMY - PM

Malaysia needs a solid push and a clear framework to build a digital economy which will be an important enabler for the country’s transformation, said the country’s Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.The Prime Minister made the remarks during the launch of the 23rd Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia Implementation Council Meeting in Putrajaya.Razak further said the next wave of economic growth would come from the knowledge-based economy, with digital technologies as a key driver of progress.  

He noted that Malaysia ranked 36th out of 70 countries in the Digital Economy Ranking 2010 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Razak added that, In Asia, Malaysia ranked sixth in the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, released by the World Economic Forum, coming behind Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

 “The main contributors were a steady improvement in broadband, mobile and internet connectivity, as well as government support,” he added. He also announced earlier this year that Malaysia is in the midst of constructing an innovative digital economy framework as part of the government’s transformation programme.

 The prime minister said he gave his mandate to Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to visualise and drive the Digital Malaysia framework as part of National Transformation Policy. MDeC CEO Badlisham Ghazali told FutureGov in an interview earlier this year that MSC aims at helping the country transform in the modern state by 2020, with the adoption of a knowledge-based society framework.

 Ghazali said the MSC is now on its third phase implementation (2011- 2015) and the core initiatives under this phase include the establishment of two new cybercities each year and completing the Innovative Digital Economy framework by the second half of the year.

.futuregov.asia

In How Many Ways Can Governments Be Smart?

Another interesting client meeting at the Gartner Symposium in Orlando with the CIO from a technology progressive city in the south of the US. The CIO told me that the mayor is pushing for the city to become smart (or smarter), and I couldn’t resist asking what smart means for them. The answer was: anything that gives citizens the ability to self-serve without having to call or come to an office. I thought this was covered under e-government or on-line government, and I told the CIO that being a smart city government today means to focus on the sustainability of services, operations and also of IT initiatives. 

Here is an example that is quite typical in open-government-friendly cities and helps explain the difference. Providing citizen with an application that allows them to report problems in the city, such as potholes, uncollected trash, broken lamps and so forth is a great idea (the See-Click-Fix model). However one has to think about what happens after the problem is instantly reported. Expectations are set – albeit implicitly – that the problem will be fixed, but if the adoption rate for the application is high, it is likely that the city is inundated with requests that it may be difficult to manage in line with citizens’ expectations, unless they have been set very clearly. What would be smart is to provide end-to-.end transparency of process ranging from reporting to repair, but making sure that the reporting citizen’s expectation are set almost instantaneously either by informing him or her how long it will take, or at least giving some insight about average times to repair as well as number of tasks in the pipeline.

So, much of this “smartness” goes back to better integration of processes, data and applications that was at the core of e-government and joined-up government.

What we at Gartner mean about smart government is an approach that focuses on generating sustainable value in every single aspect of IT management, from IT strategic planning to sourcing, from program management to operations, in an affordable way. So, if a citizen-reporting application can contribute to sustainability by reducing the cost of inspections, by reducing the volume of 311 calls, by contributing to more efficient maintenance planning or even to possibly engage citizens and neighborhood associations to help solve problems, then it is truly smart. If it is just to show that government listens but has no clear of sight to measurable performance improvements, then it is definitely less than smart.

http://blogs.gartner.com | Andrea Di Maio VP Distinguished Analyst

Report Claims Australia Can Be Cloud Leader

A report commissioned by Macquarie Telecom claims that Australia is positioned to be a world leader in creating the jobs and industry of the 21st century by becoming a cloud computing hub. However it says Australia must move quickly to seize opportunities and address some geographic disadvantages. The report: 'The Potential for Cloud Computing Services in Australia' was written by Lateral Economics. It argues that Australia can capitalise on the potential for an on-shore cloud sector, providing cloud services to Australian (and global) organisations.

The report claims the prerequisites for success are: a vigorous strategy for investment; a legislative framework that continues to promote investment and protect data; and standards for contracts and for disclosure should data security be breached. David Tudehope, CEO of Macquarie Telecom, said Australia deserved to become the natural choice for companies seeking secure cloud infrastructures and services, instead of betting on a future reliant on diminishing natural resources.

 "Australia has everything needed to make this a global reality: the skills, the legal, political, and geographical certainties, as well as the assurance that data hosted here is secure. Powered by national initiatives such as the NBN, we now have the bandwidth and infrastructure to plug the world into Australia."

 The report was launched by innovation minister, senator Kim Carr, who said: "The report identifies a number of areas for Government focus, to which the Commonwealth will give close consideration." Tudehope added: "Now is the time to make the investment, to link all these natural advantages, and forge a strong coalition between the commercial sectors and government, to give companies based in Australia and the rest of the world the competitive option of choosing Australia to host their cloud infrastructures.

" Release of the report co-incided with the announcement of the OzHub Coalition, a body founded by Macquarie Telecom, Fujitsu, InfoPlex and VMware, a body that aims to build local consumer and business confidence in cloud computing.

Japanese company shares e-government expertise

Japanese experience and strategies in e-government were presented at a workshop in Hanoi on October 18. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications and Japan’s Fujitsu Vietnam Company. Hiroaki Yoshida, Fujitsu’s director for government solutions, presented Japan’s strategies for building an easy-to-access year-round, 24-hour-a-day e-government system to provide convenient, efficient updated information for the public.
He also talked about Fujitsu’s successful experience in digitalizing stock reports and developing a system for estimating annual state budgets, as well as a system for registering real estate. Addressing the workshop, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Minh Hong said the Vietnamese Government is keen on applying e-government services to boost the efficiency of State agencies and provide the public and businesses with necessary information and public services.

To this end, Mr Hong said the Prime Minister had approved a national information technology (IT) programme application in State organs during the 2011-2015 period and another project to make Vietnam a regional IT power. A representative of the IT Application Department said Vietnam aims to develop an inter-connected paperless government with easy public access. This representative added that the country will complete its technical infrastructure to provide a foundation for the widespread application of IT and e-government systems in State agencies by 2015.

talkvietnam.com

Collaborative production of e-Gov services

ePractice is organising a workshop in Brussels on October 27th, focussing on collaborative e-government services: "The notion of collaborative production of eGovernment services refers to the modernisation of the way governments engage and work together with their citizens in developing policies and how these citizens are empowered to harness the opportunities that new technologies have to offer.

The European eGovernment Action Plan, 2011-2015, recognises the significance of this collaboration and stresses the importance of finding the most suitable tools and their best applications.

" The morning session will discuss the achieved benefits and public value created through the joint production of services by public administrations and citizens. The second session, in the afternoon, of the workshop will discuss the interim findings of the study launched by DG INFSO H2.

The study addresses key questions such as:

• What is collaborative e-government and to what policy areas is it applied? 
• How are Europe and its Member states positioned? 
• Does it have a substantial positive impact on the quality of services, while maintaining for universality and accountability?
• What are the drivers and the barriers?
• What policy actions should Europe promote, and with which targets?

 In addition this session will complement the discussion by presenting real-life experiences of collaborative e-government from all over Europe. Furthermore, it will discuss potential policy recommendations for the European Commission, as well as for all stakeholders. The discussion will directly feed into the final report of the study. See the provisional program for the afternoon session.

http://epsiplatform.eu

Depoliticise e-govt agenda

South Africa is currently stagnated at the informational phase of the key e-government stages, says Gijima's Khaya Ngcakani. The South African government needs to depoliticise the e-government agenda, and, in partnership with government departments, develop accountable e-government committees, boards and commissions that include representation from all sectors impacting the implementation of a citizen-mandated e-government service. So says Khaya Ngcakani, Gijima Public Services' e-government consultant, who notes that South Africa's e-government initiatives are often large, 'big bang' initiatives that are almost always internally focused, and not necessarily informed by the socio-economic requirements of the bulk of the citizens. 

 
According to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), SA still remains holed in the first stage of maturity when it comes to e-government. “The first stage of e-government maturity involves using the Internet and Web-based technologies to become more efficient at providing information and some basic forms of interaction and transaction,” the department explains.

“It requires considerable investment in technology, skills and institutional capability to lift service quality, access and reliability, and demonstrate results,” it adds. As of 2010, SA was at number 97 on the worldwide e-government development ranking, the DPSA reveals. “All the countries in southern Africa scored lower in the 2010 survey than they did the previous two years. SA continues to lead the region, but it also witnessed the most dramatic drop in rank – to 97th out of 190 states, with an index value of 0.4306, behind the world average of 0.4406,” it says. Market research firm, IDC notes that IT spending in the government sector in SA totalled $1.47 billion in 2010, largely on the back of e-government initiatives. The firm expects IT spending in the country to grow steadily in 2011 and beyond, with government investments continuing as the key driver.

 “IT spending in the government sector in SA is expected to show steady positive growth over the 2011 to 2015 period,” says Jebin George, IDC research analyst for Middle East, Africa and Turkey. “Achieving operational efficiency, better service provisioning, and lower costs through automation will be key priorities for the sector in 2011.”

The firm also states that SA still has a long way to go in terms of creating a sophisticated e-government infrastructure. Ngcakani believes the success of e-government initiatives is best measured by the proportion of a country's population that has access to government services. She notes that citizen-based e-government initiatives in SA are currently formalised and governed at the national level of government, when most essential services are accessed by the citizen at the municipal level of government.

She also points out that process-related efficiencies and an integrated, multi-tier approach to the modernisation of the government back-office would be greatly enhanced if cloud computing, specifically the community cloud, were considered as options as legacy systems, and retired infrastructure are migrated across government departments with related service delivery mandates.

“We are currently stagnated at the informational phase of the key e-government stages, and in order to transition into the transactional phase, where all citizens have access to e-services, critical will be wider broadband penetration, including a focus on rural connectivity, and also a review of the current service access channels as the citizen's interface to government services. “SA, at this stage, should be leading the way globally in the development of a mobile government strategy that includes mobile platforms and alternative mobile interfaces as the conduit to the services that government provides,” she concludes.

itweb.co.za

Vietnam gov't builds foundation for national IT security

prayastech.com

The government of Vietnam is building its national security IT infrastructure and has contracted some companies to help them carry out the project.

 CrimsonLogic, a provider of e-government solutions and services, said the Vietnam government has contracted their services for a consultancy project that will see users of government services receiving improved services through enhanced e-governance capabilities.

 The Vietnamese government has embarked on a World Bank-funded project that will involve building a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that will be the foundation of its National Authentication Framework (NAF). The system will enable customers of the e-government services to access a range of government services electronically using a single electronic identity.


 
Aside from simplifying procedures, the government said enhancing its e-governance capabilities can save the government up to VND 30 trillion (US$1.5 billion) annually. 

 CrimsonLogic is working with telecommunications provider FPT Information Systems to implement the project for the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) in Hanoi, Vietnam.



 Transparency in governance



The goal of the government is to simplify administrative processes through transparent and efficient online services within five years.

 Said Dr Nguyen Thanh Phuc, director general, Authority of IT Application, MIC: "Technology plays a key role for Vietnam to become a strong nation in IT and in e-government implementation.

We are deeply committed to the development of a reliable IT infrastructure as it advances the use of technology in government agencies, which improves productivity and reduces operational costs."

 CrimsonLogic said PKI provides a secure platform for authenticating information, data integrity, and offers confidentiality.


 Leong Peng Kiong, chief executive officer, CrimsonLogic, said the PKI project is a good foundation that can gradually lead to other projects by other government agencies in Vietnam. This, in turn, will provide more e-services to Vietnam's citizens and businesses.

 "CrimsonLogic's expertise with e-government implementations instils confidence that our partnership will be a success, enabling the Vietnamese government to deliver high-quality and efficient services," said Duong Dung Trieu, CEO, FPT Information Systems.

networksasia.net

Smart Government at Gartner Symposium: Q&A from Twitter and after the Session

Earlier today I opened the government track of our Industry program with a session on “Smart Government: Beyond Cities and Planets”, which was very well attended, taking into account the early time of the day. For those who have not been following the session, previous entries in this blog cover the concept of smart government (see here and here). In a nutshell, smart government is not a program or a goal, but it is an approach to or style of managing IT driven by government financial sustainability concerns. It requires some form of boundary (between domains, tiers, jurisdictions, process areas, or constituencies) to be crossed.  

I promised attendees that I would answer questions posed after the session through Twitter or in person, and here they are.

Question: Some people would object that smart government cannot change the way politicians set their priorities, which then percolate on IT folks who need to implement those: what is your position?

 Answer: Smart government recognizes the reality of government, where political and budget cycles set the pace and the climate for IT spending. Rather than pursuing a difficult campaign to improve IT’s reputation, smart government works to make sure that as much as possible of what is accomplished within the constraints of one political term or one budget cycles can be leveraged for the next one. The point I made about the use of scenario-planning techniques to drive IT strategic planning goes in that direction: identifying commonalities across very different scenarios tells us what is worth doing that is unlikely to be thrown away at the next cycle.

Question: To what extent are current government IT cost containment efforts compromising future financial sustainability?

 Answer: An excessive focus on cost containment is likely to lead to short-term decisions that may have a negative impact on long-term viability and sustainability. On the other hand, this argument cannot be used to release the strings of the purse and be granted immunity from cost optimization. The challenge for smart government is to find ways to contribute to sustainability by keeping technology costs at bay. This is why I have been talking about “radical cost optimization options”: organizations that have already improved a lot their IT efficiency over the last few years, will have to be innovative in finding ways to either maintain their IT cost base or even reduce it further, while contributing to sustainability.

 Question: Since smart government involves significant cross-boundary working, can we cope with concomitant (huge) cultural change?

 Answer: The assumption is that cross-boundary activities will be pursued as a necessity and not as an option. Many problems with turfwars and ineffective joint governance derive from situations where those involved in cross-boundary cooperation did have other choices (such as holding to the status quo, or pursuing local optimizations within their own boundaries). When cross-boundary work is recognized by all parties involved as a necessity, and what is at stake is the ability of those parties to meet their statutory obligations going forward, then it is quite likely that resistance will be milder. This does not mean that cultural change happens overnight, but that if different agencies and jurisdictions share a common goal or pain point, it is easier for them to find a base.

 Question: Do you have examples of the kind of cross-boundary collaborations that exhibit some of the characteristics of smart government?

 Answer: There are quite a few examples, ranging from the resource-aware policy making endeavors that some European jurisdictions (such as the Netherlands) have been pursuing, to the interactive model used by the City of Portland to explore interrelationships between different departments, from the participatory budgeting in New York to the gov 2.0 example on human services that I used with last year’s keynote. One could argue that also endeavors like the Health Information Exchange in the US or the implementation of single points of contact for the EU Service Directive fall under the definition of smart government, but I am less positive. In fact these derive more from the need to comply with a directive, a standard or a specification, than from a genuine attempt at crossing boundaries for sustainability. Do not get me wrong: the policies leading to such endeavors probably have sustainability in mind, but from an IT management perspective they remain compliance programs.

 Question: Listening to different sessions there seem to be contrasting opinions between consolidation and devolution (or choice) and between downplaying the importance of business alignment and emphasizing the need to spend more time with the business to figure out its needs. How can they be resolved?

 Answer: It is a matter of striking the right balance. For instance, consolidation might be the right thing to do in cases where demonstrable savings deriving from consolidation are not offset by a loss of agility that may ultimately impact on sustainability. Similarly, in complex programs with a long-term commitment by the executive leadership, it does make sense to spend more time having the business agree (among itself and with IT) about the right course of action, while in programs characterized by greater uncertainty, it is better for IT to take the lead in determining the elements that is safe to develop and that can be sustained despite priority changes, and aim at evolutionary development that builds upon demonstrably sustainable components.


blog.gartner.com

Can IT save government? Perhaps with a better budget

If you think you had a tough technology budget cycle, just try being a government exec these days. At the Gartner Symposium Sunday, there were a bevy of presentations about government and IT. As noted on Smart Planet, Gartner analyst Andrea Di Maio defined smart city efforts vs. smart government efforts. The upshot is that government IT spending is trying to get beyond the political cycle and do more long-term planning. You know the buzzwords by now e-government, Web 2.0, consumerization and other trends are all supposed to add up to more efficiency. Smart government isn’t about the vendor pitches as much as it is about doing technology cheaply. Why is that important? Government entities are broke—and that’s a complement since some are over their heads in debt. Since that situation isn’t likely to change, governments need IT for sustainability—the financial kind.

The issue with these efforts all revolve around financial planning. Can you really map out a 5-year overhaul when Congress and the administration turns over well before that budget period ends? Jerry Mechling, a Gartner analyst, argued that IT budgets may increase for governments. Now Mechling’s take is a bit pie-in-the-sky because it would take a heroic effort to get the pols that control the budget to see the light.

He seems to assume that CIOs can win allies and play the political game. Good luck with that. Here’s the argument though: It is the productivity-producing capacity of IT that makes it different and why it should be treated differently in budgeting. The “cut everybody equally” approach is widely acceptable politically, but when implemented carries a serious cost for governmental and societal productivity. To gain productivity, we need to continue the longstanding trend of replacing manual labor with IT.

While normal politics may of course slow the growth of IT and other costs in government, in many places it will be possible to better respond to requirements for cost-cutting by using the budget to look specifically for IT-enabled productivity improvement. The CIO should be part of the leadership driving such reform, but to succeed will need to develop allies among budget directors and other positions of power. The upshot is that CIOs need a new budget game to reinvent government. In fact, government techies should focus on non-IT productivity if they want a better budget. Why? Government needs to replace manual labor—and the people that go with them—with IT. Cloud computing doesn’t collect a pension. Replace Congress with IBM’s Watson and then we’re really on to something.

http://m.zdnet.com

Seoul City Promotes E-Government Framework in Barcelona

Add caption

The Seoul metropolitan government is promoting South Korea’s e-government framework at the 2011 executive committee meeting of the World e-Government Organization of Cities and Local Governments (WeGO,) which opened in Barcelona on Monday.  
The South Korean framework is a set of standards that are necessary to develop and operate information systems on e-governance. It has been adopted by 113 South Korean public and private organizations for informatization, and it was exported to Mongolia and Paraguay. Seoul city is also planning to distribute the framework to other cities around the world for free. With the international dissemination of its framework, South Korea and Seoul city will lead the development and spread of e-government systems on the global stage.

world.kbs.co.kr

Innovation in E-Government: Satellite Applications as Enablers of Smart Public Services

Dissemination of the GOES Project at the OPEN DAYS 2011 WORKSHOP: “ Innovation in E-Government: Satellite Applications as Enablers of Smart Public Services” – Brussels, 11th October 2011.

Satellite information, navigation and telecommunication applications enable the delivery of new, innovative public services and the improvement of existing ones. They could support more efficient interaction on all levels of governance, better quality and diversity of the available services.
 

This year, on the occasion of the OPEN DAYS 2011, several workshops are focused on how Governments use satellite applications to optimise the quality of public services in a vast number of areas, from education, social inclusion and public health to environment and economic development. In this framework, the GOES project was presented as an example of good practices, during the networking after the workshop “Innovation in E-Government: Satellite Applications as Enablers of Smart Public Services” that took place on 11th October at the Committee of the Regions.

More than 100 people who were attending the workshop and the networking had the opportunity to watch a video from the Policia local de Valencia that illustrates how the GOES project is been implemented in this city.

goesproject.eu

E-nailed

THE governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, recently flew to a computer-industry conference in Washington, DC, to receive an award for being an innovator in e-government. Curiously, at about the same time, other politicians back in Arkansas were grilling the guru who designed much of this fabled e-government, trying to find out how bad it really is. They have summoned him back for another inquisition next week.  
Randall Bradford moved to Arkansas last year from Texas to supervise the state government's technology, especially the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS), a high-tech accounting system. Last month Mr Huckabee unexpectedly fired Mr Bradford from his $150,000-a-year job, for allegedly being untruthful and unco-operative. Since then Mr Bradford has been a thorn in the Republican governor's side, producing e-mails from the governor's staff urging him not to work with Democratic legislators, and making it clear that the $52m AASIS is not quite the award-winner it seemed.

Arkansas's claim to fame in e-government circles is that it was the first state to pull together all its 148 state agencies electronically. Last July AASIS brought more than 35,000 state employees on to an integrated system designed by a German firm, SAP, which was one of the sponsors of the award the governor received (and also nominated him for it).

The system was originally supposed to cost only $22m. But the cost has doubled, and a mixture of over-runs, payroll foul-ups and delays in payments to state suppliers has irritated the workers struggling to master the new system. Mr Bradford adds that AASIS, which includes sensitive information such as tax returns, is “100% vulnerable” to hackers.

Mr Bradford claims that the governor's people tried to bury these failures. He was required to submit his reports to the governor from a private e-mail address (supposedly so that people could not recover them under freedom-of-information acts). Mr Bradford, who has been summoned to appear before the legislature again on July 19th, is threatening to sue both the state and Mr Huckabee over his firing.

The state is still squabbling with the federal Department of Health and Human Services about whether it should repay $9.4m in federal money inappropriately used for AASIS. And now the Internal Revenue Service has fined the state $164,000 because it took too long to provide the agency with $8.1m withheld from state workers' pay packets.


State officials blame the amount of time they had to spend manually compiling the information for the missed deadline. The governor says he is not afraid, and claims the whole thing is a Democratic plot. But, with Arkansas's budget spilling red ink, the idea that $50m has disappeared into a faulty computer system is not likely to make voters love him.


economist.com

India's ambitious m-government plans

The scale of transformation needed to migrate public services to mobile delivery is daunting. No coincidence then that, to date, the outstanding pioneer in e- and m-government has been Estonia, with a population of just 1.3 million and noted for its relatively “lean” public sector (OECD Economic Surveys: Estonia 2011). In contrast, India’s 1.55 billion people, of whom around 800 million are mobile phone users, present a whole different challenge. Nonetheless, central government has built an ambitious policy framework designed to make thousands of public services accessible from mobile phones by 2012.  
Since the launch of the National e-Governance Plan in 2006, hundreds of online forms and processes of each state authority have transferred online – such as tax filing and payment of utility bills. But with dismal penetration of home broadband, most citizens rely on public access kiosks, including some 100,000 Common Services Centers directly funded via a public-private partnership.

 Recognizing that it could reach 10 times the number of citizens on their mobiles, the Indian government opened consultation on a national Mobile Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG) in April 2011. The first services rolled out in September and around 25 should be live by the end of the year, supported by a national payments gateway.

An app store is due in March 2012 and public funds will be targeted to encourage applications innovation. So how is a country of India’s size and complexity able to move so quickly? The m-government initiative is built on four pillars: joined-up national policy, including support for open technology standards and interoperability; financial commitment; close regulation of telecom operators; and crucially, the digitization of public data during the first wave of e-government.

telecomasia.net

E-government for a faster, smarter world

The advances that have been made in communications networks, particularly over the past 20 years, have been so rapid and vast that it is difficult to imagine a life unconnected. Sometimes though, we do find ourselves in situations where we don’t have access to communications, and sometimes those occasions are exactly when we need communications the most. It is easy to take communications for granted until the network goes down. At times of extreme peril though, the ability to communicate suddenly takes on absolute importance. If the general population cannot communicate, the situation is bad, but if a government’s communications network goes down, the situation becomes dire.

Crisis is a well worn phrase in the world of corporate communications but in reality the crises under consideration tend to be financial rather than humanitarian. Scenarios of true crisis do not bear thinking about, though responsibility rests with governments to think long and hard about exactly the scenarios for which they must prepare and the solutions they need to have in place in order to care for the people they govern.

Governments need end-to-end security for calls, video monitoring, video conferencing and other integrated services, along with high-speed data transmission, positioning, command and control, emergency response and intelligent data analysis. Governments need to protect against and promptly respond to all kinds of disasters and emergencies, and to help maintain a safe environment for their populations.

This is why events such as ITU Telecom World are important on the communications calendar and why ZTE is so pleased to be involved. Seeing many heads of state and influencers from the public sector mixing with leading innovators from private enterprises demonstrates how vital communications are for world security. We’re a business, of course, and we’re here to help our business grow. So we’ll be making announcements of relevance on the world e-government stage.

But we’re also here to learn from others in both the public and private sectors. Telecom World is a very special event on the technology conference calendar. No other technology event pulls together such a diverse gathering of people and organisations under one roof. Technology and communications might have changed beyond all recognition in the space of just 20 years, but people have not.

The world is not a smaller place, it just seems smaller thanks to technology. I’m sure the next 20 years will bring plenty of surprises, but I predict it will also bring a period of growth and social harmony. Governments will govern, and technology enabling faster, smarter and more efficient communications will result in faster, smarter more efficient societies.

itu.int

Server E-KTP Tak Berfungsi

PROSES E-KTP - Seorang warga tengah menjalani scan sidik jari sebagai salah satu tahapan proses E-KTP, di Kantor Kecamatan Pekalongan Barat, Selasa (11/10) siang.

Server penangkap data kependudukan dari Pemerintah Pusat yang digunakan dalam proses pengambilan data program Kartu Tanda Penduduk Elektronik (E-KTP) yang ada di Kecamatan Pekalongan Utara beberapa hari ini tak berfungsi, karena mengalami kerusakan. Sehingga, proses pengambilan data E-KTP di wilayah ini saat ini untuk sementara terhenti. Sedangkan proses E-KTP di tiga kecamatan lainnya secara umum berjalan lancar tanpa ada gangguan.

Hal ini diakui Kepala Seksi Identitas Penduduk pada Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil (Disdukcapil) Kota Pekalongan, S Purwanto SIP, di sela-sela proses pengambilan data E-KTP di Kantor Kecamatan Pekalongan Barat, Selasa (11/10) siang. "Namun permasalahan kerusakan server penangkap data tersebut telah kami laporkan ke pusat.

Dijanjikan nanti malam (tadi malam-red) akan dikirim. Mungkin besok (hari ini-red) alatnya akan tiba," ujar Pejabat Pelaksana Teknis Kegiatan (PPTK) E-KTP ini. Purwanto mengungkapkan bahwa sebelumnya, server E-KTP di Kantor Kecamatan Pekalongan Utara tersebut berfungsi normal.

Terutama saat uji coba E-KTP dilakukan pada 3-4 Oktober lalu. "Saat ujicoba itu, kita sudah bisa memproses data 80 penduduk. Tetapi saat ini di Utara sementara berhenti. Semoga besok kalau servernya sudah ada bisa berjalan normal lagi," ungkapnya. Dijelaskan, proses pengambilan data E-KTP di Kota Pekalongan untuk masyarakat umum sudah dimulai 5 Oktober lalu.

Sedangkan pihaknya ditarget agar proses pengambilan data E-KTP berupa foto wajah, tandatangan, scan 10 sidik jari, serta scan iris mata masing-masing penduduk yang telah memiliki wajib KTP di Kota Pekalongan seluruhnya bisa rampung akhir tahun ini, atau berjalan selama tiga bulan sejak dicanangkan.

Padahal, menurut Purwanto, sebelumnya Disdukcapil telah menghitung proses pengambilan data E-KTP akan selesai dalam jangka waktu lima bulan. "Tetapi ternyata ada keterlambatan pengiriman peralatan dari pusat, sehingga harus menunda pelaksanaannya hingga dua bulan, alatnya pun dua set untuk tiap kecamatan, sehingga total Kota Pekalongan dapat delapan set." 300 Warga Perhari Untuk memenuhi target akhir tahun ini bisa selesai, maka Disdukcapil harus memaksimalkan proses pengambilan data tiap harinya. Yakni, dengan memperbanyak jumlah warga yang dilayani tiap harinya.

Disebutkan Purwanto, tiap hari rata-rata tiap kecamatan memproses 300 warga untuk diambil datanya. Sedangkan penduduk yang wajib berKTP sejumlah 226.700 jiwa. "Harapannya nanti bisa selesai sesuai target waktu yang ditentukan," ujarnya.Disdukcapil juga mengerahkan 40 petugas operator E-KTP se Kota Pekalongan. Tiap kecamatan, ada 10 operator, didampingi satu petugas yang disediakan pusat.

"Pelaksanaannya dibagi dalam dua shift, shift pertama mulai pukul 07.00 hingga 14.00 WIB, dan shift ke dua pukul 14.00 hingga 21.00 WIB," imbuhnya. Lebih jauh Purwanto menjelaskan, saat ini proses pengambilan data E-KTP di tiga kecamatan, yakni Barat, Timur dan Selatan bisa berjalan lancar. Disebutkan pula, pengambilan data untuk tiap penduduk hanya membutuhkan waktu minimal tiga menit, dan paling lama enam menit. "Yang jelas, kita sudah berkomitmen melayani masyarakat semaksimal mungkin.

radar-pekalongan.com

Investigasi Tender Proyek e-KTP- RCTI

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) menilai Kementerian Dalam Negeri (Kemendagri) sudah salah persepsi tentang proyek e-KTP. Menurut ICW, seharusnya pemerintah perlu merapihkan dulu nomor induk kependudukan secara elektronik (e-NIK) ketimbang proyek e-KTP. "Yang penting itu adalah e-NIK bukan e-KTP nya. e-NIK sangat penting untuk digunakan dalam keaslian membuat data SIM, Paspor, rekening pada suatu Bank, Asuransi bahkan untuk e-KTP nya sendiri,"ujar Kordinator ICW, Danang Widoyoko saat mengelar jumpa pers di kantor ICW, Jl. Kalibata Timur 4D, Kamis (13/10/2011).

Proyek e-KTP juga dinilai lebih mementingkan proteksi KTP-nya, bukan nomor induknya. "Seharusnya yang diproteksi itu adalah nomor induknya, bukan KTP-nya. Jadi pemerintah (Kemendagri) telah salah langkah membuat ini semua. Bahkan amanat UU No. 23 Tahun 2006 Tentang Administrasi Kependudukan tidak menyinggung sedikitpun soal penerapan e-KTP," ujarnya.

tribunnews.com

Bermasalah, Proyek e-KTP Terindikasi Dikorupsi

Okezone.com

Pengamat politik UI Boni Hargens menjelaskan, modus kejahatan korupsi semakin canggih. Tindak pidana itu tak hanya terjadi saat proyek-proyek pemerintah berlangsung. Tetapi juga sudah terjadi sejak rencana anggaran itu disusun. ’’Masyarakat tak boleh terbuai dengan kasus-kasus yang ada. Banyak persoalan korupsi lain yang bisa muncul lagi,’’ terang dia. Dosen ilmu politik UI ini menyebutkan, persoalan e-KTP saat ini masih mengalami kendala berpeluang menjadi kasus kourpsi baru. Itu terlihat dari berbagai persoalan yang menghambat pelaksanaan e-KTP.

Apalagi, terang dia, anggaran yang dikucurkan dalam proyek tersebut juga cukup besar. Namun nyatanya, harapan terlaksananya proyek kependudukan itu masih jauh dari harapan. ’’Saya rasa pantas kalau KPK segera melihat perkara ini sebagai persoalan penting pula,’’ ujarnya. Boni menambahkan, dalam berbagai perkara terakhir ini memang kuat indikasi perkara korupsi yang terjadi sudah terencana baik.

Artinya kasus korupsi itu sudah disusun sejak jauh hari. Sehingga proses mengambil uang rakyat pun terasa tanpa hambatan. Modus-modus tersebut, lanjut dia, perlu diperhatikan banyak elemen masyarakat. Lembaga-lembaga penyidik negara pun harus lebih serius memantaunya. Sebab, perkara korupsi yang direncanakan itu menjadi lebih kabur dan sulit terdeteksi.

’’Kalau direncanakan berarti memang sudah ada niat. Akibatnya pun banyak hal yang menjadi dibodohi,’’ pungkasnya. Menurutnya sanksi bagi pelaku korupsi yang terrencana itu haruslah lebih berat lagi. Tak bisa disamakan dengan pelaku korupsi dengan modus biasa. Agar sejak awal tindakan perencanaan korupsi menjadi dapat ditekan.

Sayangnya, dugaan kasus korupsi e-KTP belum disentuh Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi. Dua pimpinan KPK, Haryono Umar dan Johan Budi, tak memberikan tanggapan sedikit pun. Berulang-ulang ponselnya dihubungi tak memberikan jawaban apapun. Sementara itu, Komisi II DPR RI akan memantau langsung penerapan e-KTP di daerah yang dianggap paling krusial pelaksanaannya. Masalah SDM dan sosialisasi jadi bom waktu kekacauan. ’’Kami sudah siapkan sampel lokasi untuk melakukan tinjauan,’’ kata Abdul Hakam Naja, Wakil Ketua Komisi II DPR RI, Minggu (2/10)

jpnn.com

Alat E-KTP Ngadat

Kepala Biro Kependudukan dan Catatan Sipil Pemerintah Propinsi Kalbar, Sopiandi menyatakan empat kabupaten dan kota di wilayahnya siap dalam melaksanakan KTP elektronik. Tetapi terkendala banyaknya peralatan yang macet, sehingga harus dikembalikan lagi. ”Tahun ini empat daerah dulu. Seluruhnya sudah siap dan alat sudah datang. Tetapi setelah dicek, ada peralatan yang macet. Ada yang lampunya putus dan lain-lain sehingga dikembalikan lagi untuk diperbaiki,” ujar Sopiandi di Kebun Percontohan PKK, Rasau Jaya, Rabu (12/10).

Empat daerah yang memberikan pelayanan KTP elektronik saat ini yaitu, Kota Pontianak, Singkawang, Kubu Raya, dan Landak. Menurut Sopiandi, seluruh peralatan pelayanan KTP elektronik dari pemerintah pusat. Pemerintah propinsi maupun kabupaten dan kota hanya menyiapkan tempat pelayanan dan petugas.

Selain itu, mereka juga mendatangi masyarakat yang tidak bisa datang untuk membuat KTP elektronik. ”Untuk listrik tidak ada masalah, kami menyiapkan genset 5000 watt di setiap kecamatan. Selain itu, ada alat yang bisa dibawa. Jadi bagi masyarakat yang jauh dan tidak bisa datang, bisa didatangi,” katanya.

Sopiandi mengimbau agar masyarakat segera mendatangi tempat pelayanan KTP elektronik untuk melakukan perekaman dalam 100 hari ini. Mereka yang melakukan perekaman dalam 100 hari akan mendapatkan KTP elektronik yang dikeluarkan Kementerian Dalam Negeri. ”Jika lewat 100 hari, tetap bisa melakukan perekaman.

Tetapi dinas yang mengeluarkan KTP-nya,” katanya. Ia menambahkan pada tahun depan, seluruh kabupaten sudah melayani pembuatan KTP elektronik. ”Pembuatan KTP ini gratis,” timpal Sopiandi. Asisten I Pemprov Kalbar, Sumarno juga mengimbau kesediaan masyarakat untuk segera mengurus KTP elektronik.

”Agar identitasnya jelas dan bagus,” katanya. Tetapi tidak semua warga mengetahui pelayanan KTP elektronik ini. Seperti yang diungkapkan salah seorang warga Rasau Jaya. ”Memangnya di Kubu Raya juga sudah KTP elektronik ya? Saya belum tahu. Warga di sini juga belum tahu. Mungkin desa lain, Rasau Jaya belum,” ujarnya.

jpnn.com

Still a Long Way for Technology to Make a Difference in Government

Sometimes personal experience is a powerful source of data for a government-related blog. Yesterday I was one of the millions of Italians who tried to fill their census forms online rather than on paper. I would have thought that the statistical office would plan for an easily foreseeable spike in demand or at least advise people that there may be availability issues and suggest how how to distribute requests across a more manageable period of time. Not at all, and all I and hundreds of thousands of Italians got was the “service unavailable” window, and apologies through the press.

Today I decided to file the request for disability benefits on behalf of my mother. This was supposed to be the last step of a long process:

1. Going to the GP to have a certificate indicating the type of disability
   
2. Initiating the procedure, through a not-for-profit intermediary (no way to submit the request unless electronically, so intermediaries offer that servicem since people who ask for disability benefits are unlikely to be online users)
   
3. Being called two months later for a medical exam (fixed date, fixed time, no way to reschedule in case of need)
   
4. Getting the results four months later, which is when one can actually file the request
   
   At this stage I had to fill a form, go to my mom’s bank to get an official stamp and signature (although disability benefits would be paid on the exact same bank account where she received her pension), and then – with all necessary forms and copies – I showed up at the local branch of the Italian social security agency.
   
   To my surprise I was told that they could take in my request, but would not bear any responsibility for its successful transfer to their local headquarters (10 km far), nor would they give me a receipt.
   
   My best options in order to be totally sure were to either go to their headquarters or to use (again) a not-for-profit intermediary. I queued for 90 minutes at the intermediary organization to then meet a friendly and very helpful guy who processed the request (electronically) in about 60 seconds, showing that my mother’s case was already in the system.
   
   The irony is that the social security agency is known to be one of the best users of IT in the Italian government, with a suit of online services that requires – however – userid and password that a 80 year-old woman is unlikely to even think about asking. In this process, the social security agency sent a letter informing us that the medical commission had authorized disability benefits for a person (my mom) they know everything about, as she already receives a monthly pension from them.
   
   Why does one need to place a request again? As governments strive to be more effective and efficient, they aim at exchanging information across different departments and agencies. But, here, an agency that is deemed to be top-class in using technology, seems to be unable to even talk to itself.
   
   blogs.gartner.com