INTERNET IN THE SERVICE OF DEMOCRACY: A UNESCO SURVEY OF E-GOVERNANCE IN 15 COUNTRIES

["Irfan Khan" <khania2@super.net.pk>]

INTERNET IN THE SERVICE OF DEMOCRACY: A UNESCO SURVEY OF E-GOVERNANCE
IN 15 COUNTRIES

Paris, September 26 - The introduction of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) in government processes is
fostering a closer relationship between citizens and states, pushing
official bodies towards more transparency and accountability. They
are also posing a challenge to traditional decision-making
structures. Such are the main conclusions of a recent joint study by
UNESCO and the Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for
Development (COMNET-IT) on e-governance in 15 countries

Every year before finishing their military service, some 270,000
soldiers from the Republic of Korea sit for an exam organized by the
Defence Ministry to test their skills at searching the Internet,
leading in some cases to the awarding of a diploma.

In Seoul, an inhabitant can track the way the administration is
handing his or her case on-line, getting information about when it
has arrived, to which department and, when, if it is rejected, why.
The city government's Open Procedure Service boasts such a high level
of transparency that citizens can follow the work of civil servants
on a daily basis.

In Estonia, where 90 percent of civil servants are equipped with
personal computers, the government organizes it working sessions on-
line. Paper documents for these sessions have been replaced by
digital ones. Over the past eight years, the country has allocated
one percent of its budget to ICT development in the public service.
By the end of this year all municipalities should be connected to the
Internet.

In Tanzania, the government computerized its payroll system, covering
some 280,00 civil servants. This process led to the unmasking of many
phantom jobs.

One of the most visited Internet sites in Canada - with more than
seven million monthly hits - is the government's official web page
(http://canada.gc.ca). The sites includes the National Job Bank, a
comprehensive data base of job offers across the country. The
resources of some 460 organizations from the public health sector are
grouped in the Canadian Health Network (http://www.canadian-health-
network.ca), providing on-line access to reliable and comprehensive
information on health.

E-government refers to the growing use of ICTs in the development of
society. Little by little, these technologies are changing the ways
in which State, private sector and civil society interact.

A telling case is how civil society, NGOs and professional
associations are harnessing the Internet to mobilize public opinion
in an attempt to influence decisions that directly affect them. With
the Open Plaza service, for example, South Korean citizens can freely
criticize government policies as well as politicians. This service is
accessible on-line to all citizens, who can use it to communicate
directly with the president, governors and senior officials. Several
National Assembly members experienced the repercussions of this new
service first hand, losing their seats in the general elections of
April 2000.

The same year, in Mexico, the newly elected government of President
Vicente Fox launched an initiative via the Internet to encourage
citizen participation in the design of the National Development Plan
for the period 2001-2006. Opinions, proposals and expectations were
collected on some one hundred themes from the federal level right
down to individuals. Based on 117,040 questionnaires received by
Internet and mail, a list of 196,854 proposals was drawn up. Mexicans
residing abroad sent in 43,000 proposals. After they were collated
and analysed, some were included in the objectives and strategies of
the national plan.

However, in many countries, low levels of education and poverty still
bar large swathes of the population from accessing public information
and participating in these new democratic practices. Acting on this,
several governments have launched far-reaching training programmes.

Malaysia plans to create a Multimedia University where curricula will
include courses on information management, knowledge and computer
programming. The country faces a rising demand for highly qualified
workers and professionals , especially in the ICT sector and
manufacturing industries.

In the Republic of Korea, computer technology is now compulsory in
primary school and broadband Internet access permitting fast
transmission was provided to 200 localities in one year. A programme
to supply free computers and Internet access for five years to 50,000
underprivileged children is under study.

In India, the language barrier poses a formidable challenge to
providing electronic public services. With roughly one billion
inhabitants, the country has two official languages (Hindi and
English), 18 major languages and 418 officially listed languages.
Optical Character Recognition technology should be developed and
perfected since many local databases are written in local languages.

While there is demand from business and the private sector for e-
government facilities, the advantages are much less obvious to large
proportions of the population in many countries. Even when the
infrastructure does exist, illiteracy, high transmission costs,
access difficulties or linguistic barriers bar significant numbers
from taking advantage of electronic facilities. Tanzania, for
example, counts two personal computers and five telephone lines for
every 1,000 inhabitants. In 1999, there were hardly any Internet
service providers in the country.

This context places governments before difficult choices. In
Botswana, a country that has an enviable telecommunications network
both in terms of coverage and product diversity, authorities consider
that access to information technology, specifically the Internet,
remains too scarce to justify further investment in developing new e-
portals for public services.

In other countries, the Internet is slowly but surely gaining ground.
In Morocco, where there are more than 200,000 Internet subscribers,
there are some 1,800 providers and cyber-cafés, and the market is
expanding rapidly. Since 1991, computer sales have increased
unabated, thanks partly to a cut in import duties, which in January
1996, fell from 42.5 percent to 17.5 percent. Moroccans own some
200,000 personal computers, which represents a market penetration of
0.7 percent.

****

The report, Country Profiles of e-Governance (UNESCO 2002) was
prepared at UNESCO's request by the Commonwealth Network of
Information technology for development/COMNET-IT, a foundation
sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the government of
Malta. It covers Botswana, Canada, Estonia, Hungary, India, Jamaica,
Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, the
Republic of Korea, South Africa, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The country by country analysis is available online at
http://www.comnet.mt/unesco/

source: http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/2002/02-72e.shtml