E-government vital to nation’s development

December 10, 2007 | 17:58

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Vietnam should be forward-thinking in adopting and applying an E-governance system, particularly as it strives to overcome its label as a developing country.

E-government should put the public benefits first

James SL Yong, director of Cisco Systems’ public sector programmes, told the fifth Vietnam E-government Symposium held in Ho Chi Minh City last week that 35 per cent of E-government systems in developing countries were often unsuccessful.

As Vietnam was a rapidly developing country, a parallel development of ICT infrastructure was necessary, he said. The country needed to learn lessons from other countries while working from its own experiences in moving forward technologically, said Yong.

“Vietnam, as a developing country, is struggling to improve its people’s standards of living and levels of productivity, and any E-government plans should put public benefits first,” he said.
“Vietnamese tend to hesitate when applying new ideas, so changes should be made slowly and with consultation.”
Yong also addressed the gap between the private and public sectors’ use of E-government, saying that “a system that works in one sector often does not work in the other, so the problem of compliance needs further study”.
Experts at the symposium emphasised the importance of sustaining the development of E-government.
They agreed that Vietnam needed to work harder to execute its long-term plans, adding that E-government would only cross the “tipping point” when there was adequate technology infrastructure and active internet users exceeded 35 per cent of the population.

According to a study by the US’ Brown University, Vietnam’s E-government ranking rose sharply from 126th in 2006 to 90th in 2007.

By Duong Kieu

vir.com.vn

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