Recently, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued a resolution on e-government to accelerate administrative reform and create a favourable environment for production, business and integration. However, the effort from only the government seems hardly feasible.
Three missions, four key solutions
Introducing Resolution 36a/NQ-CP on October 20, Mr Le Manh Ha, Vice Chairman of the Government Office and General Secretary of the National Committee on Information Technology Application, said the Resolution targets at three major objectives to build the e-government: Interconnecting electronic documents from the central government to provincial, district and communal governments; 100 percent of public services provided via electronic networks; and building a single national public services portal address.
By 2016, all public services will be made available online at ministries and agencies, allowing users to send documents to these agencies and organisations online. Document processing and service provision will be carried out electronically. Fee payment (if applicable) and return results are carried out directly at agencies and organisations at the service.
Besides, citizens and organisations will be allowed to pay fees electronically for some popular public services. Results are provided online or sent to users by mail.
By the end of 2016, ministries and central agencies will have 100 percent of public services provided online. Users are allowed to fill in information and submit samples via electronic means to relevant agencies and organisations that provide such services. Document processing and service provision will be carried out electronically. Fee payment (if applicable) and return results are carried out directly at agencies and organisations at the service.
Ha said, unlike previous programmes and services, the resolution will focus on linking and interconnecting fragmented document management systems of ministries, branches and localities.
To implement the above three contents effectively, it is vital to launch four solutions to investment and finance, human resources, operation and technique, and ultimately organisation.
Many challenges ahead
However, the resolution said some ministries, branches and localities have not been active enough to implementing IT applications and providing online public services.
The resolution acknowledged the United Nations E-government Development Index of 2014 for Vietnam ranked 99th in the world (a slide of 16 places from 2012) and secured the fifth position in ASEAN the region after Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.
In addition, online services index in Vietnam is rated low, at 0.41 points on a one-point scale, while relevant indexes of Singapore were 0.992 points and 0.677 points, respectively. Telecommunications infrastructure index of Vietnam reached 0.38 points, while Singapore and Malaysia were 0.879 pointsand 0.446 points, respectively.
In fact, Mr Ha said any agency or individual has a computer or mobile phone. However, the willingness and readiness for e-government application is still not high. Therefore, the target of making all public services at Level 3 and Level 4 electronic will be hardly feasible by the end of 2016.
From July to October 19, 27 provincial/municipal People’s Committees and three ministries were interconnected by software simulators.
Particularly, 19 interconnected ministries and provinces sent and received documents and feedback statuses, including the Ministry of Health, Yen Bai, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Long An, Tien Giang, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Vinh Long.
He added that if the readiness of target audience is not high, it is necessary to use regulations and even impose coercive measures if necessary. Ministries, branches and localities should also have available tools such as specific solutions, software and funding to "force" units not yet ready.
Mr Nguyen Thanh Hung, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, said that if State agencies are ready to provide electronic public services but citizens do not know how to use information technology, the goal set will also hardly possible.
Assigning specific targets
To widen the scope of e-government, the resolution specifies assigning the Government Office to coordinate with ministries, central branches and provincial/municipal People's Committees to seamlessly interconnect before January 1, 2016 and immediately deploy document management software at agencies which do not have or which fail to meet requirements.
The Government Office shall also establish electronic balloting systems, build legal and other documents to reduce documentation time, establish social networks for authorities to collect people’s opinions in legal document development.
Besides, the Government Office was assigned to set up a national service portal to integrate all online services of ministries, branches and localities; issue the list of online administrative services at ministries, branches and localities before January 1, 2016.
The Government Office shall coordinate with ministries, branches and localities to publicise the progress of handling administrative records at government electronic portal prior to March 1, 2016; and set up a corporate information portal on State-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Hopefully, with the determination of the Government and the compliance of all levels and sectors, e-government will be finished on schedule, thus contributing to enhance the operational, responsive capacity of State administrative apparatus to better serve citizens and businesses.
M.N
Vietnamese
