At the launch of "Building Our Singapore - The Public Service in Action" exhibition, Mr Teo Chee Hean stressed the need for innovation to provide quality service

Presented in an interactive style through various display booths, performances, business clinics and educational activities for the public to enjoy, the exhibition demonstrated how the Public Service has improved security, environmental conditions, education, economic conditions, citizen involvement and accessibility to government services. Visitors to the exhibition were able to experience the projects as they interacted with the exhibits and talked to staff from the various agencies represented.

Other projects made available for public viewing were the new FIDAS vehicle — the world's first Foreign Object Deposit Intelligent Detection and Alarm System, developed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's new weapon against Avian Flu — the world's first Avian Flu detection kit as well as new high-tech Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System — the world's first biometric immigration system, deployed by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Said Mr Lim Hup Seng, Deputy Secretary (Performance), Ministry of Finance, "The Public Service has done much work that we can be proud of. Singaporeans have enjoyed the fruits of this work. This [was] an opportunity to bring together all our gems to make it convenient for the public to see and experience them under one roof."

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence and Minister in charge of the Civil Service, opened the exhibition to the public. He said that to continue to serve Singaporeans well, the Public Service must understand the developments and changes that Singapore is undergoing. "To keep up with the rising public expectations for example, public officers must continually innovate and find new ways to provide quality service," he added.

The Minister also mentioned how the Public Service can leverage information technology to deliver quality services. "Today, many public services are conveniently available on-line. We now have some 150 Government Services available through mobile devices. You can check your Central Provident Fund (CPF) account, Certificate of Entitlement (COE) results and traffic conditions while on the move. The Government will continue to extend the reach of its services through such convenient channels." By 2008, the government aims to make close to 300 Government services available on various mobile devices.

Representatives from the winning agencies whose exhibits were voted as the best in the exhibition received awards from the guest of honour

A recent example is the One SMS initiative introduced to provide the public and government agencies with a common SMS number and format. The One SMS initiative ensures that customers do not end up with an array of SMS numbers and message formats to remember when accessing SMS-based mobile services.

The common SMS number is a 5-digit short code 74688 (or SGOVT) and is available to mobile subscribers of the three mobile operators (MobileOne, SingTel and StarHub) in Singapore.

This SMS number has been introduced since July 2006 as an SMS alert service for various alerts and notifications to subscribers of My.eCitizen delivered through the mobile channel.

These include SMS push notifications for renewal of passport, road tax and URA season parking; notifications of outstanding URA parking offences; CPF e-appointment reminders; transaction / application status alerts for Top-Up Retirement Account Under Minimum Saving Topping Up Scheme; withdrawal of CPF (55 yrs old & above); and revision/cessation of CPF payments for monthly housing installments.

To begin with, the public is now invited to share their ideas on the type of mobile services that they wish to access via their mobile phones. Suggestions can be sent to the common SMS number 74688 (or SGOVT) by 31 December 2006.

Mr Teo trying out the mobile services provided by the eCitizen portal, which allows users to check e-government information online and receive SMS alerts

Efforts have also been made to address the needs of citizens who are less IT savvy. "There are today, five CitizensConnect Centres at community clubs where citizens receive assistance to transact with the Government online. I am happy to announce that 22 more have just been added island-wide," added Mr Teo.

For more information on Singapore's online public services, visit the 'Singapore Government Online' website at www.gov.sg. The portal provides access to news and policies, leadership and bureaucracy, official statistics put out by the Government, as well as details and contact information of public service agencies. In addition, citizens and residents can visit the eCitizen section which provides a comprehensive directory of all the government services and tools that can be access online.