The MOU signed by Mr Leong (left) and Pengiran Hj Mohd Salleh bin Pg Aji paves the way for greater collaboration on ICT adoption in key economic sectors.

The MOU, signed by Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive of IDA, and Pengiran Hj Mohd Salleh bin Pg Aji, Assistant Chief Executive of AITI, marks the first step towards both countries exchanging information and experiences on ICT adoption in key economic sectors. Under the MOU, Singapore and Brunei will identify ICT projects for possible collaboration, which would involve the participation of companies from
both countries.

“Both Brunei and Singapore will benefit from the ICT collaboration under the MOU,” said IDA. “The experience-sharing in the area of ICT adoption will benefit the two agencies and the private sector in the two countries will gain from the projects under the MOU.”

Mr Leong noted there were many similarities between Singapore and Brunei, both of which are small nations relying on their human resources. Both countries also believe strongly in using ICT to enhance the competitiveness of their economies, he said. Like IDA, AITI’s aim is to provide Brunei with a dynamic, innovative and vibrant ICT industry.

He said that the MOU would increase the opportunities for Singapore and Brunei to share their experiences in ICT adoption in both the government and private sectors, as well as further business and technological partnerships. The exchanges would also help foster greater understanding of how both countries’ ICT sectors operate.

Pengiran Hj Mohd Salleh described the signing of the MOU as another milestone in efforts by AITI and IDA to reinforce their already strong relations. He looked forward to a fruitful collaboration under the MOU, and hoped it would contribute towards the implementation of the e-Government initiative
in Brunei.

Speaking on Singapore’s e-Government experiences at the 4th Ministerial
e-Government Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, in September, Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister of Information, Communications & the Arts, noted that there are currently about 1,600 e-government services available online 24x7 for businesses and citizens. These range from seeking approval for major building projects to passport renewals to filing income tax returns. Last year, about 160 million transactions on such services were made from a base population of 4.5 million people.

Dr Lee sees possibilities for partnerships between Singapore and European infocomm companies to work with local and city governments in e-government.

On the economic front, Singapore sees ICT as a strategic catalyst for the rest of the economy. “By streamlining and simplifying government processes and providing better and faster access to information, we build a pro-enterprise environment, facilitate business growth and improve the lives of our citizens,” said Dr Lee.

He cited the example of the TradeXchange project, which will provide inter-connectivity between commercial and regulatory agencies over a neutral platform for the trade and logistics community. Another example is the Online Business Licensing Services (OBLS) system, a one-stop service that allows entrepreneurs to apply for one or more of the 71 licences from 19 government agencies using a single online form at any one time.

On the social front, Dr Lee elaborated on Singapore’s e-Government efforts to bridge the digital divide and enhance dialogue between Government and citizens through initiatives like the CitizenConnect centres and the REACH (Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home) portal.

Singapore is also looking to make better use of mobile phones in the delivery of e-Government services. It has set itself the target of delivering 300 such services by 2008, up from the current 150.

Singapore’s strategy for e-Government includes development of the local infocomm industry, said Dr Lee. Armed with expertise in developing these e-Government solutions, many Singapore infocomm companies are now ready to explore opportunities in the global market, and their solutions have been exported and adopted in diverse markets such as the Middle East, East Asia and Africa.

“I see possibilities for partnerships between Singapore and European infocomm companies to work with local and city governments in e-government,”
said Dr Lee.