Overview
Throughout the
decades, the Hong Kong Government has undertaken various initiatives to
improve the efficiency and transparency of its operations. The Government
has capitalized the potentials of IT to meet the demands of the society
on its services. A revamped procurement system for the Government, the
new digital national ID and government-sponsored Internet kiosks are the
components to improve the government operations.
The Initiatives
The Hong Kong Government has launched several initiatives to realize its e-government goals in its G2G, G2B, G2C operations. On the G2G front, a phased program for adopting inter-departmental and intra-departmental systems to allow departments to place orders online for common store items has emerged as the centerpiece of the internal e-government system.
The G2B part of the initiatives describes a very detailed program what procurement systems are emerging. At present, e-procurement provides electronic support for the Hong Kong Government’s entire procurement process, from integrated supplier database, invitation to tender, receipt and negotiation of tender, to contract signing and payment, with one of the world’s first ever web-based electronic tendering system. In a word, Hong Kong Government now can issue tenders and receive bids via the Internet. The system has been adopted for non-works projects not exceeding USD 1.28 million each. The system will soon extend electronic tendering to cover works projects, as well as non-works projects over USD 1.28 million each. The goal of the program aims at carrying out at least 80% of the Hong Kong Government procurement tenders electronically by the end of 2003. Meanwhile, the development of an electronic marketplace for lower value procurement, which is currently conducted through quotations or direct purchases, is on the horizons. (42)
The new national ID will be the heart of the latest of Hong Kong’s G2C project. Conventional identity cards have existed in Hong Kong for half a century, the new “Smart” national ID issued in 2003 will replaced the current ones. In addition to immigration data, the new ID cards with the chip will have space for a digital certificate. In details, it is an electronic signature currently available at Hong Kong Post Office outlets that has legal standing and can be transmitted in coded form for use in electronic commerce. The new ID cards can better execute immigration controls. Hong Kong plans to create an algorithm of the thumbprint. That mathematical information will allow an optical reader to determine whether a set of prints match, but it will not provide enough information to re-create the print. Furthermore, the chip embedded in the new card has spare capacity for a wealth of other information, including medical and financial data and driving records. Today, Hong Kong drivers can only renew their separate driver licenses online. Such digital ID cards are already in circulation in Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. China closely studies the upcoming launch of digital ID card in Hong Kong in order to better execute its immigration policies. Another G2C project focuses on improvement access to government information over the Internet in Hong Kong. The project has earned Hong Kong the honor of “a platform for a glimpse of the possibilities of e-government in Asia” by the Asian Wall Street Journal. (43)
The Hong Kong Government has launched the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) scheme to provide public services through the Internet and public kiosks in order to improve public sector efficiency and service delivery. The Hong Kong public now can obtain a wide range of services from various departments and agencies and transact with Government online efficiently and securely. (44)
The Hong Kong Government is heavily involved in the national health care as part of its G2C commitment. Hong Kong’s public hospital sector provides 94 percent of all hospital care and 20 percent of outpatient services in Hong Kong. National health care is achieved with less than 2.6 percent of Hong Kong’s GDP in the public sector, with nominal per patient charges of less than nine U.S. dollars a day in a public hospital. (45)
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