HIS Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, yesterday launched the second annual Asia-Pacific e-Government Forum.

Hosted for the first time by Brunei, the three-day forum will witness discussions based on the theme "Developing Efficiency and Empowerment Through Better e-Governance". More than 200 people are attending the forum to share knowledge and experiences in e-governance.

Remarking on the forum's theme, Minister of Communications Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong said that the e-governance is a significant issue which goes beyond the technicality of processes as well as more than just a process of delivery. It is also about enhancing the value of services and focuses on the participation of the citizens as clients.

"It takes e-government to another step ahead, aiming towards greater adoption and adaptability of the services by the client and giving more value to the foundation laid by the implementation of e-government," he said. "Simply said, it is about effectiveness, efficiency and empowerment".

Regulation, the "digital divide", infrastructure development and e-services delivery are among the key issues that the forum would address, with regard to e-governance.

The minister said that the forum will be a useful avenue for dynamic exchanges that could "minimise our weakness points and leverage our respective strengths", while observing that there were varying degrees of implementation and roll-out of e-government progress across the region.

"This forum will continue to explore areas that deserve such attention. The sectors we are in today will continue to bring new evolution of technologies that will warrant us to be more current, proactive and connected with each other," Pehin Dato Hj Abu Bakar.

Organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) in association with the Ministry of Communications, the forum involves local and international speakers from Commonwealth member countries who are experts in e-governance, policy makers, as well as ICT executives from the public and private sectors.

Also present during the launch of the three-day forum was the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office-cum-Chairman of the e-Government Leadership Forum Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail and CTO's Director of Programmes and Business Development Dr Bashir Patel. His Royal Highness also toured the mini-exhibition held in conjunction with the forum.

In Courtesy of The Brunei Times