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SINGAPORE residents will each get a personal online mailbox in
two years' time to receive their mail from the Government and
public agencies.
Mail such as tax statements, reminders to renew TV licences and
bills for service and conservancy charges will be sent to this
Internet mailbox.
To be called OneInbox, it represents a new government approach
in harnessing technology for the next phase of its masterplan to
deliver services electronically.
People can log into the mailbox using their SingPass ID as well
as register online to get e-mail and SMS alerts for new mail.
Another new feature in the masterplan for 2011 to 2015 is to
give residents an online 'safe deposit box' for them to store
important personal documents such as their birth certificate and
statements of Central Provident Fund savings.
So, if there is a fire, people no longer need to risk their
lives running into their homes to save their important documents,
the government's chief information officer James Kang said
yesterday.
A third feature is a tracking function that lets people check
online the status of their transactions with public agencies,
similar to how they can now track registered mail online.
Mr Kang, the Infocomm Development Authority's (IDA) assistant
chief executive, unveiled these new features in the five-year
masterplan at a forum to exchange ideas on government online
strategies.
Together with the head of the civil service Peter Ho, he painted
in broad strokes the sea change that lies ahead, without
elaborating on the steps involved.
In Singapore, four out of five homes have Internet access. For
those without, Mr Ho assured that 'no one will be left out or left
behind'.
He gave the assurance in his opening address at the iGov global
forum in Suntec City, attended by 300 public servants and delegates
from 28 countries. It was organised by the Finance Ministry and
IDA.
In Mr Ho's view, such popular social networking tools as
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are going to power the 'quantum leap'
in the way the public sector serves the people.
'We now see a growing constituency of empowered citizens who do
not necessarily subscribe to the notion of 'Government knows
best'.
'The same disruptive technologies that are empowering citizens
can also be harnessed by the public sector to deliver efficient and
effective services,' he said.
However, this can work only when Singapore moves away from the
current top-down 'Government-to-You' mindset to a
'Government-with-You' mindset, he added.
To foster the new attitude, public agencies should work with the
private sector and people to better serve the public, said Mr Ho,
citing the case of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) teaming up
with Google.
LTA combined its vast public transport database with Google Maps
last year to give motorists and commuters real-time information on
road traffic conditions and the best route to take.
Another point he stressed is the need for agencies to actively
involve citizens in shaping public policies.
Its importance was also underlined by speakers from other
countries. For instance, the United States government held an
online dialogue for six weeks recently, during which netizens
engaged moderators from various agencies on their services, said Dr
David McClure of the US General Services Administration.
Although online safe deposit boxes are available in the private
sector here, analysts and Singaporeans contacted yesterday
expressed concern over security and privacy issues.
'But Singapore has experience in managing such issues and can
ensure checks are robust,' said National University of Singapore
professor Wong Poh Kam.
Copywriter Sheryl Guo, 28, likes the convenience of the
OneInbox, but worries: 'Are there safeguards against unauthorised
access?'
Undergraduate Luo Yanjie, 25, added that 'should my account get
hacked, I will know about it much later than if I had just
misplaced my identity card', a statement reflecting the common
concern that online theft is difficult to detect.
