The construction of better on-line public services will help
build a cleaner and more efficient government, says a signed
article in Procuratorial Daily. An excerpt follows:
According to the newly published China E-Government Development
Report, the interactive columns of some government websites have
become purely ornamental objects that provide little useful
information and fail to solve any problems.
Enhancing e-government is a major aspect of the reform of public
administration. It is also an important measure in terms of
increasing government efficiency and raising the level of public
service. At the same time, e-government provides a new platform to
build a clean government. Therefore, careful attention should be
paid to the current problems in e-government.
Taking heed of public opinion is a vital prerequisite for
governments at all levels to perform their duties effectively.
Interactive columns on government websites are an important way of
finding out what the public thinks and what the public needs from
the authorities. However, they are useless if they are merely
"letters" columns and there is no government feedback or
action.
Transparency is the best way to prevent corruption. Government
websites should disclose as much information as possible. Basic
information such as government affairs, regulations, rules and
administrative documents should be published in a timely fashion.
Key service information like personnel affairs, government
procurement and project investments should also be published. This
will help the public better understand the work of government, and
will also assist public supervision of government affairs. Abuses
of power can be effectively prevented when information is made
available to the public and the government is under public
supervision.
Last but certainly not least, online services should be improved
to reduce civil servants' opportunities for corruption. It should
be the core function of government websites to handle work and
serve the public online.
(China Daily July 20, 2006)
