Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning

It is my pleasure to be here at the launch of JTC�s e-initiatives. Today marks another step forward in our e-government journey.

Many countries have recognised the need to "wire up" their economies, to create a web of e-linkages within their societies and with the global economy at large. National and global e-linkages go hand in hand. To maximise Singapore�s e-presence internationally, we need to develop a deep awareness and use of the digital economy nationally.

One of the strategic thrusts of the Infocomm 21 plan, drawn up in 2000, is to develop e-governance. In a recent survey of 75 countries by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Harvard University, Singapore emerged first in terms of the availability of e-government services, and the government�s effectiveness in promoting the use of IT among its citizens. Another survey of 28 countries by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) ranked Singapore second, only to Norway, in the usage of online government services. We are encouraged by these results not only because it provides global recognition of the Singapore premium, but also because our efforts have been well received by Singaporeans.

Our e-government action plan comprises of three components: Government & Citizens (G-to-C); Government & Businesses (G-to-B); and Government & Employees (G-to-E). G-to-C and G-to-E have taken off very well. One-third of Singapore residents are already on broadband and close to half of Singaporeans have internet access. Government agencies have also been actively empowering public officers with the necessary knowhow and capacity to enhance performance and provide better and more responsive services to the public.

We are also making good progress with the G-to-B component. Many of our agencies have developed successful online services for the convenience of our business customers. The Government Electronic Business, or GeBiz, is a case in point. GeBiz was launched in year 2000 as a one-stop online centre for G-to-B e-procurement and tender activities. To date, it has recorded $280 million [cumulative figure] worth of purchase value. In addition, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been working with various agencies to revamp the existing business portal in e-Citizen as an enterprise-centric, comprehensive first-stop for all G-to-B content and e-services.

We are not stopping here. Led by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance, together with about 30 partner agencies, the Online Application System for Integrated Services, or OASIS, initiative is a flagship project for the integration of rules and cutting of red-tape across government to serve the public better. Firstly, it seeks to create a virtual one-stop for starting a business. Come June, we will launch Phase 1 of the "Start-up eAdvisor" portal. In this initial phase, the Start-up eAdvisor will serve as a gateway to useful information, such as business assistance schemes and Intellectual Property Rights. A major feature will be an e-guide that will provide customised guidance to the business registrations and licences required by start-ups or new businesses. In subsequent phases, a virtual one-stop shop will be created, and business registrations and licences can be applied for seamlessly, all at one go. This is a complex endeavour, but an important one. When the full works are done, it will mean for businesses a hassle free experience as well as savings in time and costs.

Secondly, the OASIS initiative is committed to simplifying rules and regulations, and minimising bureauracy. Instead of migrating existing licensing policies and processes online, it has spurred agencies to critically examine their regulatory frameworks and re-engineer their processes. By the middle of next year, the Government aims to reduce licences by 10%, cut average processing time from 3 weeks to 10 days and target 50% of processing time to be within 7 days.

JTC is joining the ranks of e-enabled agencies, with the rollout of its various e-initiatives for the business and industrial community today. With its broad and expanding customer base, and a myriad of products and services, one of JTC�s key challenges is to continuously streamline its procedures to deliver better services to its customers. Its e-portals and e-processes now allow for a break-through in customer service and relations.

JTC is well positioned to help the industrial sector take full advantage of e-services. By interweaving businesses and companies into the digital economy, we help them sharpen their competitiveness. As economic competition permeates into the virtual world, the framework of government e-services is also undergoing a strategic transformation. No longer can we merely migrate paper information onto our web sites. Instead, we must create value for our customers as we go online.

Our e-services should embody the basic "ABCs". The first basic is Accessibility. Any e-service should provide customers with the access to updated information and e-transactions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the convenience of their offices or homes. Secondly, e-services should be Business-friendly. They should cut red tape and remove redundancies in procedure. Ultimately, they should result in quantifiable benefits such as time and cost savings for companies. Thirdly, e-services should offer seamless Connectivity between companies, government and businesses, as well as between government agencies.

I am therefore particularly encouraged by the inception of JTC�s "Krypton", the first customer portal for the 7000 companies in JTC�s industrial community. Krypton was conceived to provide tailored solutions and promote inter-linkages between the government and the customer. This online customer portal will take JTC�s customer service to a new level.

I am pleased to note that JTC has the support of the business community for such IT initiatives. Since Krypton�s soft launch this year, 20% of its targeted customers have signed up. Krypton�s potential is truly significant. Over and beyond the online transactions available now, we can also look forward to a host of other features such as cross-agency integration and more simplified e-procedures. The existence of a sizeable customer base will certainly fuel its development into a full-fledged one-stop customer portal.

In addition to Krypton, the revamped JTC corporate web site has also evolved beyond an information database. It boasts two of its latest e-services, namely e-bidding and the Express Lane Application Programme, or ELAP for short. These two e-features will replace the conventional modes of allocation for JTC non-industrial properties and flatted factories respectively.

I encourage those who are still not plugged into these new services to try out and experience for yourselves the convenience that they bring. I congratulate JTC on these exciting initiatives and their contribution to the e-government vision. They possess the essential "ABCs" and I am confident that these initiatives will be well received by the business community.

Thank you.

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