The government-appointed Central District Community Service Consultative Council held its regular monthly meeting yesterday, where various concerns about e-governance were raised.
The first part of the meeting was open to the media, during which committee members raised various issues in their speeches. The meeting then proceeded behind closed doors. It included Legal Affairs Bureau (DSAJ) Deputy Director Lou Soi Cheong and Civil Registry and Commercial and Movable Property Registry officials who were introducing the government’s measure to strengthen its e-governance.
The one hour-and-45 minute meeting was held at the Patane Activity Centre on Avenida de Demétrio Cinatti (爹美刁施拿地大馬路).
In the first part of the meeting, councillor Mok Chio Kuan pointed out that the development of e-governance faces profound challenges in integrating information systems across various public entities.
Mok said that the various government entities’ data barriers are difficult to break down, leading to ineffective resource sharing, which made the core functions to still rely on in-person handling, Mok said.
Mok suggested the government integrate the systems of different entities such as the Identification Services Bureau (DSI) and the Notary Office, establishing data sharing and coordination mechanisms to enhance administrative efficiency and improve public service convenience.
The council’s deputy convenor Wu Hang San pointed out that the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) launched a mobile app for vendors in late September, and over 98 percent of vendors have now signed up. She suggested enhancing the app’s user-friendliness to better protect the vendors’ rights, especially for the elderly and those with mobility issues.
She proposed improvements such as a same-day leave request service, in which vendors would be able to request leave online in case of emergencies, as well as allowing elderly vendors to link a helper’s account to their own for assistance, and adding severe weather alerts.
In the post-meeting press briefing, the council’s deputy convenor Pui Seng In cited a DSAJ statement released to the councillors during meeting, according to which the bureau is actively advancing the digitalisation of registration and notarial services, covering six major areas including vehicle, civil, commercial, and property registration. The utilisation rate for many of these services exceeds 90 percent, he said. The digitalisation of vehicle registration has progressed significantly, according to Pui, who said that the app for changing vehicle owner addresses has achieved a 97 percent usage rate.
Fellow councillor Ieong Chon added that the Civil Registry has introduced a string of integrated services such as its integrated marriage registration, with a usage rate of nearly 90 percent. Commercial and property registration services are also continuously expanding their online offerings, Ieong said.
Central District Community Service Consultative Council Deputy Convenor Pui Seng In (left) and fellow councillor Ieong Chon pose during yesterday’s press briefing after the government-appointed council’s closed-door meeting at the Patane Activity Centre on Avenida de Demétrio Cinatti. – Photo: Armindo Neves
