Opening Speech by Mr. Stephen Mak, Acting Director of Information Technology Services at the CA Expo Hong Kong 2002
13 - 08 - 2002

Mr. Yung, KT, Mr. Pang, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning!

I am delighted to be here to officiate the opening ceremony of the CA Expo Hong Kong 2002.

Today, e-buisness is widely recognised as an important tool for enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises and the economy as a whole. It is also a tool for governments to make their services more citizen-centric and business-friendly. Hong Kong prides itself in having established a blueprint for IT development, through the publication of the Digital 21 strategy that was updated last year in line with global developments. We are committed to positioning Hong Kong as a leading e-business community and a digital city in the globally connected world. The Government has been nurturing the development of a world class environment for the information economy to flourish in Hong Kong, with a view to enhancing our social and economic well-being. This includes a robust and secure IT infrastructure and the legal framework to support electronic transactions.

We know that a static blueprint is not enough, and we need to implement innovative IT solutions to ride on the infrastructure. To this end, we have promulgated a comprehensive E-government strategy and have taken forward a number of flagship e-government projects that aim to bring significant benefits to both the Government and the community. To display the strongest leadership and highest commitment to our E-government vision, our E-government initiatives are overseen and steered by very senior officials in the context of their policy or executive portfolio. Our ultimate goal is to transform the traditional government operations and planning through prudent use of IT. In parallel, we will continue to place great emphasis on further developing our information infrastructure and its security; exploit new IT and communications technologies; and assist government departments in embedding business process re-engineering in the implementation of IT projects. In doing so, we strive to break down bureaucracies between departments; facilitate the development of a joined up government; simplify organisational structure and encourage more co-operation and information sharing among departments where data privacy considerations permit.

To make sure we get the most out of the synergies between the Government and the industry, we have adopted the pioneering public-private sector partnership approach in driving E-government initiatives where appropriate. We would like to tap the expertise, experience and creativity of the private sector to deliver high quality public services to the community in an innovative and user-friendly way. Our successful cases using this approach include the implementation of the Electronic Tendering System, the development of value-added services on digital maps maintained by Government, and of course our flagship E-government project, the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme. We anticipate new initiatives like the Property Portal and the Business Portal may well proceed along similar models if they prove to be feasible.

I should also mention one important initiative under our E-government programme - the Multi-Application Smart ID Card (or MASC in short) which will be progressively issued starting next year. We exploit technologies on card personalization and adopt highly secure and sophisticated anti-forgery features in the production of the smart ID card. We also adopt the biometrics identification technology on the card to pave the way for automated passenger clearance system in Hong Kong borders. The MASC will also provide a platform for future e-business applications. For example, cardholders can opt for a free digital certificate to be embedded in the smart ID card, which will enable them to conduct many more types of e-business transactions in a secure manner over the open network. We shall be publishing the interface specifications of the card before they are rolled out, so that developers in the industry can produce or integrate appropriate smart card readers and enabling software to maximise their utility.

We have been making steady but sure progress on the road to E-government. Hong Kong is now ranked amongst the top in the world as well as in Asia in terms of E-government development. But we are not complacent, and will continue to look for innovative and cost-effective solutions to serve the community better.

Major industry events like this one will no doubt present participants with a good opportunity to discover new insights, and appreciate advances in information technology and its applications. I congratulate the organisers for putting together such a rich programme and wish the event a great success.

Thank you.

- END -