Providing Public Access to e-Services

Citizens with no access to the internet for transacting with the Government online can now make their way to Community Clubs.

As part of the Government's ongoing efforts to promote e-Services available to all citizens, the Ministry of Finance (MOF), People's Association (PA) and its grassroots organisations launched a pilot community project called 'CitizenConnect'. The project aims to provide an easy and convenient means for the public to transact with the Government through the Internet.

CitizenConnect is a network of service stations that is located at Community Clubs island wide. The stations offer free Internet access to all citizens and will link people to the public services that are already available online. At the CitizenConnect stations, an official staff will be available to assist those who want to transact with or find information about the government electronically, thus allowing residents who are not Internet-savvy to transact electronically with the Government.

CitizenConnect will start with a one-year pilot programme at five Community Clubs. The first two centres have been launched at Serangoon and Pasir Ris East CCs. Three other centres which are Gek Poh Ville, Toa Payoh Central and Zhenghua Community Clubs will be launched by the end of 2005.

Currently, more than 98% of all public services that can be delivered online are already available on the Singapore Government Online portal and the CitizenConnect project aims to bring these e-services closer to citizens. Beyond attending courses and participating in social activities at the CC, residents can now use the CitizenConnect service to access government information and services.

Among the 1600 Government services available, residents can pay government bills, renew and apply for HDB or URA season parking tickets, pay for library fines, apply for business licences or even find out more government policies, such as the baby bonus, at CitizenConnect, without needing to travel far.

Commenting on the CitizenConnect concept, Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC said, "Such service brings not only greater convenience to the residents but also the physical presence of official personnel to assist those who are in need of transacting or searching for information about the government electronically. Transactions with the government will no longer be confined only to those who are Internet savvy."

This pilot programme will run for a year. It is hoped that CitizenConnect will bring government e-services closer to the public.