Letters | Singapore has pushed digital transformation in government. Why can’t Hong Kong?
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Digitalisation is the only way for Hong Kong to remain competitive. It not only allows the government to perform service delivery and operations more cost-effectively, but also transforms policy formulation and evaluation, which enables the authorities to respond to citizens’ and businesses’ needs in a more agile manner.
As the backbone of the government, civil servants should therefore improve their digital literacy and catch up with the latest technology, so Hong Kong can seize new opportunities in an increasingly digital world.
By contrast, Singapore has made a big push for digital transformation. By setting hard targets, it is driving its public officers to adopt artificial intelligence and acquire data analytic skills.
In 2018, it committed to training 20,000 public officers, or 14 per cent of its public workforce, in data science and analytics, and broadening digitisation within the government. By the end of 2021, the first target was met, and in support of the second, all 20 ministries submitted plans to use AI in decision-making.