Some Interviews on Asian challenges, transformation & e-initiatives

Found two videoclips from an interview I gave earlier this year to eGovAsia, a website associated with the publication Enterprise Innovation.

The first one is on e-initiatives across Asia ...

http://egovasia.enterpriseinnovation.net/content/state-e-initiatives-across-asia

The other is about transformative and challenges forAsian governments ...

http://egovasia.enterpriseinnovation.net/content/transformation-and-challenges-asias-governments

Hmmm, do I look fat?
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Connected Communities

At the recent "NICT Conference 2009" in Putrajaya, Malaysia, I was on one of the panels & spoke on the topic of "Connected Communities: Towards Intelligent Urbanisation".

Urbanisation is a very significant (and seemingly irreversible) trend for global economic development. In the next 5 years, 300 million more people are going to become urban dwellers. Urban activities also typically contribute to at least 70 percent of overall national economic growth. Thus, the focus of my talk was to highlight ways in which urban communities could be better connected via technology, to enable them to be more productive and effective.

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For those interested in my presentation, a PDF copy can be downloaded at the website

http://www.intanbk.intan.my/cda/m_online/nict/DAY2/SESSION9PARALLEL2(SESSION9A)/JAMEsSLYONG-PresentationCISCO.pdf

National Broadband Initiatives (Interviews in Bangkok)

In a recent visit to Bangkok, Thailand, I led a workshop for government officials. The theme was around Connected Government, and also on the benefits of deploying National Broadband.

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I also had a session with a number of Thai journalists. Here are some articles or excerpts from those interviews. The first is with Bangkok Post (an English language daily), and the other a Thai language paper Krungthep Turakij.
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Article 1: Bangkok Post (17 June 2009)

Article 2: Krungthep Turakij (2 June 2009)

For the article in Thai, I am told by our PR manager that the gist of the content is as follows:

Headline: E-Government: the ‘government’ highway to stimulus the Thai economy.

Synopsis:

- ICT can play an crucial role to stimulate the economy & increase GDP especially during economic crisis situation

- The Thai Government should leverage its ICT budget to build the readiness to support the future growth ie. investment in development of the Government Network in order for all Thai people to access into information. This will help improve human resources development, create new business opportunities, pull in the more foreign investment and help stimulate economy recovery.

- The Government has an important role, which falls into 2 parts: (1) Create a good environment around National Broadband Network to be able to leverage and develop opportunities in the future and (2) improve the Government Information Network (GIN) to enable all government agencies to connect, access, share information and be able to provide ‘one-stop’ service faster, easier and more securely.

- Cisco's SONA (Services Oriented Network Architecture) is a sound framework to leverage on.

- The Government Information Network should be open, standardized, scalable and secure.

- Common people should be able to use the service through single portal and support all business organizations to be able to improve their competitiveness and launch new services to the market speedily.

- It was suggested to leverage ‘cloud’ computing technology to make most of the resources of the Government Network to achieve maximum benefit.

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Article: Jumpstart Asian Economies with ICT

Here's a recent article in Enterprise Innovation based on an interview with me ...

Jumpstart Asian Economies with ICT

By Allan Tan

The buzzword within the economic and political circles of Asia is “economic stimulus package.” Indeed when economies are tumbling citizens and businesses turn to the government to provide the impetus to drive economies forward. Just how much is Asia planning to spend to get the local economies out of the sinkhole we are in today?

Over US$656 Billion has been earmarked by Asia’s governments as stimulus package for 2009. All are hoping the packages which consist of public spending on infrastructure, creating new jobs through training and education, creating environments conducive to new business and industries, tax cuts, government-secured loans to private sector businesses, all aim to stop the downward spiral.

But when you realize that many of Asia’s economies depend on the US market for business opportunities, you suddenly realize that local efforts may be futile unless one of two things happen: (1) the US gets its act together; or (2) the Asia region turn inward to support each other. But this is just my observation.

James SL Yong, Director of Public Sector Programs (ASEAN) for Cisco Systems has a very interesting chart on how the economic stimulus package would work. It reminds me of spaghetti with meatballs.

It takes a crisis to focus the mind

According to Yong, government priorities have always been around economic competitiveness, providing effective public service, public safety and security, and governance. “The global economic slump has not diverted attention from these priorities but added the extra focus on getting local economies out of the recession,” Yong adds.

“A crisis is too good to waste,” Franko Roma, Stanford University economics professor. “You shouldn’t waste a crisis because that’s where things actually happen if you play your cards right.”

People, and governments, can do great things given the proper incentive. And the global economic crisis is a very good incentive.

Where ICT sits in the economic recovery

Yong divides government infrastructure spending into two areas: physical and smart infrastructure. Physical infrastructure consists of water and electricity, roads, bridges, railways, telecommunications and ports. Governments are throwing money here to create jobs. Unfortunately most physical infrastructure projects are finite in nature. Jobs are created throughout the course of each project but once the work is completed, you won’t need the same amount of people to maintain these projects.

Smart infrastructure projects, which include national broadband networks, wireless hotspots, and rural connectivity, provides employment opportunities not only at the onset of the project but even after the work has been laid-out. “You will need skilled people to not only build these networks but maintain them as well. These infrastructure projects not only help uplift the skill levels of people, but have the potential to create new industries,” comments Yong.

Crafted well, some of these smart infrastructure projects have spawned new industries in themselves. Yong cites the case of South Korea’s national fibre optic broadband network project. While originally meant to offer nationwide broadband to every home and office, the project has spawned new industries like online gaming and digital animation.

Yong suggests that governments take a balanced approach to infrastructure investments that cover both physical and smart infrastructure projects.

Dual role of ICT

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country,”

- John F. Kennedy, President, United States of America, January 20, 1961.

If you look at the way most government agencies are built today, they are built around delivering a service - in a way that best suits how a government department works. For instance, it takes 15 steps and 52 days to register a business in the Philippines. Compare this to Singapore’s 4 steps in 4 days approach. How? Singapore has successfully merged ICT with process to shorten the time and improve productivity

ICT is an enabler for many governments. Properly planned, built, and maintained, ICT solutions can greatly help government departments improve service delivery to the citizenry and businesses.

“Government 2.0” is widely viewed as addressing the shortcomings of present-day public service delivery and enable government departments to work better.

The idea is that the government is created to serve the citizenry, to make it easier for citizens and businesses to access public information and transact with specific government departments.

“In many cities and many organizations, ICT is enabler of more effective working, more productive workforce and more creativity,” says Yong.

As the single largest consumer of ICT, the current economic crisis is forcing government departments to do more with less, with the help of ICT. Visit any government department in Asia, and you will find independent departments with their own applications databases, data centers and networks. Yet, if you like at the core of these systems, they are all built around delivering service to the people.

Taking their cue from the private sector, some governments are now looking at pooling together infrastructure and resources to deliver the same or even better services at a much lower cost of building and supporting these new heterogeneous networks. The airline industry has been doing this for years.

ICT is also an industry. Asia’s low cost manufacturing base and large labor and talent pool has spawned an industry that serves not only the needs of the local market but the rest of the world as well.

“The skill base that you build from your people, the experiences that they have gotten, and the infrastructures they built can be repackaged together and sold to other organizations or countries that are embarking on the same journey,” suggests Yong.
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Singapore’s national ICT infrastructure and policies, Malaysia’s multimedia super corridor, Taiwan’s ICT manufacturing base, and South Korea’s heavy investments in national broadband are prime examples of ICT-based industries that have spawned new industries in and around themselves.

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Governments need to be cognizant of the changing lifestyle of its citizens. “People today don’t

always work in offices. They are very mobile. So governments need to build systems that are flexible and take into account the mobility of employees,” advises Yong.

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If there is anything that Al Gore will be remembered by is his championing the education of the masses on the potential threat that climate change. Governments have, within them, the power to affect climate change policies in a positive way. But they have to lead by example.

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Learning from the private sector, governments can implement systems and processes that have smaller carbon footprint, are more eco-friendly. ICT can help here.

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The magazine can be found at http://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/

Friday the 13th, Valentine's Day & Other Quaint Festivals

I haven't been posting on this blog for about a month. Apologies to my readers (all 3 of them :-). It's because I've been travelling quite a bit last month and also caught up in a couple of other projects. The projects have quietened down a bit now, so I'm refocusing some of my attention back onto Asian Observer.

Thought I'd start again on a somewhat lighter topic - quaint festivals and practices. It struck me (and no doubt a few million others) that this year, Friday 13th was the day before Valentine's Day. What a contrast of moods these two days invoke.

The first is associated with ghosts, ghouls, monsters, serial-killers, gruesome mutilations, lots of blood and other scary stuff. The date itself, Friday 13th, happens once or twice a year and as far as I can find out it is considered by some folk to be "unlucky" although a few people I asked don't seem to know exactly why*. Some extremely superstitious people don't even want to leave the house on such days for fear that something bad will happen to them! And of course Hollywood has done its part to capitalise on this infamous day with a seemingly never-ending series of popular horror flicks - like "Friday the 13th - Part 145" ...

The other festival, Valentine's Day, is usually linked with romantic love, giving of roses, chocolates and cards between love-struck individuals (as they make goo-goo eyes at each other) The symbols associated with Valentine's Day are the heart and Cupid (that naked little angel, armed with bow & arrow to supposedly link hearts together with well-placed shots). Although the origin of the festival stems from an ancient Christian martyr named Valentine, I believe that in modern times this festival transcends religions and is almost global, bolstered by blatant commercialisation driven by confectionery, card and gift companies. Each year on or before Feb 14th, millions of cards and candy are purchased and presented, and many candle-lit dinners are consumed - representing a nice economic spike for the respective industries.

So there you have it. Two very different festivals, one driven by fear, the other by desire - both extremely powerful human emotions. Despite my natural skepticism about both festivals, I must admit that in the current economic doldrums that we are all in, perhaps creating a few more of such emotionally-charged days may not be so bad after all.

Finally, what can one do with Friday 13th falling just one day before Valentine's Day, as is the case this year? Well, one movie title I saw recently seemed to capture and creatively integrate the two moods. The movie was called "My Bloody Valentine". I believe the latest rendition (to be released in Feb 2009) is a remake of a Canadian slasher film of 1981 (the original poster is shown, with the tagline "There's more than one way to lose your heart ..."

* My further research found this out: In numerology, 12 is a number of completeness (eg 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 months of year, 12 zodiac signs etc), so 13 is considered irregular - transgressing the completeness. Friday has in the past been considered unluckier than the other days of the week for travelling or beginning new projects. In more recent times, witness Black Friday which is associated with stock market crashes. Also Jesus was supposedly crucified on a Friday. Another story tells of the Knights Templar being arrested in France by King Philip on Friday 13th Oct 1307.

When Singapore Surrendered ...

About a month ago I visited the Old Ford Factory on Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore. It's quite strange that even though I stay a mere ten minutes away from this historic site for some years, I've never explored this place until this visit.

The original building, built in 1941, was the first Ford vehicle assembly plant in South-East Asia.It was strategically located near to the Malayan Railway, which allowed goods to be transported to and from the docks at Tanjong pagar. Being on Bukit Timah Road also afforded an alternative transportation route. During the earlier part of the war, the factory equipment was also used to assemble fighter planes.

But historically the most significant event to have happened at the Old Ford Factory was the formal surrender of the British forces to the Japanese on 15th February 1942. On this fateful day, the British forces led by Lt General Arthur Percival walked up the slope to the Old Ford Factory and surrendered to the Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita.



The Old Ford Factory, gazetted as a national monument, is now an exhibition centre known as "Memories at Old Ford Factory". It is dedicated to the surrender itself as well as recalls the hard times of the Japanese occupation years (1942-1945). There were many exhibits and pictures related the fall of Singapore, including even the boardroom in which the surrender took place. Visitors can see even the table & chairs used - some are replicas, but some are the original pieces.

The fall of Singapore to the Japanese Army is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army and probably Britain’s worst defeat in World War II. About 80,000 Indian, Australian and British troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan campaign The Japanese gave Singapore a new name "Syonan-to" which meant "the Light of the South", which is quite ironic as the people in Singapore spent the darkest days of their lives during the three-and-half year long Japanese Occupation.

Here in Asia, we are fortunate to live in a region of relative peace and prosperity (notwithstanding the few potential hotspots of tension like Afghanistan or the Korean border, and the current global economic recession), so it is even more important to have places and exhibitions like "Memories of Old Ford Factory" serve as stark reminders of the horrors of war and occupation. In essence it embodies a strong caution of what could happen if tolerance, diplomacy and negotiation were to be disregarded.

In the garden by the Factory, a rock has been carved with an ancient Chinese poem titled "Taking History as a Lesson" by Emperor Tang Taizong:

"With a bronze mirror, one can see whether he is properly attired

With history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a nation

With man as a mirror, one can see whether he is right or wrong"

More information on the Old Ford Factory and related exhibits can be found at its website.

Resolutions for 2009

Every year I make my New Year Resolutions, which I pen down on a little scrap of paper and carry around the folded scrap in my wallet for the entire year. Usually in early December, I extricate the secret list and invariably admit guiltily to myself that I haven't achieved half as much as I'd have liked. Some resolutions then get carried forward to the following year, some get redefined in much less ambitious terms, and still others are quietly dropped :-(

This year, I'm going to take a rather different approach. For starters, I won't burden myself with an unrealistic list of 46 items, like what I did one year not too long ago. I'll keep it a much shorter list. Maybe 12-15 items at most. And secondly, it won't be a secret list any more as I will be displaying it in this blog entry for the whole world ... well, at least the dozen or so kind souls who actually bother to read my online rants. Ha! That should introduce a little more pressure on myself to keep my resolutions real and to put more effort into trying to attain them.

So here are my resolutions for 2009 ... (drum roll please)

Health
- reduce weight by 10 lbs & get more physically fit thru gym or other sport
(building abs was one of my previous resolutions, long discarded & I'm not putting it back in!)
- undergo medical & dental checks

Personal
- increase my Mandarin vocab by 500 characters
- learn a new language (to basic level)
- read at least 2 books a month, with more focus on humanities (esp history & classics)

Professional
- make a real sales impact in at least 3 countries
- deepen & extend domain expertise
- get one book published or at least manuscript-ready
(out of the several I've been working on & off for the past three years)
- put "E-Gov in Asia" online

Family
- get Family Journal + Book 2 typed & collated
- take two family holidays (one preferably to somewhere we've never visited)
- visit Sabah & Brunei on family tree exploration

Financial
- improve financial position

Social & Spiritual
- improve ties with family & friends (eg organise a re-union of ex-schoolmates)
- get actively involved with a charity organisation


Well, that's it folks. A very happy new year to all !

And be sure to watch out for my end-2009 review of these resolutions.