Much still needs to be done for the government’s digitalization
Statement by AKEL MP Kostas Kosta after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade with the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
2 November 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
We as a Party stressed to the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, who presented to us today the government’s digitization policy and the course of its implementation, that, indeed, some steps forward have been taken, but much more needs to be done with greater speed and proper planning.
Much needs to be done to help citizens, who encounter immense inconveniences. The state must provide them with access to prompt and proper service from government departments.
In Cyprus where today:
- Internet speeds are among the lowest in the EU.
- Government service or application portals crash in a few minutes
- Citizens’ application files are lost in government offices
- Details of numerous applications by citizens are sent by post to government departments, rather than electronically and are frequently lost too.
- Citizen Helplines are set up, but no one answers the calls
- Bureaucracy costs citizens and businesses around €400 million per year
- Many government departments and services have mountains of files and no or rudimentary computerization.
- Written court evidence in warehouses are set on fire and serious criminal cases are falling apart.
Unfortunately, as a country we are still unjustifiably far behind. Big talk about policies and planning is not enough. We need action on the part of the government.
