Expert: ID system will not benefit all

 By PISAI GUMAR

A LOCAL information technology specialist says the proposed electronic identification system (e-ID) by the government will not benefit the country and the people.

David Kaupa believes more work needs to be done to make such a system workable and effective.

He said the system proposed by Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Charles Able had no viable benefit to the country and its citizens.

“Certain important questions remain unanswered that requires research to understand all aspects of record-keeping, constant database updates and information and communications technology infrastructure management that need to be verified,” Kaupa said.

He previously worked as a technical support engineer with Daltron Electronic branch in Lae, Morobe, Global Technologies, Computers and Communications, Coca Cola Amatil and other companies as an information technology specialist. He is a project manager for the district telecommunication roll-out programme in Menyamya district, Morobe.

The records data base will include taxation, unemployment, disease control, student records, including various important government database all integrated, and synchronised for the benefit of the government agencies and its people.

“The government will be better off if K231.8 million is allocated to state institutions such as police, Correctional Services, Customs, Internal Revenue Commission, health, education, foreign affairs, National Housing Corporation and others to improve their existing database systems,” Kaupa said. 

“The National Statistics Office spent millions to collate population census data for the benefit of Electoral Commission for the 2012 election.

“But few people within service industries benefited from the money spent on unused data, now collecting dust somewhere in Waigani.

“As a result, the minister responsible will fail to tell the exact population figure of this country.

“If the government is serious about e-ID system, then look within to utilise qualified national IT companies and professionals to undertake this simple task.

“Why should we spend so much, unnecessarily to collect data or give e-ID to local people without immediate viable or commercial benefits?”

He said a fraction of K231.8 million could be spent to:

l Improve data base for police and CIS to keep track of criminals;

l Foreign affairs and customs to track foreign and illegal immigrants;

l Health to keep all births, deaths, disease control;

l IRC with its taxations and employee tax records; and

l Education for a correct database for students from elementary school to universities.

“Why is the government intending to create a new system, likely to fail while the technology company engaged to implement the project will not be here to see it collapse?”