The construction of better on-line public services will help build a cleaner and more efficient government, says a signed article in Procuratorial Daily. An excerpt follows:

According to the newly published China E-Government Development Report, the interactive columns of some government websites have become purely ornamental objects that provide little useful information and fail to solve any problems.

Enhancing e-government is a major aspect of the reform of public administration. It is also an important measure in terms of increasing government efficiency and raising the level of public service. At the same time, e-government provides a new platform to build a clean government. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the current problems in e-government.

Taking heed of public opinion is a vital prerequisite for governments at all levels to perform their duties effectively. Interactive columns on government websites are an important way of finding out what the public thinks and what the public needs from the authorities. However, they are useless if they are merely "letters" columns and there is no government feedback or action.

Transparency is the best way to prevent corruption. Government websites should disclose as much information as possible. Basic information such as government affairs, regulations, rules and administrative documents should be published in a timely fashion. Key service information like personnel affairs, government procurement and project investments should also be published. This will help the public better understand the work of government, and will also assist public supervision of government affairs. Abuses of power can be effectively prevented when information is made available to the public and the government is under public supervision.

Last but certainly not least, online services should be improved to reduce civil servants' opportunities for corruption. It should be the core function of government websites to handle work and serve the public online.

(China Daily July 20, 2006)