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1. Rail firm's dream on hold

2. Government pushes online services

1. Rail firm's dream on hold
Eli Lau, The Standard 3 June 2003

MTR Corp is to put its Tseung Kwan O South Station mega-project on hold due to the oversupply of flats, property director Thomas Ho said yesterday.

Ho said the retail-residential Dream City project - the largest mixed development in Hong Kong - was currently being repackaged and would be released for tender as early as next year.

``[The release of the project for tender] will depend on the market situation,'' Ho said. ``It's about supply and demand.''

Asked whether the current market was favourable for launching the 21,500-flat Dream City development, Ho said: ``There is an oversupply right now.''

The Dream City development was postponed in November last year after the government announced measures to revive the property market, including a suspension of tenders by the two railway operators until next year.

``The Sars outbreak has also prompted us to focus on hygiene issues in building design,'' Ho said.

According to the development plan, Dream City would be 10-year project in 14 phases. It would have a gross floor area of 1.65 million square metres, including 40,000 sq m of retail space.

The project, with 50 residential towers, a shopping centre and supporting community and recreational facilities, was expected to add about 58,000 residents to the Clear Water Bay Peninsula.

Shares of MTR Corp yesterday closed at HK$9.2, up 2.22 per cent.

2. Government pushes online services
CAROLYN ONG and BIEN PEREZ, SCMP 3 June 2003

The government is stepping up efforts to persuade people to use its online services, with MTR stations hosting a roadshow to publicise what is available.

The government's Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme Web site - www.esd.gov.hk - has recorded more than 3.2 million transactions since its launch in December 2000. The government expects online activities to increase as more citizens obtain the new smart identity card, which allows the user to make transactions on the Internet in a secure manner using electronic certificates, issued free by Hongkong Post.

The ESD scheme is one of the government initiatives under the "Digital 21" information technology strategy. Under the scheme, citizens can obtain more than 140 services, including filing tax returns, over the Internet and at public kiosks 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The government has vowed to accelerate its publicity efforts to boost awareness of online public services while the new smart ID card replacement programme gets underway next month.

It launched an ESD scheme roadshow at select MTR stations last Friday to raise public awareness of the government's online services.

An independent report from management and technology consultant firm Accenture found the ESD scheme's role crucial in forging closer partnerships between the government and the private sector. About 82 per cent of government IT projects are already outsourced to the private sector.

A partnership with private commercial concerns had led to the establishment of the Electronic Tendering System, available at www.ets.com.hk.

"Hong Kong is clearly among the world's e-government leaders," said Ramez Katf, Accenture lead partner in government practice for North Asia.

He praised Hong Kong's initiative in adopting new models of service delivery which had helped make a small number of online programmes easier to use.

According to a recent paper by a Legislative Council panel, the government plans to expand its ESD initiative and develop more online public services.

The goal is to have 90 per cent of government services available online by the end of this year.

Also being progressively rolled out is a common look and feel for all government Web sites.

An Accenture report last April found that customer satisfaction in Hong Kong was the key factor driving the delivery of online public services, consistent with the government's focus on its citizens as customers.

That was a more significant factor than pressure to reduce operating expenses.

For example, the government's information portal - at www.info.gov.hk - was redesigned to make it easier to navigate. A government news bulletin, at www.news.gov.hk, was introduced last year to provide a channel for the government and citizens to communicate.

To producer a customer-friendly feel, the ESD site is organised around user intentions while also providing transactional and interactive services offered by the government and commercial entities.

Accenture said the right approach to e-government had been in place in Hong Kong for two years, but the Digital 21 Strategy had "reached a plateau".

"Driving the take-up of online services beyond current levels must be regarded as a high priority," Mr Katf said.

He said this required marketing strategies to build awareness of online services that had the greatest potential for use, exemplified by the ESD initiative.