Financial Times

What a wonderful world …
By Random Access Memory (RAM)
The Internet and other digital info-communication networks are almost magical tools for no barriers barred, convenient human interaction. Since it has no time or place limitations when connected, one can have access to almost any information under the sun, from anywhere under the sun. In theory, if every citizen was connected via the Internet, and all public / private sector institutions transformed their services onto digitally interactive formats, e-business, e-governance and e-commerce, as we understand them today, the Internet will very much be a part of our everyday lives.

We can then run most of our chores from the comfort of our connected homes, the sub post office, school library, and classroom or at the 'Internet kiosk' of the roadside Kade Café. Our Internet savvy farmers and fishermen will not be duped by the 'tharaw karaya' middlemen, for they will have knowledge of the prices at the Manning market and other wholesale markets through the Internet. They will now teach a lesson or two to those who exploited them in the past. For us urban dwellers, what a relief it will be … for there will not be the need to be stuck in traffic jams, be at the mercy of the trishaw drivers or hang on to dear life on footboards of buses inhaling hefty doses of carbon monoxide.

There would be no logical need to make that frequent visit to the bank to check on your account status. Nor will it be necessary to wait in queues to pay your utility bills. The 'come again next week' yells of the public servants will be a thing of the past. It will be e-Public Services when you can call up, connect and be served. Millions of trees will be saved and our environment will be greener and cleaner, for e-mails and file transfer protocols (FTP) will significantly cut down the need for paper. During the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, virtual visits to homes of relatives will be possible without stepping out of our homes.

The 'Aurudhu' sweetmeats and gifts will be delivered through e-business sites. So will be the flowers and cakes on birthdays and roses on Valentine's Day. With most people spending more time at home, family disharmony will vanish. Some petty conflicts will prevail where access to networks need be shared. Only when access becomes impossible due to power failures, will there be real protests on the streets. A new breed of virtual crime busters will provide protection to resolve these and other network related crimes.

Virtual weddings will replace the real ones with guests participating from the comfort of their homes through personalized digital websites. Thankfully, honeymoons will still be real.

Our children will take their tuition lessons interacting with their teachers on the Internet or through special educational cable networks. Parents will settle fees through e-commerce transaction systems. No more fisticuffs and guns at tuition classes and young lives will be saved.

Internet casinos will give a good run to the real ones and the various development lotteries will be shadowed by virtual lotteries with instant payout options. No more take over attempts or lawsuits will be necessary, for dues will be credited to all stakeholders with great efficiency. Those engaged in the oldest profession would graduate from the current mobile telephone domain of operations to an Internet platform with instant 'look-see- select-source-pay' options. Taxes will be debited with each transaction and the gentlemen at the Treasury will not be troubled anymore about shortfalls in the collection of VAT.

Businesses will thrive for inefficiencies of the public service will be eliminated with all public servants becoming Internet freaks. Fast action from the public service will level the playing field to enable more and more public - private sector partnerships and alliances. Who is better than who will no longer be an issue.

New NGOs will be formed and foreign funding obtained to manage issues of the digital divide to eliminate the new phenomenon of poverty of the 'unconnected'. The ICT Agency will be bombarded with email queries and will constantly send out the same electronic acknowledgment to those who bother to bother them.

In the midst of all this, the e-governance front will provide all the excitement. The LTTE will be content having self-rule of virtual Eelam. In Sri Lanka, with almost every citizen having access to the Internet or other networks, Athenian style direct democracy will be practiced. Frequent referenda will be held on each important issue with people voting with a press of a button from their homes or from the nearest connectivity centres.

The functional value of the political middlemen within the multi-party parliamentary system will be minimized. Like in ancient Athens, there will be a role for true leaders and seniors with wisdom, who can present the various options to the people. The people can debate issues at chat rooms and Internet forums and have the final call by voting on these options without need for killing each other during elections. Computers will count the votes and majority decisions will prevail. Firewalls and virtual crime busters will ensure that proper audits will be made of the counts and ensure transparency. The Parliament will be transformed into a Madam Tussaud's type wax museum, with each exhibit preserved for posterity.

Ah! what a wonderful world of e-Sri Lanka …
Business Editor says: This columnist is a former public servant with wide international experience in public/private sectors in a range of disciplines. He prefers to write under a pseudonym. He could be reached through The Sunday Times FT on ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk which could also be used to send in comments.

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