Open source for (the) president
Everybody loves free stuff. It’s almost embarrassing what people will do at public events to get a free t-shirt or cap, or even just one lame keyring or pen. The South African government is also a fan of free stuff. But in this case, it’s thought-provoking and potentially admirable rather than embarrassing.
At the GovTech Conference held at the end of July in Durban, the government came out strongly in support of the use of Free Open Source Software and Open Standards. The conference was intended to “keep you up to date on the latest ICT developments in government and demonstrate how technology can be a key business change lever in improving performance and service delivery” (GovTech Website).
This fits in well with the government’s eGovernment intentions where technology will be used to communicate and interact with the public. And what I think is important about incorporating open source software is that it alleviates some of the cost for the government (and therefore the taxpayers who are the people that the government is trying to communicate with). And even high up ministers like Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the Minister of Public Service and Administration have been long-time supporters of open source.
There are obviously a number of problems with the concept of eGovernance in South Africa, the main one being the limited Internet access of the broader population grid. But despite the current situation, what I like about the initiative is that it is forward thinking and looks to invest in the potential of new media in South Africa.
But as Graham Taylor, Chief Executive, OpenForum Europe explained at the GovTech conference, there are a number of advantages with having Open Source eGovernment. These include;
- lower costs
- encouraging a sharing culture
- increased accessibility for citizens by removing dependence on specific software
- improving the ‘local’ oppotunity for Small and Medium Enterprises/ start ups
On the whole, I’m very excited about the SA government getting behind open source and making it work for the benefit of the citizens.
