JAMAICA'S PARLIAMENTARIANS all now have access to the information super highway following the installation of a high-speed Internet connection at Gordon House by full service telecoms provider Cable & Wireless Jamaica (CWJ).
In addition to providing the broadband connection, CWJ has also equipped both the Government and Opposition caucus rooms at Parliament with special Internet access devices. The initiative is designed to ensure that the country's Parliament has Internet facilities similar to those available to larger commercial entities.
FULL ADVANTAGE
Commenting on the development, Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology Phillip Paulwell said that MPs are taking full advantage of the new service. "Cable & Wireless has helped the Parliament to come into the information age and the demand for the service has been heavy," he said.
Members of Parliament are now using the Internet to access information for speeches and presentations and to maintain contact with their constituents. Minister Paulwell is predicting that this will lead to an improvement in the standard of debate and discussion in the House. The Technology Minister also said he is hopeful that the exposure to high speed Internet service will encourage Parliamentarians to utilise Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in managing their constituencies.
"In the future, we're hoping that MPs will establish websites and use these websites to post information for their constituents about what is being done and how problems are being handled. This will improve and enhance the entire process of Governance," he explained.
Magnus Johansson, Cable & Wireless' vice-president for Broadband, said his company is supportive of the concept of e-government because technology will not only facilitate more efficient administration but it will also empower the public, who will now have an additional channel for access to their representatives.
"This is a new way for representatives to communicate," he explained. "MPs will now be more accessible, because technology is making it possible for the people to have one to one contact with them. We see this as a way of enabling people so their voice can be heard."
