A new government, the same old tragic IT

Lucia Kobzová / Marec 17, 2022

5 min read

While watching “the race” for vaccine registration, reading about the billions of euros the state has already invested into IT projects, and realizing that reality does not reflect these investments, one does not know whether to cry or laugh about the tragic amateurism that accompanies anything concerning IT in our state.

After parliamentary elections in 2020, most of us had high expectations. We were expecting anti-corruption measures in public procurement, and most importantly dramatic enhancement in digital policies as several experts from the commercial IT-sphere said they were willing to commence working for the state. Unfortunately, after almost two years we could see that very little has been done to fulfil our expectations. There is a general problem that precludes further progress in digitalization – the existent corruption scheme coupled with the fact that the public has a very superficial understanding of abstract IT terms used in state projects makes tunnelling money all the more possible for our politicians.

The current government is by no means the sole actor at fault for the failures in state IT systems. This problem is the result of years of dysfunctional governance. Nevertheless, two years are more than enough time to shift fundamental policies that are halting progress. There is no need to go into too much detail, but for illustration, I want to present you some of the specific issues that this government is failing to address.

Inter-resort communication has become a great obstacle to the adoption of various innovative IT policies. For instance, the introduction of the so-called mobile identity by the Ministry of Informatization (MIRRI) is a great illustration of this problem. When the MIRRI officially indicated that it prepared an application through which citizens could communicate with the state, the Ministry of Interior declared that it is also working on its own mobile application which resembles the one of the MIRRI. Another unsuccessful project of MIRRI was the E-health platform on which the state spent millions in vain. A module for vaccination was installed, but remained unused due to unknown reasons. An even better example would be the incapability to amend the legislature regarding an e-government adopted in 2013. Anyone who comprehends fast technological advancement came to the conclusion that the criteria applicable back then are inapplicable to modern developments. This makes the e-government law inflexible, hence precluding the adoption of new, effective policies. The MIRRI, inter alia, does not conduct studies, nor does it analyse implemented policies that are sine qua non for ending the vicious circle of inefficient digital policies. This I perceive as a major failure.

Although my critique of IT in Slovakia may sound harsh, I believe that constructive criticism is conducive to progress. Once we analyse the malfunctions in the implementation of former policies and admit that they were not successful in certain regards, future policies could be ameliorated. Yes, the current state of Slovak IT is tragic, but there is hope since things are moving slowly forward. The one thing our government must understand, in regards to resolving this situation is that attracting serious IT experts to the state sector takes more than just higher wages.

What could be considered as a move forward was the establishment of Slovensko IT – a state-owned company supposed to enhance the quality and accessibility of various IT services for citizens, firms, and institutions. You might have already encountered some of their innovative solutions. One of its greatest achievements is the Green Pass application where you can save your vaccination certificate with a QR code, which facilitates the verification for when you are crossing the borders or entering shops, etc. Slovensko IT cooperates with NASES (The National Agency for Network and Electronic Services) in several projects like the development of a mobile app that would facilitate communication with the state. The company also prepared a proposal for amending the legislature concerning the use of IDs in cyberspace without the need to possess the physical chip reader as it is nowadays.

Another potentially beneficial initiative that MIRRI plans on implementing is the application called Slovensko v mobile (Slovakia in mobile). It is supposed to make access to electronic services of the state through mobile phones possible. What it would mean in reality is that you could carry out any bureaucracy via the application instead of having to visit five different institutions physically, just to approve your request for changing your permanent residence for example. With a few clicks and giving consent to the application, you would have all the necessary “paperwork” done. In addition, the application would provide the user with a digital form of all their documents like a driving license or ID in order to avoid losing their physical identification cards.

What the government could use as incentive to launch more projects like this are the Euro funds that Slovakia should have at its disposal in the next few years. This would be an amazing opportunity to change the paradigm. A great amount of financial support both from the Partner agreement and from the Recovery Plan are designated specifically for the objective of digitalization. The possible benefits from that money would be incredible, but we have to make sure we put forth a well-designed and detailed plan of execution, so that the finances are not wasted. We must be cautious here as we do not want to repeat what has happened in the past. Other projects had to be financed from the state budget for years despite the fact that many were destined to fail ab initio.

Good luck to all of us. The challenges we face are great, but I would say the opportunities for exceptional work are even greater.

References

https://zive.aktuality.sk/clanok/151917/stat-zverejnil-plan-k-slovensko-v-mobile-je-to-mobilne-id-s-velkolepymi-cielmi-da-sa-pripomienkovat/
https://e.dennikn.sk/2430740/it-odbornik-suchal-cakali-sme-ze-vlada-nastavi-novy-standard-pre-it-projekty-pri-niektorych-je-to-este-horsie-podcast/ https://e.dennikn.sk/2662873/slovensko-sk-nema-zmysel-opravovat-treba-ho-cele-prerobit-hovori-byvaly-sef-it-tatra-banky-dnes-riaditel-vladnej-agentury/?ref=list&_ga=2.76446870.201675838.1645368982-1231478753.1636208647