From analog control to digital coup?

Not only will there be a national committee for this purpose, headed by the prime minister himself, it is also reported that a whole new Digital Economy Ministry will be set up to handle this major initiative.

But what does that really mean? In other words, what did Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula mean when he announced that the whole country was going “digital” with a bang?

Isn’t there already an ICT Ministry to handle information, communications and technology?

Permanent Secretary Methinee Thepmani of the ICT Ministry says the first task to promote digital economy would be to put together all government agencies related to the issue. The ICT itself will have to undergo a major overhaul and make serious adjustments in order to be in line with the new policy.

The main obstacle to a genuine digital economy may not be what hardware and software to purchase – as is the normal mentality of most government agencies – but how to change the mindset of most government officials.

That will prove to be the most challenging task in implementing this platform, which has been touted for years but without any real political will or leadership to see it through. The fact that it has been placed on top of the current government’s agenda may help but it’s the nitty-gritty of getting it done that will determine whether this time, it is for real or not.

Every major change starts with changing the work culture. A digital economy demands a total change in how all government agencies think, plan, debate and draw conclusions. It’s no longer a top-down process, but rather a free-for-all where divergent opinions are eagerly sought and no initiative is too “way out” or impossible.

That’s not something that can be achieved within the timeframe set by this government. But it has to be kicked off if the digitisation of government is to have any chance of getting off the ground.

Old-guard politicians don’t really get it. But they embrace the digital economy simply because they see a chance to earn commission through purchases of expensive high-tech equipment and software. The best and the brightest in IT within the government have had no real say in laying the groundwork of such a vital agenda. That’s where the whole concept of Thailand’s entering the “New Digital Age” hasn’t really taken off in any significant way.

To make Thailand’s economy a digital one, the government must realise that it will have to open up channels of communication and promote freedom of information. The current control-and-command attitude of the ruling power will have to give way to transparency,  “open data” and “global connectivity”.

As Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google and Jared Cohen, director of Google Ideas, point out in their book “The New Digital Age”:

“On the world stage, the most significant impact of the spread of communication technologies will be the way they help relocate the concentration of power away from states and institutions and transfer it to individuals. Throughout history, the advent of new information technologies has often empowered successive waves of people at the expense of traditional powerbrokers, whether that meant the king, the church or the elites. Then, as now, access to information and to new communication channels meant new opportunities to participate, to hold power to account and to direct the course of one’s life with greater agency.”

Are we ready for a “digital coup”?