BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- More efforts are needed to upgrade government websites, says an article in the Workers' Daily. An excerpt follows:

    The municipal government of Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, published an assessment of local government websites last month.

    According to the report, 14 of its 91 government websites scored a zero. Besides poor accessibility, the report found that lack of content, updates and interactivity were all major problems.

    These are also the common faults of many government websites throughout China.

    Quite a number of government institutions are not accustomed to serving the public through the Internet and other digital means. Under such circumstances, e-government is being treated as a political assignment and not a tool to better serve the people. Government employees should alter their attitudes and improve the service.

    E-government is crucial to constructing an open and transparent government. As a window to the central authorities, websites should offer the public the most convenient access to government information and services.

    The Internet has become an important forum of public opinion. But a number of local governments have made their websites a place of publicity and not an avenue for listening and responding to the public. Interaction between government departments and the public is not yet adequate.

     What's more, e-government is a must for improving administrative efficiency. The popularity of the Internet and on-line services beat traditional measures due to their speed, transparency and convenience.

    Since the Government Online Initiative was launched in 1999, there have been more than 10,000 government websites set up in China. But there is still a long way to go before their services are up to scratch.

(Source: China Daily)