Ministries communicate without papers, the bureaucracy sends their signature via ‘mobile’

Using his phone for some time, Transportation Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry Undersecretary Suat Hayri Aka turned around and said to those sitting at the table, “I have just checked the documents that require my confirmation and have signed them with an electronic signature. I have sent the confirmation for the work to proceed without the need for an original signature.”

We met Aka at the “2nd Public Information Summit” organized in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya where MAY Cyber Technology was among its main sponsors.

Deputy Undersecretary Galip Zerey, general manager of the satellite communications company Türksat Cenk Şen and general director of communication Ensar Kılıç accompanied Aka.

Aka said the system that ensured him to sign the documents that required his confirmation at the ministry during a meeting in Antalya was developed by Türksat.

“Thanks to Türksat’s ‘Electronic Document Management System,’ with the Prime Ministry being at the top, all the ministries can communicate with each other without the need for paper,” he said.

He underlined that communication did not only consist of writing each other emails, as after all, official documents between the ministries are also sent electronically.

“When those documents sent from the ministries are printed, they are considered official documents,” added Şen.

Aka said the Prime Ministry and the ministries along with 158 institutions have carried their official correspondence to electronic format, adding that for one month, no paper had been sent among the related institutions.

Bureaucratic procedures will become easier and faster as the use of e-government (e-devlet) and e-signatures become more frequent, he said.

In one month, 35 million people have used 117 million e-devlet services online. This figure is a reflection of how citizens use electronic services.

He stated that regulations would be updated and authorities would be organized so citizens can access e-services for separate ministries all in one place in the near future. This is currently a project that is developing.

IT software is a top priority on the government’s agenda for localization, Aka said.

“Just like in other areas, localization in this area cannot happen without taking risks. As the undersecretary, I take risks. For instance, we have required GSM operators to use the ULAK system, which is the indigenous macrocell base station, under the scope of the ‘Universal Service Fund,’ at the points where their service reaches,” he said.

In order for ULAK to become more prevalent, it was necessary for me to exceed my authority by enforcing it, Aka added.

Afterwards, he reminded of the validity of the circular President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan released twice during his time as Prime Minister, which stipulates that in public acquisition, products that are locally produced can be purchased up to 15 percent higher. Representatives of the IT sector have requested this to be increased to 30 percent.

“That could be a formula we can use,” Aka said.