And in other news, the online payment system for Temporary Employment Permit Applications was launched today. This system is in line with GOB's plan to digitalize government services. It's a collaboration between the Ministries of Labor and E-Governance, and the Belize Bank - which uses the E-Kyash platform.
The Minister of E Governance, Michel Chebat, explained that this system will make it easier for many Belizeans who submit TEP application forms, but what about those that don't have E-Kyash? Here's how he responded:
Hon. Michel Chebat - Minister of E-Governance
"You know that as part of PlanBelize and as part of our digital agenda the government is committed to making the interaction for public and government services easier, so this is first step. What we're trying to do is that when the public needs to interact with the government for some type of service, they can do it from any location whether or not they have a bank account or not. So, we're trying to make it accessible to everyone and this is a first step in that direction. I think one of the comments you heard from Mr. Gusepe was the need to introduce this into the court systems and so we're not only going to be looking at, we'll be looking at other services that the government provide and to see how this concept can translate to those services. I know that in this initial stage a tender was put out and Belize Bank was initially chosen but this has to be expanded to every because not everybody does business with the Belize Bank and we want as many people as possible to be able to access these services, so I'm sure that as time goes on you're going to see other providers coming on stream."
Chris Coye - Minister of State, Ministry of Finance
"This portal today, TEP 2.0 deals with temporary employment permits as I mentioned in my remarks that is important for the agriculture sector in particular. It was important to appreciate what Mr. Requena spoke to this special purpose type temporary employment permit that it allows an opportunity for efficient processing of application for persons other than in agriculture and that's in the arts, in entertainment, culture, professional, technical skill personnel, so there is quite a bit of improved service on the labor end as far as that is concerned. This is a small area, this is in terms of the processing per employment permits so the fees associated with that but it is a start, an important start in terms of what E-Kyash brings to the table, what digital wallet solutions bring to the table. I should mention that there are other digital wallets solutions that are being provided by the banking system, so we have to be mindful that there are other opportunities for broadening the payment space. So that I think is something that is being embraced as part of this e-governance initiative, so that in every government services that require payments we can simplify the payment system and reduce the bureaucracies associated with processing applications."
