SETTING up a new company in Singapore used to require multiple visits to different government agencies and the filling out of multiple application forms.

Today a businessman can do it all in 15 minutes with a few clicks on a website, saving him much time and expense.

Giving Singaporeans the public services they need over the Internet, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Monday, has made a positive impact on the lives of many citizens.

But delivering such services to citizens, known as e-government services, is only possible with a transparent, accountable and efficient Government, having public agencies willing to work together to fulfil the needs of a country's citizens, said Mr Goh.

He was the guest-of-honour at the inaugural iGov forum organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

'More than technology... good governance is the foundation for successful e-government which in turns enables us to improve the effectiveness of Government,' he said.

Too often, said Mr Goh, 'the marketing allure of new technologies blindside us into thinking that all we need is to roll out new hardware and software'.

The United Nations director for public administration, Ms Qian Haiyan, concurred with Mr Goh's assessment.

Many governments focus on infrastructure and technology, failing to realise that it is the services that make their citizens lives better, she said.

The one-day forum was held at the Suntec City Convention Centre.