•  December 2000February 2001 Local News Headlines

Friday, February 23, 2001 - Web posted at 8:11:58 AM GMT

Regional plan goes into overdrive
TANGENI AMUPADHI

REGIONAL Governors, having just received vehicles costing more than President Sam Nujoma's cost-cutting choice, are being promoted to a higher status as part of a plan to "take Government to the people".

The Ministry of Regional, Local Government and Housing confirmed on Wednesday that discussions on the elevation of the 13 Governors were "taking place at the highest political level", an apparent reference to Cabinet.

Frans Kapofi, Secretary to Cabinet, would not comment, but an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting said an announcement is expected next week after the Cabinet meeting.

It is understood the Governors will be promoted from their current level - just under that of a director in the civil service - to higher than a permanent secretary.

This week the Governors began driving top-of-the-range closed top four wheel drive vehicles that sell at retail prices of more than N$400 000 as opposed to Chevrolets (under N$400 000) that Nujoma has encouraged his Cabinet colleagues to drive in order to cut costs.

Government said the status of Governors needed to be elevated because they will have added responsibilities once the far-reaching decentralisation plan has been put in place.

The promotion of Governors comes shortly after a new structure for Regional Councils was approved and the Public Service Commission agreed to raise the position of regional executive officer to the equivalent of under secretary from that of a deputy director in Government.

The regional executive officer will report to the permanent secretaries of all ministries.

The new structure will be implemented in April, with four directors to be appointed in each region on the team which will co-ordinate programmes being implemented by central Government.

Other posts are to be created in the regions, according to a chart drawn up as a guideline to the Regional Councils.

The structure - aimed at decentralising Government services - looks set to enlarge Namibia's already bloated civil service.

But Samuel /Goagoseb, Permanent Secretary for the Local Government Ministry, said the restructuring of Regional Councils is aimed at cutting costs in the long term."

"You are basically cutting the bureaucracy.

We should rather be talking about value for money," said /Goagoseb, when asked how much it would cost to implement the new structure.

He said, however, that Ministries will be relocating staff from within their structures to the regions as they will have to run projects there.

/Goagoseb said Councils will have more powers to decide which projects to implement in the regions."

"The decision-making taken at regional level will make the most impact.

Co-ordination will be much more effective and there will be lots of cost saving as we will cut duplication of services," he said.

While resistance is most likely to come from ministries because of the expected widespread changes, /Goagoseb insisted that "it has become more and more clear that decentralisation is an urgency and has to happen".

Said /Goagoseb: "It means ministries have to change and gear themselves to that responsibility.

The regions have to identify their own needs and priorities."

"He said the Ministry of Local Government has used itself as a pilot scheme for the decentralisation plan by making payments in lump sums to the regions to run their affairs.

With the transfer of money directly to the regions, the relocation of staff will follow.

/Goagoseb said "measures have been put in place to stimulate the voluntary move" of civil servants.

/Goagoseb said most "positions needed will be filled from within the public service".

But he did not elaborate how all the posts in the 13 regions will be filled without increasing the size of the civil service.

A Ministry official pointed out that the new Regional Council structure would only be used a guideline and that not all positions outlined in it would be filled in all regions.

Asked about the purchase of expensive Toyota Prados while Nujoma has been advocating the use of Chevrolets, /Goagoseb said the tender to buy the vehicles was issued before the President made his statement.

He said the maintenance costs of Governors' previous vehicles had become "unbearable" as they had the cars that were donated by the United Nations Transitional Assistance Group (Untag).

/Goagoseb said they had to consider the "extremely harsh conditions in the regions" and the "availability of proper (maintenance) service".

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