Staff, he says, should be appointed on merit to ensure a career-based public service able to drive national development, sustainable growth and equity.

"If these ethos can guide the development and behaviour of our public servants, then Namibia's future will be bright.

Our public service will be the agent of change and transformation," said Angula when he addressed divisions falling under the Prime Minister's office on Friday, outlining his vision for the public service.

The Prime Minister's Office heads the public service of more than 70 000 employees, making it the country's largest business unit.

Angula told his office that public institutions had to take the lead in the process of socio-economic transformation in a multi-cultural environment like Namibia and one with such blatant disparity between minority and majority groups - rich and poor, urban and rural, employed and unemployed.

Angula ordered the various units, which include the Central Governance Agency, Public Service Commission, the Emergency Management Unit, Public Service Information Technology Management and Public Service Management Units, to set goals and benchmark their performances in line with the country's broad national vision, national development goals and annual budget.

Angula drew specifically on President Hifikepunye Pohamba's remarks at the opening of Cabinet last week, saying the public service was expected to make 2006 a year of hard work, commitment and the full-implementation of Government programmes and policies.

"Public service performance, or lack of it, determines other developmental endeavours.

The motivations, skills and integrity of the public servants determine the quality of our public institutions," said Angula.

Angula said in 2006, he wanted to see the civil service transforming into a "responsive" one, which is professional, impartial and meritocratic.

"A responsive public service aligns the behaviour of its staff with the public interest.

In service delivery, a responsive public service is competent, efficient, effective and accountable.

Such responsive public services are performance oriented," said Angula.

He said principled leadership, professionalism and impartiality were fundamental to moulding a responsive public service.

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