Political Perspective

GOVERNMENT appears to have started the new year on a less than proactive note and it really is lamentable that public concerns continue to be ignored.

It is a demonstrable fact that the seniors are failing to set an example to the civil service in general, and the junior staff in particular, and the complaints are coming in thick and fast from these sectors. It is really high time that Prime Minister Nahas Angula, who heads the civil service, starts calling his colleagues to order, leads by example, and gets an active and effective Government off the ground.I AM confronting the Prime Minister on this, not because he is the only culprit (he is not!) but because he is in fact the person responsible for overseeing the effective functioning of the public service.And it is no good if he’s gone into some kind of terminal slump.He was after all appointed, we believe, because he was perceived to be a doer, much like his predecessor, Hage Geingob, but of late he appears to have disappointed many people.And if he’s overburdened, which we doubt, then it is incumbent upon him to ensure that his deputy, Libertina Amathila, is given some kind of mandate to assist with the task of getting Government to work.She, after all, is a person of known abilities, who as far as we can establish, remains with scant mandate or functions for the high office she occupies.Early in the year I wrote about how Government had come to a virtual standstill over December, and to a large extent, the January period as well.A quick survey of various Government Ministries established that in some cases Ministers, their Deputies and Permanent Secretaries were on leave, leaving matters in the hands of lesser officials.As the responsible person, I had hoped the Prime Minister would respond with some kind of explanation, but he has thus far failed to do so.Either he cannot be bothered or he feels this is not an issue! At any rate, while most senior Government officials were on leave, it seems junior officials had to deal with other vexatious issues, which perhaps calls for direct input from President Hifikepunye Pohamba in order to set matters right.We all know, for example, that senior staff get a number of allowances, which include allowances for entertainment, furniture and travel.Leave aside for the moment the travel and subsistence allowances.It is an open secret that these are prolifically abused by all and sundry.What appears to be happening in several Ministries is that Ministers and their deputies, for example, get an entertainment allowance of about N$15 000 per annum; Permanent Secretaries about N$10 000, and that these are being abused.Come the end of the year and suddenly the realisation strikes home that these allowances haven’t been spent, and before long, junior officials are suddenly processing grocery and liquor bills in lieu of entertainment allowances.This is, plainly and simply, a disgrace and if clear directives to this effect have not been put in place by Cabinet, then they certainly should be as a matter of urgency.An entertainment allowance is like sick leave allocation – you are supposed to use it only if you need it! And like those who will invent reasons for being absent from work simply to use up sick leave allocations, those who abuse the entertainment allowance are themselves guilty of theft! And these are the most senior officials, who should (but don’t) lead by example.One junior official told me that if the President didn’t believe this was happening, he should simply request the relevant documentation on entertainment allowances from various Ministries, and he would find that it is in fact true that these are being grossly abused.Another allowance open to abuse is the N$50 000 per term allowance given to Ministers and their Deputies for furniture.Again, junior officials maintain, claims are processed for pots and pans and various household goods – again not items that should be covered by this allowance.Transport claims are also on the increase, according to said officials.From deputy director upwards, suddenly top officials are always on the road, and it remains difficult for their juniors to check whether such trips were private or work related, and the claims are mounting up to N$3 000 and N$4 000 monthly.Worse than the abuse itself, say officials, is the fact that junior civil servants clearly see that their seniors are exploiting the system for personal gain, and this abuse is hardly setting an example for good and clean governance.It seems one cannot call senior officials to account.But I would endeavour to request the President to make his own investigation into these claims.I am absolutely certain they are not without basis.If he indeed finds that this is the case, he should deal summarily with those responsible, no matter whether they are Ministers, Deputies or Permanent Secretaries.They should know better, and they’re making a total mockery of his call for a Zero Tolerance For Corruption campaign! Time it became a government of the people, for the people …and it cannot be achieved if the feeding frenzy continues.It is really high time that Prime Minister Nahas Angula, who heads the civil service, starts calling his colleagues to order, leads by example, and gets an active and effective Government off the ground.I AM confronting the Prime Minister on this, not because he is the only culprit (he is not!) but because he is in fact the person responsible for overseeing the effective functioning of the public service.And it is no good if he’s gone into some kind of terminal slump.He was after all appointed, we believe, because he was perceived to be a doer, much like his predecessor, Hage Geingob, but of late he appears to have disappointed many people.And if he’s overburdened, which we doubt, then it is incumbent upon him to ensure that his deputy, Libertina Amathila, is given some kind of mandate to assist with the task of getting Government to work.She, after all, is a person of known abilities, who as far as we can establish, remains with scant mandate or functions for the high office she occupies.Early in the year I wrote about how Government had come to a virtual standstill over December, and to a large extent, the January period as well.A quick survey of various Government Ministries established that in some cases Ministers, their Deputies and Permanent Secretaries were on leave, leaving matters in the hands of lesser officials.As the responsible person, I had hoped the Prime Minister would respond with some kind of explanation, but he has thus far failed to do so.Either he cannot be bothered or he feels this is not an issue! At any rate, while most senior Government officials were on leave, it seems junior officials had to deal with other vexatious issues, which perhaps calls for direct input from President Hifikepunye Pohamba in order to set matters right.We all know, for example, that senior staff get a number of allowances, which include allowances for entertainment, furniture and travel.Leave aside for the moment the travel and subsistence allowances.It is an open secret that these are prolifically abused by all and sundry.What appears to be happening in several Ministries is that Ministers and their deputies, for example, get an entertainment allowance of about N$15 000 per annum; Permanent Secretaries about N$10 000, and that these are being abused.Come the end of the year and suddenly the realisation strikes home that these allowances haven’t been spent, and before long, junior officials are suddenly processing grocery and liquor bills in lieu of entertainment allowances.This is, plainly and simply, a disgrace and if clear directives to this effect have not been put in place by Cabinet, then they certainly should be as a matter of urgency.An entertainment allowance is like sick leave allocation – you are supposed to use it only if you need it! And like those who will invent reasons for being absent from work simply to use up sick leave allocations, those who abuse the entertainment allowance are themselves guilty of theft! And these are the most senior officials, who should (but d
on’t) lead by example.One junior official told me that if the President didn’t believe this was happening, he should simply request the relevant documentation on entertainment allowances from various Ministries, and he would find that it is in fact true that these are being grossly abused.Another allowance open to abuse is the N$50 000 per term allowance given to Ministers and their Deputies for furniture.Again, junior officials maintain, claims are processed for pots and pans and various household goods – again not items that should be covered by this allowance.Transport claims are also on the increase, according to said officials.From deputy director upwards, suddenly top officials are always on the road, and it remains difficult for their juniors to check whether such trips were private or work related, and the claims are mounting up to N$3 000 and N$4 000 monthly.Worse than the abuse itself, say officials, is the fact that junior civil servants clearly see that their seniors are exploiting the system for personal gain, and this abuse is hardly setting an example for good and clean governance.It seems one cannot call senior officials to account.But I would endeavour to request the President to make his own investigation into these claims.I am absolutely certain they are not without basis.If he indeed finds that this is the case, he should deal summarily with those responsible, no matter whether they are Ministers, Deputies or Permanent Secretaries.They should know better, and they’re making a total mockery of his call for a Zero Tolerance For Corruption campaign! Time it became a government of the people, for the people …and it cannot be achieved if the feeding frenzy continues.