Service Delivery Is In Shambles

I WANT to reiterate and underscore what Gwen Lister has written in The Namibian of 2 February 2006.

The service delivery to the public by the public institutions is a matter of great concern to the entire public. Why should people stand in long queues to be served? Why can’t the Minister and top officials go and see how the people sit waiting for hours at Katutura hospital? Why should people stand in long queues for IDs, birth certificates, passports, death certificates, etc? Not to mention the long waiting periods for these documents.Why should parents assemble in masses at schools in search for places for their children? This is recurrent each year.These are but a few examples of worrisome public service delivery.The Ministers, top officials, and their relatives do not feel the hardships and frustrations of queuing in long lines because they hardly go through this process.Some Ministers and top officials are not familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of their Ministries with regard to service delivery to the public.They don’t make effort to go and see for themselves how the public is being served.They tend to be careless and insensitive simply because this seems not to be their responsibility and does not matter to them Queues are good in the sense that they maintain an orderly way of serving the people but the illiteracy rate in Namibia is high, so some people who stand for hours are told that they are in the wrong queue and should move to the back of another line.MP Venaani suggested last year a process whereby the public could be served faster by manoeuvring the paperwork for ID documents.It is said it could reduce the time from 20 minutes to 5 minutes! This is a concrete example that we are able and capable of putting in processes and systems aimed at serving the public faster and more efficiently if we want to.The only obstacles could be that the officials are incompetent at devising and implementing mechanisms aimed at serving the public in a better way or there is a lack of human resources or financial constraints.I am confident that we have the ability to overcome all these possible obstacles.The problem is that we lack the willpower and another one is the question of who should take the initiative.The Ministers and the top officials, as Minister !Naruseb did, should take the initiative and spearhead the implementation of systems in order to improve the quality of service delivery to the public.Civil servants are paid not only to serve the public but also to serve them in faster, more professional and efficient ways.You are a public servant of your own choice and if you feel this is too much, please give way to those who are dedicated, trustworthy and hardworking.Concerned Via e-mailWhy should people stand in long queues to be served? Why can’t the Minister and top officials go and see how the people sit waiting for hours at Katutura hospital? Why should people stand in long queues for IDs, birth certificates, passports, death certificates, etc? Not to mention the long waiting periods for these documents.Why should parents assemble in masses at schools in search for places for their children? This is recurrent each year.These are but a few examples of worrisome public service delivery.The Ministers, top officials, and their relatives do not feel the hardships and frustrations of queuing in long lines because they hardly go through this process.Some Ministers and top officials are not familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of their Ministries with regard to service delivery to the public.They don’t make effort to go and see for themselves how the public is being served.They tend to be careless and insensitive simply because this seems not to be their responsibility and does not matter to them Queues are good in the sense that they maintain an orderly way of serving the people but the illiteracy rate in Namibia is high, so some people who stand for hours are told that they are in the wrong queue and should move to the back of another line.MP Venaani suggested last year a process whereby the public could be served faster by manoeuvring the paperwork for ID documents.It is said it could reduce the time from 20 minutes to 5 minutes! This is a concrete example that we are able and capable of putting in processes and systems aimed at serving the public faster and more efficiently if we want to.The only obstacles could be that the officials are incompetent at devising and implementing mechanisms aimed at serving the public in a better way or there is a lack of human resources or financial constraints.I am confident that we have the ability to overcome all these possible obstacles.The problem is that we lack the willpower and another one is the question of who should take the initiative.The Ministers and the top officials, as Minister !Naruseb did, should take the initiative and spearhead the implementation of systems in order to improve the quality of service delivery to the public.Civil servants are paid not only to serve the public but also to serve them in faster, more professional and efficient ways.You are a public servant of your own choice and if you feel this is too much, please give way to those who are dedicated, trustworthy and hardworking.Concerned Via e-mail