SWAKOPMUND – Public and civil servants should not only sit in offices nor should they attend workshops for the mere sake of attending them, but must gear their efforts towards service delivery, Deputy Prime Minister, Marco Hausiku, has said.
The outgoing deputy PM urged government officials to come up with tangible solutions, as required by the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Pubic Service and Administration.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Marco Hausiku, said this when he addressed governors and civil servants from the Erongo, Kunene and Otjizondjupa regions during the opening of a five-day workshop to familiarise the civil servants with the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Public Services and Administration.
Hausiku wants the African Charter to be adopted locally and, in view of this, hosted the workshop to explain and clarify some of the implementation modalities of the charter.
The African Charter was created in 1998 to lay a strong foundation for governance and administration in Africa. The charter was established so that member states of the African Union reaffirm their political commitment to strengthen professionalism and ethics in public service, as well as to promote values, principles of democracy, good governance, maintain legitimacy, efficiency and sustainable development on the continent.
Hausiku said some public servants do not even know why they have come to the workshop to talk about values. “Even those in high positions do not know. We should move away from the perception that we are just attending because we are invited. The reason why we are here is to learn and change whatever challenges and shortcomings we experience in our respective duties,” he explained.
He then urged officials to always consult the public in terms of service delivery, as this is just one of the many ways one can improve service delivery in the country.
“The developmental state of our country requires you not to sit in the office and stick to paper work but requires you to move around and identify those in need and how you can assist.
“Our government and public service institutions are faced with some immense global and local challenges. The pressures on the government and public sector have multiplied as a result of a series of crises – both financial and economical. The combined effect threatens economic and social breakdown and as our people suffer and face poverty. However, whatever the role of the public sector has been contributing to the crisis, few would doubt its role in shaping our response. So now more than ever, the public service must discharge its functions effectively and efficiently,” Hausiku explained.
He added that if public and civil servants remain in the realms of intellectual rhetoric only, they will lose sight of the bigger picture and the imperatives of responding to the day-to-day demands of service delivery expectations of the people.
“We are aware of citizen participation and consultation and are intending to improve citizen engagement in service delivery implementation.
“The African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service Administration provides all the necessary guidelines and tools to enable public and civil servants to play a pivotal role, as we transit into a more dynamic governance and pubic administration space beyond next month,” he said.