2015-04-22Staff Report 2 OSHAKATI - Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged the general public to bring individuals to task and hold office bearers accountable for poor service delivery instead of shifting blame on the government. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila applauded the Oshana Regional Council for ensuring their staff wears nametags so that the general public can report individuals who are failing in their duties. She said civil servants need to change the “business as usual” approach to work and instead adopt innovative measures of being proactive, efficient and effective. Her call is in tandem with President Hage Geingob’s warning earlier this month that the government will not tolerate the so-called “Thank God it’s Friday culture” from government officers. Geingob was referring to people who wait around for Friday without doing any work during the course of the week. According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, for some government employees it is a norm not to deliver. She added that even those who complain when they are in the private sector adjust to the existing culture once employed by the ministry. “You are familiar with the social and economic situation on the ground in your respective regions, where many people look to government for critically needed services,” she reiterated. The PM was speaking at a meeting with all heads of departments of line ministries, councillors and other stakeholders in the Oshana Region on Monday. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila urged civil servants to work as a team when undertaking official responsibilities to achieve common national objectives. The meeting aimed to encourage stakeholders in the Oshana Region to work hard. The Prime Minister also encouraged civil servants to deploy their skills, knowledge and experience to help government reach out to fellow Namibians to deliver quality service to improve the lives of Namibians. “I consider that you are aware of what has worked and what requires to be improved and even what those improvements are that are required to further improve the living standard of our people,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila. Similarly, she advised civil servants to not only address problems, but to resolve outstanding problems. The PM advised civil servants to act with outmost professionalism and in full spirit of being servants of the public. “We must ensure efficiency in all our operation and we must be effective in all our undertakings. It is not enough that we undertake the specific actions that we are required to, but we must ensure that those action bring about the desired results,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila. She also recommended that civil servants have a clear plan of action, which is fully aligned to the agreed national plans to ensure everyone is held accountable for their performance. According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, one of the areas, which require improvement, is the implementation of the decentralization policy. She said her office is working closely with the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to look into the challenges and how they can be addressed to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the decentralization policy. 2015-04-22Staff Report 2
