Esther Shakela
It’s 9 o clock on a Tuesday morning and you are getting frustrated because the desk officer who needs to draft an authorization letter for your pensioned mother to finally get approval for a house is not answering their landline.
The desk officer is yet to arrive at the office, he left his house at 08h30. You send an e-mail and decide to call again during the course of the day. Thereafter, you answer the landline in your office and inform a citizen that they should call you back later and return to discussing the latest episode of Bridgerton with your colleague while highlight how incompetent government is, citing your experience with the desk officer.
In 2004 Namibia embarked on a journey to chart the path towards a productive future which culminated in the conceptualization of Vision 2030. Vision 2030 is a policy framework for long-term national development within which national developments plans (NDPs) are implemented. Thorough research and consultation preceded this policy framework, spearheaded by the National Planning Commission as directed by Cabinet. It is considered a shared vision for prosperity, harmony, peace and political stability, designed to promote the creation of a diversified open market economy with a resource based industrial sector and commercial agriculture, placing great emphasis on skills development.
A crucial factor in the realization of this vision is underscored in this sentence: “Namibia’s future will also depend largely on the people themselves; much will depend on our ability to respond with innovation and commitment to new challenges.” It is further outlined therein, that achieving the vision is a process, as opposed to a plan, that is subject to continuous improvement and requiring a paradigm shift from the view that it is the state or government alone that is responsible for sustainable development, towards one that sees responsibility to society as a partnership where the state creates an enabling environment. The framework further necessitates a move from a focus on outputs (projects and laws) to outcomes (impact). The aforementioned implies collaborative efforts towards effective service delivery, preferably stemming from a deeply rooted love for one’s country.
In their article, Frederick and Hart assert that the public service has been devalued to “just another arena in which one can achieve essentially private ambition”. They argue for patriotic benevolence, which is a considerable virtue for public servants, citing that patriots (public servants in this context) in their non-instrumental love for others ought to inspire love for the Republic through their actions. This benevolent patriotism is the cornerstone of effective service delivery. Poor service delivery, although not solely, is an indictment of the public service. Nivin Meguid maintains that public servants are instruments of the state, whose actions are an extension of government institutions, laws and policies; he further adds that increased legitimacy is derived from high levels of trust in public institutions and systems. It is imperative for citizens to have faith that public officials are integral and will deliver critical public services and goods timeously.
This epigrammatic piece of writing does not attempt to address all the challenges that are encountered with the implementation of government policies towards the achievement of Vision 2030, neither does it seek to assign the blame entirely on the civil service. It is a method of reflection and hopefully, a means of encouragement for inward introspection and a tool to instil the values of service to one’s nation in the minds of readers.
As for Vision 2030? Its objectives are not lofty, they are practical and attainable. Perhaps not within the timelines initially determined but not far off from them either. It begins with a change of mindset, an inculcation of work ethics commitment to effective service delivery and the Namibian Ideal.
It is now 15h30. You are yet to revert to the citizen you snubbed earlier who then turns to her sister and laments how infuriating government operations are and since it is an election year, she vows not to vote noting that it makes no difference. You are packing up to go home after sending one e-mail to inform another citizen that the system is down and they should try again next week. You get into your car and call your sister, the first words you utter are “vakwetu oshili epangelo”.
Government only works when we do.
Esther is a graduate in the field of Public Management. She writes in her personal capacity.
