Conduct consultations and interviews

THE Government is commended for undertaking some of the major changes to laws, systems and processes of public service delivery.
Above all, the proposed establishment of the National Development Monitoring Authority (NDMA) is fundamental to check and monitor the use of government resources to deliver goods and services to the people of this country.
The name should reflect on the prime function this entity will be mandated to undertake.
The absence of such development monitoring authority has resulted in gross abuse and misuse of public finance, assets and resources over many years and development has progressed at a ‘snail’s pace’ with little achieved in comparison to billions of kina, time and labour mobilised.
It is timely, that this government is undertaking some of the fundamental changes to laws and regulations and also establishing new ones where it (government) in its wisdom sees fit to intervene to guide and regulate.
Two of the very vital changes (according to my view) are:
lThe Review and Change to the current government structure with the Prime Minister to be voted by the people and would serve a limited term in office. Whilst on this, please conduct a thorough and wider consultations with everyone to participate and give their views which can be put together in drafting the changes, and;
lSecondly, the National Development Monitoring Authority (NDMA) should have wide scope of functions to cover all aspects of systems and processes and governance structure currently in place in service delivery and where necessary additions and omissions for efficiency and effectiveness.
The reason why I pinpoint the above two changes as very vital is because, when the government system and structure review is undertaken, provisions can be made for the National Development Authority to simultaneously run parallel with the effective functioning system so that, the integrated system can compensate each other and systematically check on resources use at the same time.
In other words, the above two changes can be designed in such a way as to integrate them so that, as soon as budgeted public funds are released, the NMDA can immediately follow suit to ensure where the funds and resources are spent and utilised respectively for impact in service delivery.
When the new Government Structure comes into fruition and reality, the National Development Monitoring Authority should simultaneously function to ensure resources spent to achieve annually planned and budgeted outcomes in the same year.
This will eliminate the current practice, where public funds and resources are misused and abused undetected over many years and upon public outcry we try to investigate and bring would-be perpetrators to justice but time has defeated the purpose and scope of checking and caused changes as ‘ water under the bridge’, so to speak.
Careful and wider consultation and sufficient time and avenue provided to exhausted inputs from all sectors of the economy would give a meaningful and people centred change that would withstand the tests of time for effective functioning of the government system.
Conduct such consultations and interviews starting with the public service machinery in Central Government Departments, Provincial and District public servants some of whom have many years of experience with wisdom who can contribute effective opinions and views in this cause.
Alternative to publishing such consultations visits in hotels and guest houses visiting public service administrations office first should be worthwhile before the private sector and ordinary citizens can be consulted separately.
This changes to government systems should first be debated on the pros and cons of such changes by very people (public servants) are custodians of such existing systems and processes of service delivery and are quite familiar with the strengths and weaknesses and are better positioned to contribute effectively for these changes.

Philip Ukuni