Public servants key to service delivery

 THE greatest impediment to service delivery is the public service mechanism. 

Papua New Guinea is still lagging in development and improved life style because the greatest impediment is the bureaucratic machinery – the public servants. 

It is inefficient, cumbersome and riddled with corruption. In some instances it is infused by inefficient and corrupt political leadership.

In the Pacific Islands region, PNG is dubbed as the super power, endowed with immeasurable resources yet smaller island nations like Fiji, New Caledonia and Tonga have improved lifestyles. 

This is due primarily to the fact that public servants and political leaders in those countries are able to manage their meager resources very carefully. Prudent management of resources with an effective public service has enabled their people to experience efficient service delivery.

A lot of our people dream of a day when they could have improved water and sanitation system, functioning health facility and other basic amenities in their villages and communities. 

It all boils down to effective and selfless public servants with right political leadership at the echelon of decision making and service delivery but it’s obviously lacking in this nation.  

The situation is worsened when ordinary Papua New Guineans entertain the public servants by collaborating with them to derail projects and siphoned the funding for a particular project to something else – even just wasting it away on private wants and who knows what else. 

No one can ever deny this scenario as it is happening right across the nation. Also some public servants expect financial favors from the public to get the job processed or done when it is their duty to perform the job efficiently and they are being paid a salary for it. This is a destructive practice.

Processes within the system need to be more transparent and accountable. Ethical workplace values, systems and practices can contribute to a changed culture within the workforce. Value based leadership and management skills are necessary to bring about effective service delivery. 

As professionals, public servants must be committed to deliver the best administration possible. They should be committed to fair and transparent governance, to deliver high quality services, to a stewardship of government funds that will maximize cost-effectiveness and accountability. 

Where areas are lagging, there must be review to continually improve competence and the quality of services that would maximize the service delivery abilities of the state.

There also needs to be monitoring and improvement of performance of human resource beginning with senior public servants. 

Other key areas are; linking workforce initiatives to organizational and service outcome priorities, compliance reviews of agency HR performance, modernized systems for example through IT, development of  information sharing opportunities, and effective reporting from within every unit. 

At the same time, public servants needs should be adequately met such as housing. These contribute to the productivity output of the public servant at the end of the day.

In order to maintain and broaden public confidence, public servants must commit to performing all their responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity and must resolve any conflict between their personal interests and their official duties in favor of the public interest in the defense of democracy, peace, order and good governance. 

Over time, this promotes public trust in the democratic system, and demonstrates commitment to professionalism.

Our people are still walking several hundred meters and even over a kilometer to access clean water for consumption. 

Such basic services to survival have yet to be fulfilled, and one wonders if we can ever reach the level of development that reflects the kind of financial and resource power we have in the Pacific.

David Tovoi Kima

Lufa, EHP