24 May 2016

 

The coordinator of Public Sector Reforms, Ms Goaba Mosienyane has commended public servants for their hard-work, persistence, creativity as well as patience.

During her presentation during the last day of the two-day Public Service Day (PSD) commemoration in Masunga recently, Ms Mosienyane said it was through these virtues that they had been able to remain relevant and responsive to the needs of local communities.

She further said the numerous achievements made so far could not have been possible without the tremendous input and commitment of public servants.

“You must agree with me that the past 50 years have indeed tested the resilience of the public service workforce in that we have experienced a number of shocks both of an external and internal nature,” she noted; citing the global economic crisis, recurring drought spells, the HIV and AIDS scourge, stringent cost-cutting measures as some of the challenges that the public service had had to serve the nation under.

She pointed out in addition that issues of transparency and accountability, pressure to attain high ratings on governance indicators, corruption perception indices, competitiveness in attracting investors as well as ensuring conformity of the labour force to exacting performance standards had over the years been a daily reality to the public service.

Ms Mosienyane also indicated how the customer expectations arising from the changing demography and technological advances had continued to alter and make more stringent the environment within which the public sector operated.

“Driven by these expectations, the public sector is required to refine its role, strengthen its customer focus, build sophisticated service delivery models and break down old constraints and paradigms about the civil service as well as create new opportunities for delivering quality customer experiences,” she indicated.

Despite the notable achievements of the previous years, Ms Mosienyane cautioned public officers not to rest on their laurels lest they fall prey to the hazards of complacency.

She encouraged them not to be fearful of the emerging challenges, but to rather use them to direct the public sector process re-engineering and service vision, noting that systemic change did not happen overnight. She emphasised the importance of acknowledging the ‘small bright spots’ of improvement wherever and whenever they occurred as they served to not only motivate, but also to build confidence and tenacity to stay the course of continuous improvement.

Additionally, Ms Mosienyane pointed out that government had over the years undertaken a number of public sector reforms with the view to improve service delivery and increase access and equity in key public services throughout the country to all categories of citizens; a development she added, continued under the agenda of modernisation, inclusiveness and simplification of interactions with and within government.

Emphasising the need for Botswana’s policies to be designed, tailored and adapted to suit the needs of the country, she observed that reforming must be motivated by a genuine desire to increase public value and give Batswana the returns they deserved from the investments they had made in the public service.

Speaking earlier, Kgosi Thabo Maruje III paid homage to the pioneers in the various sectors for their invaluable contribution towards bringing the country to where it is today.

Urging public servants and the nation as a whole to be proud of whom they are, he said it was worth-noting that Botswana was in all respects a unique country.

Kgosi Maruje III said while the country had not been able to attain all its dreams and aspirations, its success in many other areas gave it reason enough to be grateful.

The two-day commemoration, which was held under the theme, 50 years of service to the nation; United and Proud, saw public servants from across the country showcase their talents in song and dance, sporting activities as well as stall exhibitions among others. ENDS