Dear Editor,

As the Government moves to rationalise the public sector, I sincerely hope that great emphasis will be placed on improving the efficiency and quality of the services being offered to the tax-paying public.

For too long taxpayers have been offered the most inefficient and poorly delivered services from government departments and agencies. This must change with this process of rationalisation.

The heads of departments must be held accountable for the standard of services offered by the department/agency they lead. Thus, it should be incumbent on such heads to put measures/policies in place to guide or mandate the staff members as to their responsibilities to the tax-paying public.

There must be established a public sector complaints bureau/inspectorate to which the tax-paying public would register complaints and through which disciplinary actions would be taken to deal with errant public sector workers.

Additionally, inspectors from the bureau/inspectorate should pay random visits to various government agencies/departments to assess first-hand the kind of services being so provided.

As part of the public sector rationalisation, consideration should be given for some government departments/agencies to open late, that is, up to say 7:00 pm at least one weekday per week and for half-day (8:00 am to noon) on Saturdays. Additionally, standard working hours must be from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and not 8:00 am to 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm.

Naturally, if the normal working hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with flexi-week not yet in effect, many taxpayers who happen to be working then would not have time to make it to a government agency during said times. In fact, due to the inefficiencies in the system, taxpayers would have to take a day off from work to deal with a simple transaction at a government department/agency.

No longer should it be acceptable for what would be deemed a simple transaction in any ‘normal’ society to take an everlastingly long time to get done in Jamaica. One should not have to be unable to use his lunch hour to get a ‘simple’ transaction done because of the length of time such a transaction would require due to glaring inefficiency.

No longer should it be seen as acceptable or sensible for all the workers at a government agency or department to leave for lunch at once, leaving the office essentially unstaffed. Lunch hours should be staggered so that there can always be adequate staffing throughout the operating hours to service the tax-paying public.

No longer should it be acceptable that a telephone in any government agency or department rings unanswered during normal working hours. It should become standard that a phone call is answered within, say, four rings.

No longer should employees sit around in an office having personal conversations and/or frolicking in their offices when they have taxpayers in said offices or on the telephone awaiting their attention or service.

No longer should it be acceptable that the way a person dresses or the supposed ‘importance’ or status of said person impact the speed/quality of service said person receives when compared to a supposed ‘unimportant’ or ‘no status’ person.

We just cannot continue this way as a country. Every Jamaican — irrespective of name, residence, social or financial status — must be attended to respectfully and provided the same quality service. The sad culture or practice must be made a thing of the past if we are really serious about making Jamaica the place to live, work, and raise a family by 2030.

Kevin KO Sangster

sangstek@msn.com