THE Public Service plays a significant role in the delivery of government services to the people.
Public servants take on government policies and ensure they are implemented for the good of the people and country.
There are many good public servants who put their heart into the work they do and serve the nation faithfully and honestly.
Unfortunately, there are also a few bad ones.
They are the ones who, over the years, brought disrepute to the Solomon Islands Public Service.
An effective and performing public service is crucial for the delivery of government services.
And so it was good to see the outcome of last year’s survey that specifically assessed customer satisfaction levels at the way the Public Service serves the general public.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare launched the Solomon Islands Public Sector Baseline Satisfactory Survey Report 2015 in Honiara yesterday.
The survey was funded by the Australian Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and conducted by the Queensland University.
While the finding highlights some general improvements in the performance of public offices, it also raised a lot of critical issues about public servants and the impacts on the outcomes of implementing Government programs and plans.
It also found some impressive achievements in the Public Service in the last 18 months.
These include improvements in service delivery, gained through a greater degree of professionalism in the public service, and improvements to systems and processes.
For example, 51% of residents and 44% of businesses in Honiara agreed that there been an improvement in the use of information technology systems to improve government processes.
An example of this is the new ASYCUDA system introduced by Customs last year, which has streamlined the process of getting goods cleared through customs.
The survey also identifies some opportunities for improvement.
Recognising that the Government’s greatest asset is its people, the survey highlights the need for strengthened human resource management.
If anything, the findings are a timely reminder for public service heads to pay close attention to developing a Performance Bench-Mark Framework that can be used to guide that way public offices improve general service delivery.
The government should use the findings to improve not only service delivery but more so, the image of the public service.
