Modernizing the bureaucracy

Dec 30, 2015 Editorial

As the country enters the New Year, one cannot help but wonder if the government will continue to be oblivious to the fact that Guyana, like the rest of countries, has entered the technological age, and that it should increasingly look to computers and other types of technology to ensure the effective functioning of the government.
By now the political directorate in Guyana should be aware that technology, especially computers, has brought changes to the world and has shaped the environment in which government operates and conducts the nation’s business. Computers and smartphones have also fashioned a new global configuration. These and other electronic devices are an inescapable reality of the time.
Computers are integral to the proper functioning of the government, in the sense that they reduce the storage of piles of paper and enable data to be processed faster, more efficiently and be readily available.
Managing the affairs of the state without computers is like trying to breathe without lungs. Computers and smartphones have provided governments with the ability to communicate instantly, share documents electronically, store information, maintain proper records and gather statistics in all areas which can be analyzed and used to make policies.
In Guyana, government ministries are being managed by one or two ministers who oversee the state of affairs of the country from coast to coast with an annual budget. This, by any measure, is an enormous responsibility for public officials to manage without the use of advanced technology. However, the former administration did not truly appreciate the importance and value of computers and, as such, did not implement a fully computerized system in various government departments.
While there is some automation of the process, it has not been enough to bring the country into the modern technological age. Many government departments and state agencies are still operating the old-fashioned way – with paper files stacked on desks and in cabinets.
The last administration had the resources to fully computerize the system but it did not, because many were more interested in using the state resources to benefit themselves, relatives and friends.
The lack of a fully modernized computer system in government departments has led to inefficiency and long delays in provision of services to the public. In many instances, public servants are bogged down by searching for paper files in a seemingly hopeless system.
It is not unusual for it to take several months after a person retires to receive his or her pension. It is also extremely difficult for someone who has lost their birth certificate or other important documents to obtain new ones within a reasonable timeframe. In order to provide more efficient services to the public, the government must make it its priority to upgrade its systems.
The requirement is not only the implementation of a state-wide computerized system, but also the training of individuals with the requisite skills needed to perform the tasks.
Computerized systems are needed because they are repositories of data, the storage of information and most of all, an effective edifice. It would make it easier for the government to conduct a thorough review of its staff and to better assess and monitor their performances. It would also serve as a key indicator for the government to evaluate policies and take corrective action wherever appropriate.
In other words, a fully computerized information system would provide the government with a report card to assess the success of its strategies and the services it delivers to the general public.
Modernizing the bureaucracy in the New Year would improve efficiency at all levels of government. It would bring great benefits to the nation. The nation can do with such benefits.

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