Recently, a story went viral about a 23-year woman, Hendrina Kamenya, who travelled all the way from Mwanza District to Lilongwe City to hold a vigil in order to push the Accountant General’s office to pay death gratuity benefits for her late father, after waiting in vain for three years. This is a harsh reminder about the struggles that the wananchi have to endure to access public services.
Helped by well-wishers, who included some civil society organisation leaders and opposition party heavyweights, she camped at the Accountant General’s office with a placard with a well-crafted and polite message- “Accountant General: You can do better. Three years is too much!”
Probably after exchange of phone calls among the powers-that-be, and perhaps knowing how detrimental this was for the optics, the Accountant General’s office moved at supersonic speed in processing the benefits. Hendrina collected her cheque on the same day. It is now business as usual at Capital Hill while, perhaps waiting for another ‘episode’.
Ironically, this incident has revealed that it is possible for those with connections to have their death gratuity benefits processed within a day. Of course, one would not want to believe that there are some people who are given preferential treatment at the Accountant General’s office. Suffice to say that even if Hendrina were assisted, this is not the way things are supposed to be in a functional public service.
The incident about Hendrina is not an isolated story per se. In essence, this is a reality that most ordinary Malawians have to endure in all spheres of their lives, especially if they want to access public services. There could be thousands out there who are in similar situations but continue to suffer in silence.
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However, this situation and many others could have been avoided if the public, especially those intending to access death gratuity benefits, had adequate information on how such services could be accessed in public offices such as the Accountant General one. Unfortunately, it appears this information is oftentimes kept under wraps, leaving those affected in the dark. That is why it is important for the public to be sensitised to issues such as how long it takes for death benefits to be processed, processes and so on.
Ironically, all this is happening when the Malawi Government enacted the Access to Information Act (ATIA), which came into force on September 30 2020. Section 5 says: “A person shall have the right of access to information in so far as that information is required for the exercise of his rights, which is in custody of, or under the control of a public body or a relevant private body to which this Act applies, in an expeditious and inexpensive manner.”
Furthermore, sections 15 and 16 have provisions for proactive disclosure of such information.
On the other hand, best practices in good public relations (PR) for any entity—be it ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) or private sector— call for good stakeholder management, where the provision of information is of paramount importance.
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It should be recalled that, some three years or thereabouts— when public reforms were gaining traction— one of the parameters on which MDAs were assessed was based on the availability of service charters. This is a public document which sets out basic information on the services provided, the standards of services that consumers should expect from MDAs and how to lodge complaints or suggestions for improvement. Service charters ensure accountability and transparency on service delivery in any entity—be it public or private.
In addition, having a service charter enhances an institution’s reputation.
However, it is one thing to have the service charter and quite another to use it. This is why it is important that public offices should have functional service charters that serve public good.
Apparently, in countries where ATIA is in full swing, governments are also under obligation to publish annual citizens report, detailing how the government delivered services to its citizens.
Hendrina’s story may just be a tip of the iceberg. Based on information in the public domain, there are several people who are on the waiting list to be given their pensions and gratuities. The Accountant General and those offices involved in the process such as the Administrator’s General’s office, the Registrar General and the like should take this moment as an opportunity to improve their reputation by, among other things, reviewing the process, sharing information on what is being done on the same and begin to quickly address the backlog of cases such as that of Hendrina. It is just the right thing to do.
In conclusion, lessons could also be drawn on how Hendrina coined her message – “Accountant General: You can do better. Three years is too much!” – a gentle reminder that it is possible to seek services politely and deliver our message to duty holders without being offensive.
Notwithstanding the huge duty public institutions have in public service delivery, public offices should have functional Service charters to promote accountability and transparency. Improved service delivery also helps in promoting public trust, thereby enhancing an institution’s reputation.
