PUTRAJAYA, Oct 19 — Embracing digitalisation, fully engaging the public and launching one-stop centres are among key steps the government must take to improve public services, experts say.
“All levels of the government should make use of technology to deliver their services,” Kenya’s Public Service Commission Training and Development Deputy General, Jumu Gabriel Okumu said.
“It offers better quality results, is more cost-effective and will allow the government to allocate resources more effectively,” he told a concurrent session titled “Bridging the gap between the public service and the public it serves” at the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) 2014 Biennial Conference here today.
Computerising the services of various government agencies was expected to eradicate corruption as it disengages people-to-people interaction, he said.
Okumu said that the Kenyan government had launched one-stop service centres for its people to access services such as renewing passports and driving licences, applying for insurance cards and paying parking tickets.
This service, combined with one centralised government phone number in which people can dial up at any time to access public services and make related queries, will greatly convenience all people, Okumu said, adding that it is critical to keep the people at the core of every decision, from strategy formulation through execution processes.
“This is to make the public service more citizen-centric which engages every stakeholder,” he said.
Canada’s Public Works and Government Services, Service Integration, Director-General, Daniel Leclair, said the government should be more responsive to the citizens’ needs and reduce hierarchy as parts of the strategy to bridge the gap of between people’s expectation and public service delivery.
“The government should bear in mind the importance of longer-term solutions to resolve social problems and learn from best practices from other peers,” he said.
About 1,500 delegates from 53 countries are attending the three-day conference at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here which started today.
The conference organised in collaboration with the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) and Commonwealth Secretariat carries the theme of ‘Public Service Transformation: A New Conversation’.
In conjunction with the conference, an inaugural Commonwealth Media Forum co-hosted by the Chief Secretary to the Government’s Office and Malaysian National News Agency, Bernama, will be held on Tuesday. — Bernama
