AYING “NO” IS BETTER THAN “COME BACK TOMORROW”

Even turning down requests from citizens is better behaviour from state institutions than the constant refrain of “come back tomorrow”, declared Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Monday.He was speaking at the inauguration of new buildings in central Maputo for the Ministry of the Public Service, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth and Sport.Guebuza insisted that all those who went to state departments with requests or complaints of any kind had the right to receive an answer – even if that answer was “no”.“A negative response is of more value to a citizen than the repeated call of ‘’come back tomorrow’’, that mythical tomorrow which never arrives”, he said. Improving the business environment in Mozambique, he added, was largely dependent on the performance of each state employee or agent. “This improvement in the business environment, like your promise to provide better quality services for citizens”, he told his audience, “necessarily involves reforms to simplify procedures, the elimination of red tape, and the adoption of a practice of excellence and the continual improvement of our public administration”.It was not enough for ministries to have new and modern premises – Guebuza insisted that each person working in the ministries must be able to identify the obstacles to development, and must be clear in their actions. “You can’t fight what you don’t know unless you take the deliberate decision to shoot in the dark”, he warned.When there was lack of clarity, he added, the trend was to seek scapegoats in others. “We externalize the problem, when it is really inside our own institution”, he said.Guebuza said the new ministry buildings represented a major government investment (they cost about 18 million US dollars). They were a part of the government’s commitment to improving the working conditions of state employees.He urged Ministry workers to value the investments made, and to use their new working conditions to improve their performance continually.“We want you to feel increasingly motivated to release your creative initiative and to commit yourselves to the construction of an ever better and more efficient public service that adequately meets the wishes of citizens”, urged the President.Tourism Minister Fernando Sumbana said the new premises mean a rationalisation of space, for better efficiency. “We have all the staff, not from one, but from three ministries here at the same place, so when we need to consult we don’t need to carry papers from one place to another”, he said.Some of the facilities, Sumbana added, such as canteens and meeting rooms, would be shared between the ministries, since the staff were all working for the same state and there should be no barriers between sectors.