Transcript THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM …

THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR
REFORM PROGRAM TOWARDS
DEVELOPMENT VISION 2025:
INTERVENTION BY
HON. HAWA ABDULRAHMAN GHASIA (MP),
MINISTER OF STATE, PRESIDENT’S OFFICE,
PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT, TANZANIA
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
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Many African countries have developed development
visions aspiring to be better off socially and economically
in the future.
In Tanzania, we have the National Development Vision
2025.The aspiration is to achieve a stronger economy
which is competitive and can respond well to internal and
global development challenges.
In order to make a reality of our Vision, the country had
to take some critical steps guided by national
development strategies and plans which are medium term
instruments towards the national agenda as per the
Vision. All institutions of Government, develop three to
five years strategic plans drawn from the National Level
Strategies and Plans. In essence, the actions and activities
implemented by each public entity, contribute to the
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achievement of national development goals.
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Each sector ministry is responsible for one or more
particular thematic area in our development agenda.
There are many different sector specific programs and
strategies which are vehicles through which sector goals
are implemented as stipulated in the strategic plans.
One of these programs is the Public Service Reform
Program whose main goal is to increase performance
and accountability of public institutions.
In this brief intervention, the purpose and contribution
of the Public Service Reform program towards the
realization of our national development goals and the
Tanzania Development Vision 2025 will be shared.
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2.0 THE NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT VISION
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The National Development Vision envisions that the
quality of life of the Tanzanian society will be much
better. Abject poverty will be a thing of the past.
In other words, it is envisioned that Tanzania will
graduate from a least developed country to a middle
income country with a high level of human development.
The economy will be transformed from a low
productivity agricultural economy to a semiindustrialized one led by modernized and highly
productive agricultural activities which are effectively
integrated into supportive industrial and service
activities in the rural and urban areas.
A solid foundation for a competitive and dynamic
economy will then be achieved.
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Consistent with the Vision, Tanzania of 2025 should be a
nation characterized by five main attributes;
High quality livelihood.
Peace, stability and unity.
Good governance,
A well educated and learning society; and
A competitive economy capable of producing sustainable
growth and shared benefits.
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Vision 2025 emphasizes the importance of good
governance in realizing developmental state thus:
"Tanzania cherishes good governance and the
rule of law in the process of creating wealth and
sharing benefits in society and seeks to ensure that
its people are empowered with the capacity to
make leaders and public servants accountable. By
2025, good governance should have permeated the
national socio-economic structure thereby
ensuring a culture of accountability, rewarding
good performance and effectively curbing
corruption and other vices in society”.
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3.0 THE NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR
GROWTH AND REDUCTION OF POVERTY
MKUKUTA II (2010/11 AND 2014/15)
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MKUKUTA is a Kiswahili acronym for the National
Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty. This
strategy is the development framework for the current
five year phase (2010/11-2014/15). It forms part of
Tanzania’s efforts to deliver on its National Vision 2025.
The focus is outcome orientated and organized around
three clusters which are: Cluster 1: Growth and reduction
of income poverty,
Cluster 2: Improved quality of life and social well-being,
and
Cluster 3: Governance and accountability.
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Here the concentration will be on Cluster III, as the implementation of
Public Service Reform Program contributes to Good Governance goals.
Good Governance and Accountability Cluster has several goals:
Goal 1 Ensuring Systems and Structures of Governance Uphold the
Rule of Law and are Democratic, Effective, Accountable, Predictable,
Transparent, Inclusive and Corruption-Free at all Levels
Goal 2 Improving Public Service Delivery to all, Especially to The Poor
and Vulnerable
Goal 3 Promoting and Protecting Human Rights for all, Particularly for
Poor Women, Children, Men and the Vulnerable, Including People
Living With HIV/AIDS
Goal 4 Ensuring National and Personal Security and Safety of
Properties
Goal 5 Promoting and Preserving Culture of Patriotism, Hard Work,
Moral Integrity and Self-Confidence
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The realization of the above goals directly increases the
possibility of achieving the attributes the National
Vision 2025 envisages that Tanzania is to be described
by including Good Governance, High quality livelihood,
Peace, stability and unity, A well educated and learning
society; and A competitive economy capable of
producing sustainable growth and shared benefits.
We should also remind our selves that The Charter for
the Public Service whose origin can be associated with
Morocco and now a continental document emphasizes
Good Governance for a prosperous Africa.
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4.0 PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM
PROGRAM
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The Government started to implement the Civil Service
Reform Program in 1993 as a stage setting reform, the
program was a means to re-define the role of the
Government in line with new realities - enabling role
and not the doing role as before the 1990s.
It also entailed streamlining structures resulting in
reduction of ministries and the downsizing of the civil
service to bring the wage bill under control, some
previously centrally implemented roles were divested or
decentralized to local government or executive agencies
created.
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The CSRP was succeeded by the Public Service Reform
Program now on its second phase. PSRP I was
implemented from 2000 to 2007; PSRP II is being
implemented from 2008 to 2012.
The goal of PSRP II is to assist Ministries, Departments
and Agencies to deliver improved services (in terms of
quality, timeliness and efficiency), implement relevant
priority policies, and establish a predictable and well
regulated environment for private sector growth and
development.
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Given the objectives of the reform program, it is clear that
effective implementation will take Tanzania closer to its
desirable future.
Two key interventions through the Public Service Reform
Program and their relevance and contributions to
achieving the goals of MKUKUTA and our development
vision will be briefly looked into.
These are the introduction of the Performance
Management System and the Ethics and Accountability
framework. They directly address the Good governance
objective and other desirable outcomes as per our
National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty
(MKUKUTA II) and the National Development Vision.
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5.0 THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE
REFORM PROGRAM TOWARDS
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT VISION 2025
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It is accepted truth that public servants as well as systems
and process within the public service institutions have to
contribute to wealth creation in a sustainable manner and
preserve that wealth for the future generation while
ensuring equitable access to the citizenry of the present to
that generated wealth.
An appropriately functioning performance system
complemented by a robust ethical framework is
reasonable measure that wealth will first be generated, or
an environment conducive to wealth generation will be
created, and secondly generated wealth will be beneficial
to the community and not only to some individuals.
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5.1 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
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The Performance Management System installed in the
public service aims at having in place predictable, effective
and efficient systems for planning, implementation,
monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
The overall objectives of these interventions are to:
(i) provide quality public services to the public;
(ii) improve performance of public service institutions;
(iii) improve accountability and responsiveness;
(iv) ensure effective and efficient use of public resources;
and,
(v) provide standards for providing comparisons and
benchmarking within the public service institutions in
Tanzania as well as other public service institutions across
the world for continuous improvement.
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The installation of the Performance Management System in
the public service institutions in Tanzania was in
accordance with the Public Service Management and
Employment Policy of 1999 and its reviewed version of 2008
and the Public Service Act, No. 8 of 2002 and amendments
in 2008.
The Policy stipulates clearly the need for a performance and
results-oriented management philosophy in the public
service.
The Act provides an enabling legal framework for
managing performance in the public service.
The policy and legislation were important instruments to
facilitate the gradual creation of a performanceaccountability culture in the public service.
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Essentially, service delivery is a logical outcome of the
system when well implemented and this means a more
enabling environment for private sector growth, wealth
creation, and social economic development.
Although there are still challenges to the effective
implementation of the system such as resource
constraints and capacity weaknesses, it is appreciated
that most institutions are implementing several of the
systems and tools while all have strategic plans, Medium
Term Expenditure Frameworks, and develop annual
action plans and most implement the open performance
review and appraisal process.
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5.2 THE ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
FRAMEWORK
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A Singaporean politician, Syed Hussein Alatas, once commented that:
“The power to achieve success or failure [in the fight against corruption] lies
with the ruler. If the measuring line is true, then the wood will be straight,
not because one makes a special effort, but because that which it is ruled by
makes it so. In the same way if the ruler is sincere and upright, then honest
officials will serve in his government and scoundrels will go into hiding, but
if the ruler is not upright then evil men will have their way and loyal men
will retire to seclusion” (emphasis in original) .
Klitgaard, R. 1991. Controlling Corruption. University of California Press, Berkley,
California
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The Codes of Ethics is not just to inform and prompt those
who work for government but to provide them with an
instrument that will actually help them adhere to the ethics
of good governance.
Therefore, when we talk of ethics for good governance we
are seeking to ensure that there are safeguards, efficient
sanctions and control mechanisms as well as appropriate
tools for information exchange.
In the case of Tanzania the Code of Ethics and Conduct for
the Public Service identifies eight (8) principles: Pursuit of
Excellence in Service; Loyalty to Government; Diligence to
Duty; Impartiality in Service delivery, Integrity, Courtesy
to All, Respect for the Law; Proper use of Official
Information
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Furthermore, there is in place a Public Leadership Code
of Ethics Act 13 of 1995 which provides the code of
conduct applicable to all public leaders. This code
includes the following provisions:
 Declaring of assets and liabilities
 Acquiring dishonestly any pecuniary advantage
 Declaration of interest in government contracts
In terms of assets declaration, the response rate is now
over 70% and noncompliance is less tolerated.
Surprisingly, lower level Government leadership is less
compliant!
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5.3 INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
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Tanzania has also made efforts in putting in place institutional
mechanisms for good governance through the reform programs.
Indeed some achievements have been made and many governments
and institutions outside Tanzania acknowledge this fact. These
include the following:
 Decentralization by devolution to Local Government Authorities
 The strengthening of the corruption prevention organ, (Prevention
and Combating of Corruption Bureau - PCCB)
 Improving record management and use of ICT
 Enhanced leadership capacity including the establishment of a
leadership institute
 National Audit Office strengthened
 The Ethics Secretariat created and strengthened
 The Ethics Promotion Division created within the President’s
Office, Public Service Management
 The Human Rights and Good Governance Commission
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established
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Public Service Commission as an oversight body
Recruitment Secretariat Recently created
Creation and strengthening of the Procurement
regulatory agency
Increased influence of Civil society and pressure groups
Investigative journalism encouraged
Strengthening the Tanzania Revenue Authority
Introducing business process re-engineering to
strengthen internal organizational systems
Undertaking Surveys to monitor anti-corruption drive
successes/ failures
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6.0 HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO OUR VISION 2025
ON THE GOOD GOVERNANCE AGENDA?
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The Public Service Reform Program and its predecessor have
been in all catalyst for change and source of inspiration for the
different efforts in all sectors of the Tanzanian economy.
There is in place a very robust framework to require
performance orientation and ethical conduct, both very
necessary for creating a suitable environment for social
economic development, private sector growth and wealth
creation.
Many of the Public institutions show better performance. For
example, one can apply for a passport and get one within a week
or even a day. It is the same when one is seeking a title deed on
land ownership. Information technology adoption and effective
use through Business process reengineering is increasing
efficiency in many of our institutions.
Within the Public Service, employees now can get their salaries
within the same month of employment regardless of where one
is deployed in the country, unthikable possibility a year a ago.
These are just few examples.
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It is also important to note that Tanzania is one of the countries
which have made headways in achieving the millennium
Development Goals in education and health.
There have been also three successive multiparty elections in the
country considered free and fair and thus not jeopardized peace
and stability which have ensured despite four successive
changes of Government.
The corruption perception index for 2010 by Transparency
International has shown that Tanzania has moved several
positive points up and is now in the 116th position among 178
countries ranked. In 2009 the country was ranked 126th.
According to the African Economic Outlook by OECD of 2010
Tanzania’s annual growth averaged 7% of gross domestic
product (GDP) between 2001 and 2008. GDP rose by 7.5%
making Tanzania one of the fastest growing economies in subSaharan Africa. Given the current global situation the growth
rate is averaged now at 6%.
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We have on the 9th of this month celebrated
our 50 years anniversary. We believe the
foundations have been laid for a potential take
off to a better future and to achieve Vision
2025.
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Thank you very much for listening!
Asanteni sana!
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