If you are a politician or public servant who has a mandate to serve the people, you may want to take a look at or listen to the message from His Majesty the King to delegates when officially opening the 44th AAPAM Roundtable Conference being held in the country.
This, because it touches on the people’s expectations, as submitted at Sibaya two years ago and clearly articulates what the citizens and taxpayers expect from the public service.
The conference theme is: ‘Agile Public Administration: Partnership and Digital Transformation for Citizen-Centric Service Delivery.’ Delivered on his behalf by a representative, His Majesty emphasised that: ‘‘For Eswatini, public service excellence is not a luxury, it is a national imperative.’’ Precisely.
This is a standard against which performance must now be measured. It is a call that also serves as reminder of the promise to initiate measures that would drive excellence in the public sector, which was made by the current Cabinet, through the Prime Minister Russell Dlamini in his maiden speech.
The demands placed before the nation during the 2023 Sibaya were unequivocal. His Majesty has recalled that the citizens called for improved service delivery, faster and more transparent and corrupt-free government processes, accessible opportunities for all and a public service that listens, innovates and responds accordingly. These are not optional enhancements; they are the minimum obligations of a State funded by the people.
His Majesty expects a high-performing public sector that will help strengthen trust, accelerates investment, improve social outcomes and one that enhances the overall resilience of our nation. He also said excellence upholds the principle that every liSwati deserves timely, efficient and compassionate service.
To measure the level we wish to see, we could draw experiences from governments that have been able to walk the talk. However, few countries illustrate the transformative power of sustained public service excellence better than Singapore.
From independence in 1965, when its GDP per capita stood at under E8 533.00 (US$500), Singapore adopted ‘rigorous meritocracy, zero tolerance for corruption, continuous training and relentless citizen-centric innovation’. By 2024, its GDP per capita exceeded E1 501 808.00 (US$88 000) and corruption remains negligible, while it consistently ranks among the top three globally in ease of doing business, government efficiency and digital service delivery.
Singapore’s Public Service Commission recruits only the top talent, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau operates with full independence and more than 1 800 government services are now available online, in under three minutes. These outcomes were not achieved by accident; they are the direct result of treating public service excellence as a strategic national asset.
I do recall that the late Prime Minister Mandvulo Dlamini used Singapore as a benchmark for his term’s Economic Recovery Strategy. May his should rest in peace. The current prime minister has highlighted the need to draw useful experiences from Rwanda, which was ranked first in for its GDP growth rate last year. It was also ranked first in Africa on policy and governance according to the World Bank. The World Bank’s latest Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report, published on July 10, evaluates the management of policies and institutions in countries receiving aid from the International Development Association (IDA). The CPIA uses 16 indicators across four areas: Economic management, structural policies, social inclusion and equity and public sector management. Rwanda led with a score of 4.2, significantly higher than the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 3.1, followed by Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and Kenya, each scoring 3.9. Togo scored 3.8, while Senegal, Mauritania and Tanzania each received 3.6 and Uganda scored 3.5. Eswatini scored 3.1 which is average. We are very capable of being in the top 10.
So, a lot of work needs to be done and we can draw several lessons from successful models like those of Singapore, which include merit-based recruitment and promotion across the civil service; strengthen controls to minimise corruption that sees people being forced to pay for free services and adopt citizen feedback, to keep them up to date with government services and delivery, as well as improve digital services to eliminate inconvenience of having to queue for services hours on end, etc.
The King highlighted the progress made to improve service delivery, such as, the Government-in-Your-Hand programme, e-Procurement, e-Customs, e-Taxation, the Business One-Stop Shop and digital health systems, among others. He also noted that the Performance Management System and free internet access at tinkhundla centres further support the goal of an agile administration. We now await their efficiency in application.
In his closing remarks, His Majesty presented our politicians and public servants with a challenge. ‘Let us recommit ourselves to building agile institutions, forging partnerships and harnessing digital innovation so that public service becomes a true engine of development for all our people.’ This is not a suggestion; it is a directive premised on the expressed will of the nation at Sibaya.
The citizens of Eswatini have stated clearly what they require. Singapore has demonstrated what is possible. Resources have been committed, tools are being deployed and salaries have been enhanced. The remaining variable is performance. Therefore, public service excellence is no longer an aspiration; it is the overdue return on the investment that taxpayers have already made.
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