የኢትዮዽያውያን ዴሞክራቶች ድረ-ገፅEthiopian Democrats' Website

Source: Reporter;

By Teshome Assefa

No matter where one is from, it is probably not hard to notice some bizarre and often silly systems being put in place by our government officials in providing public services in the country. One cannot also help but notice the amount of resources unnecessarily wasted in running those systems. Allow me to highlight some of them.

It is no secret that we have one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, and that, our public transport system is among the most hazardous. The reasons for this dismal performance are not that mysterious.

I cannot therefore understand why our government has not established a system by which repeated traffic offenders are closely monitored, their driving licenses suspended or revoked? Why did the government enforce wearing seat belts but only by drivers? Why on earth are vehicles with thick black smoke, no brakes, no headlights, worn tires, no side mirrors, broken wind shields, glasses, broken wipers, etc. allowed to roam our streets often causing so much havoc and tragedy? Why aren’t the traffic police able to stop, inspect and remove vehicles that do not meet set standards from our streets? What is the point of investing millions on ultra modern multiple lane highways only to allow taxis and buses to block the first two (sometimes three) of these lanes, while the traffic police are watching from yards away? What is the point of having rules and standards if we can’t enforce them? Why can’t we improve the safety of the hundreds of thousands of public transport users by enforcing strict standards as many other poor counties are doing? Why would responsible government offices turn away when newly-built sidewalks are blocked by shopkeepers, building contractors and petty traders, thereby forcing pedestrians into the dangerous streets? More broadly, why won’t the government provide tax incentives to facilitate the importation of new and fuel-efficient vehicles instead of the 20-plus-year -old ones that need so much foreign currency for spare parts, and emit hazardous carbon into our environment? Why would we allow our country to become a dumping ground for old vehicles that the rest of the world is trying to get rid of? I am not an expert on these issues but I don’t think addressing the above is so complicated. It just requires policymakers to pay due attention.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I categorize most of our public services as just disappointing, completely inflexible and largely inefficient. For example: why can’t traffic offenders deposit their penalties into designated state-owned banks like the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) accounts rather than wasting their precious time queuing at the limited cash payment booths? Are we not concerned about the loss of overall productivity and opportunity cost of this nonsense? Surely this doesn’t need any fancy system. Traffic police could give offenders the penalty ticket with reference numbers and instructions for payment. The offender could then take this to the bank and make a quick deposit. Monitoring of those who fail to pay may not need that much staff time as one person could do it electronically thanks to current technology. So what is preventing us from putting in place such simple, inexpensive but efficient systems, lack of interest?

Another example: why are we charged three birr to see off and receive family and friends at the Bole International Airport while taxes are already incorporated in the passengers’ flight tickets? If there is any justification, it has never been clearly communicated to the public. Sounds like government departments developed the culture of doing whatever they want with no need to explain to anyone. What is the purpose of immigration control of nationals (or even foreigners) exiting the country while airline ticket agents are supposed to check passports and visas before issuing boarding passes? Is this worth the staff time and resources? Is it not better to monitor if airlines are doing their jobs? Why wouldn’t we have separate immigration desks at the airport to allow for a speedy entry of nationals? What is all the scrutiny of our documents while entering and exiting our country, when the passports are electronically readable? Why are nationals asked to pay taxes on their laptops at Bole when Ethiopians in diaspora and foreign nationals aren’t? Is this not outrageous? Isn’t this an example of how our policies are encouraging Ethiopian nationals to immigrate to other countries in order to return with the seemingly prestigious “Diaspora’’ status? Why are we required to authenticate official documents from abroad, only to be told that the same document should be re-authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Is it is really a fraud control or just another source of revenue for the government?

The fundamental issue here is not governments implementing bad or inefficient policies and practices. It is rather the ability of ordinary people to question these policies and practices and demand changes; and the government’s recognition of its duties to listen, provide explanations and make the necessary changes. We seem to have neither.

Ed.’s Note: The writer could be reached at tesass@hotmail.com for comments.