What development when both the Public as well as the Private sector is performing in this manner?
Posted on January 19th, 2011
Sasanka De SilvaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Makumbura, Pannipitiya
The Scene One.
Seventeen days after paying money in full only the installation and connection were completed by a private television company.
At the time of payment, it was to take only three to five working days to complete the transaction.
I am still trying to understand the true meaning of their interpretation of the phrase ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Working DayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as it is apparently obvious that they do have fewer working days than non-working days.
Exactly the same numbers of days were taken by someone to travel around the world in a hot air balloon a few years back.
The installation party confirmed their arrival in the morning but arrived at the location five hours later.
That too without any many of the tools they need for their trade.
And imaging the plight of us, if we were unable to provide them the things that they were supposed to carry along with them in their mobile unit. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
The company was happy to blame everything under the Sun like high demand, holidays, inclement weather to name a few than admitting neither their incompetency nor apologetic.
The SceneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Two.
The street lamp in front of the house catches fire when switched on.
First the Electricity Board was contacted which was not under their purview, so we were told.
The Urban council was contacted then and was assured that that reported fault would be corrected.
Two weeks have elapsed but the status of the street lamp is as it was before.
The latest excuse was that their break-down unit would visit our residential area only on Thursdays.
Now I am waiting till the next Thursday.
But not to get the issue sorted out but to hear another lame excuses from them only.
What development would one expect when both the Public as well as the Private sector is performing in this manner?
The time has arrived to purge such non or under performers, if one truly believing in achieving a real and lasting development in this country.
January 20th, 2011 at 4:50 am
Workers should be hired and fired/demoted according to performance. That is the only way to ensure that jobs are done properly, government or private sector. So obviously, management is a weak point in these two cases.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:21 am
Yes, you are right but who will bell the Cat?
This is Just to update my saga with the urban council only.
Despite assurance, nothing has been done to correct the issue.
When the Superintendent Works was contacted on the published number, it was ringing only and none attended. So were the other responsible officials’ numbers.
That left me no option but to contact the previously contacted number again.
After listening to another Cock & Bull story, I was informed that there was no record of any of my previous complaints.
Back to square one again and the same assurance was given that it would be attended to somehow today (despite not even being a Thursday) giving me another 24 hour lifeline.
Interestingly both the establishments were greeting you with “Ayubowan” at the beginning of their but at the end of the day reduce a few years of life span by either inaction or incompetence or both.
You can get yourself entertained simply listening to their lame excuses, if you are not heart patience and have immense amount of patience.
If we are only capable of glorifying our ancestors and blaming all our failures on the recent imperialist past, then I am sure we would stay an underdeveloped and backward country for the next 400 years even.
If we are to compete with the other developing countries in the region as well as globally, then we have to stop both.
Get lessons from the developed world and follow their practices diligently.
January 21st, 2011 at 6:24 am
We are sorry for the plight that Lankans are caught up in due to inefficiency. There is a strange lethargy in some of the workplaces, that is for sure. This depends on who is heading the unit in Human Resources or in the case of Lanka, that particular Department. If the Head of the Department is honest, brisk and efficient, his/her attitudes will more or less permeate throughout the whole Department. If not, it is a ‘kota uda’ department. Yes, it all depends on the Head of each section, including the GoSL Ministers or CEOs in the private sector !
(1) We have to Educate these people in Management first in order to get efficiency from all the workers. Also have rewards & demotions according to performance. Office Systems are not efficient enough, such as keeping the bins of a Spare Parts Dept. containing enough such parts. All this may prove difficult in a Third World country such as Lanka.
(2) Also, the high heat plus HUMIDITY in Lanka has a bad effect on alertness & thinking abilities of people. High heat with Humidity added seems to create lethargy & irritability, rather than dynamic, creative thinking & activity. Have any of our scientists found cheap and efficient ways to have cool buildings ?
(3) Also, family, religious, neighbor etc. connections in a workplace makes those with authority to act, hesitant to do so.
Govt. & private Office efficiency seems to have wide ramifications. I am sure there are other points to address here such as health, transport, etc.