“Though I know full well emotional intelligence is required from grownups, my blood boils when I come across corrupt clerks or officials that pose roadblocks at every administrative echelon to the chagrin of service seekers,” I said to a bold fat man who became angry when facing a crowd of people told to go back home though they came early in the morning for want of service.
‘The organization’s sick tellers did not report to duty,’ was the reason. Only God knows the veracity. But I presumed the clerks must be malingerers. A bottleneck was created in the hall. It was requesting a day leave from my organization, ever busy working 24/7, I went there. One can imagine the wastage of time created in over 100 respective service seekers’ office too.
“Right you are! The dishonest deserve a knuckle of sandwich,” he said after wiping his sweat from his head and regaining his breath just climbing up the stair to the third floor. Physically he was my exact opposite. I think that was reflected behaviorally as I found out he was calm, cool and collected. When I see red my tone becomes anger charged.
“Sure thing; had that not been taking the law into one’s hands they deserve bloody noses or a noose round their necks. Presumably, ill-treated customers experiencing irk could kill,” I bite my lower lip.
“I did hear such a case lately. God forbid,” he crossed his face.
“Such bugs as well tarnish the image of the government that handsomely pays them. They kill their own nation! How then taking action against the good-for-nothing lechers could be seen a crime? Is it not tantamount to squashing a louse sucking one’s blood? ”I said by way of a sarcastic humor.
“You have a point that shows the graveness of the crime which compels service-seekers to act on the spur of the moment. Intolerant clients pushed to the end of their patience resort to emotion-charged actions which have a negative repercussion on them,” he put his right hand on his head.
“Procrastinating tasks under the pretext of system outages some service-deliverers with a rent-seeking bent require the greasing of their palms! Others plunge in this folly to exercise power counting themselves masters and service-seekers slaves. The indolent want to kill time,” I shook my head showing disapproval.
“They make a fool of themselves. Rather they should take pride from rendering quality services,” he said.
“Yes, they fail to recall budget to their salary is deducted from the portion of the tax service seekers pay. Have you not watched on movies how the Americans proudly respond ‘I ‘m a tax payer.’, when not properly treated by service deliverers say the Police, ”
“Right you are!” He nodded his head by way of saying I have observed that.
“Nowadays the ready-made phrase ‘the system is out’ has become common place. Is that not a new form of bureaucracy in the age of digitalizing services ?”
“Sure, there has to be ways of cross checking things. Of course, in a developing nation, tardiness resulting from loads in network connection could be created in rendering every service digital but such usage of information technology must not open doors for service-renderers to evade tasks on the pretext of system interruption and outages,”
“I buy that. Once, I challenged a corrupt clerk that I will go to the main office (Ethio telecom) to check whether his claim of system interruption at the specified time at the specified office’s table, not bearing a logo which shows the employee’s name, is true. Jumping out of his skin, he immediately began to give the required service. It was like a crusader from unexpected corner the other service seekers that made a throng in the office eyed me.”
“Yes, you spared them of tardiness of service.”
“I’m a journalist by a profession. Besides I’m a member of anticorruption journalists’ club backed by NGOs and GOs working in the sector. Members and I have vowed to fight out the grotesque social malice by every means possible.”
“Do you write articles too? I think that is a lofty nation-saving task. Corruption is a python asphyxiating a nation.”
“Yes, based on tips from ill-treated service-seekers or from what we see firsthand members of the club jot down articles even short stories to bring forth remedial solutions. There is a pledge best works could win laurels.”
“Does the Anti-Corruption Commission give you protection when you drag out improprieties to light?”
“Yes.”
“Some cases could be subjective and as such the irritated seeking immediate justice could be vulnerable to attack. When you lodge a complaint to troubleshoot a challenge or when you present your case to a higher official the accused could strive to seek loopholes to reject your case. Especially when the corrupt have a chain they could play a hard ball.”
“Fortunately, most of the higher officials I approached with a complaint did manage to troubleshoot the hurdles seeing through sanctimonious service givers.”
“The presence of innocent public servants is a source of consolation.”
“Have you encountered a similar problem?” I eyed him signaling it is your turn to be vocal.
“Once, when I asked a service of registration for a power meter for a new building of my relative presenting a power attorney ‘we don’t give service now for want of the equipment as such we can’t register you. You could come when we begin service’ ‘How do you administer first come first served unless you register the likes of me? I challenged them,” he said recollecting the incident.
“Did they turn a deaf ear?” I projected a face that predicts answer in the affirmative.
“Yes! You got it,” he said.
“You could have challenged them raising how they figure out the demand and supply issue unless they register demanders and report the figure to the supplying body.”
“What an outlook the idea didn’t occur to me.”
“When they learnt I will not drop the case easily and nor bribe anyone. They crunched my number and told me to get registered. Later I learnt the corrupt were being combed out as public’s complaint has reached its crescendo. After I paid for the service, I also asked the team leader how many days at most I must I wait. You see I surmised they could delay the service indefinitely.”
“You have done the right thing!” I saw him appreciatively.
“System and power outages, turn by turn, pose barriers on us. Sometimes the connivance of the two occurs. At times, even in the power and system supplying offices, such shortages are paradoxically seen occurring. Such challenges beg for lasting solutions.”
When all clients left the hall he and I began climbing down the stairs.
When I handed him my postcard that shows my being a journalist from EPA, he reciprocally gave me a card. He was a Police Major that put on a civilian cloth.
“So, you are a policeman. What a coincidence!”
“You could have got a better service had you been in uniform,” I remarked with a broad smile.
“I did ascertain that from my previous experience. But I don’t feel at ease when I do so.”
“Above and beyond my wife works in the Ombudsman.”
“Who knows among the just dispersed service seekers there might be parliamentarians, people from the Anti-corruption Commission or religious leaders?”
“Giving the right service promptly is satisfying for self.”
Shaking hands, we parted ways.
I recalled the Amharic proverb which literary means a rat for its termination sniffs a rat’s nose.
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 2023
