Can GRN “walk the talk”?

What does this mean for as consumers of the Government of the Republic of Namibia?

• STANDARDS
• INFORMATION
• COURTESY AND HELPFULNESS
• CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION
• ACCOUNTABILITY
• TRANSPARENCY
• NON-DISCRIMINATION
• QUALITY OF SERIVCE
• VALUE FOR MONEY
• ACCESSIBILITY

In Namibia, the Government is one of the biggest single employers and provides services in all sectors of the economy.  Thus it is an important service provider and according to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, "there is a growing international trend for governments, in both developed and developing countries, to focus on the need to provide greater value for money in the delivery of public services. This has led to greater awareness that public services must improve the quality of the service being rendered to the customers: citizens, tourists and visiting businessmen and women. For Namibia to realise Vision 2030, we must "walk to talk" and sharpen our commitment to improve the quality of services delivered to all who live in or visit our country.”

The President was speaking at the launch of the reviewed Namibian Public Service Charter in 2012. The Charter was first launched by the Founding President, Sam Nujoma in 1997 and had nine general principles. After the review, accessibility was added as a principle and thus there are now ten. They are:

STANDARDS

This means each ministry, organisation or state owned enterprise must set, publish and monitor clear standards of service that a public servant should uphold.

INFORMATION

The state organs should provide information about the public services they offer in a prompt straightforward and open manner that is readily understandable to all consumers.

COURTESY AND HELPFULNESS

Each public servant (GRN employee) must provide a courteous and helpful service suitable to the convenience of those entitled to the service.

CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION

Ensuring that there is regular consultation with those who use the services of the public sector and, having taken their views and priorities into account, provide a choice wherever possible to the benefit of the consumer.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Provide details of performance against targets and identifying who is responsible. Such services are being provided by public servants who can be identified readily by their customers as they should be wearing name badges. This is to ensure that public servants are accountable for their actions at all times.

TRANSPARENCY

Disclose how public services are managed together with the cost and performance of specific services which are open to public scrutiny in all actions taken in public office.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

Ensuring that services are available and provided equally and fairly to all.

QUALITY OF SERVICE

Publicize straightforward feedback procedures. Provide where errors have been made, an apology, full explanation and early correction of the error.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Provide efficient, effective and affordable public services.

ACCESSIBILITY

Ensure accessibility to public service by accommodating the service needs of our service users

It is interesting to note that at the launch in 1997, the Founding President stated, “It is also my hope that parastatals and the private sector will follow this example and helps make the delivery of services in Namibia as efficient, cost-effective and consumer-focused as possible.”

Let us hope that will come to pass

What is Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s?

During the past few weeks there have been articles in newspapers about GMO’s and the various protests staged around the world against the company Monsanto which manufactures GMO’s. A number of consumers contacted the Consumer News Namibia Magazine to find out more about the issue.

• Are GMO’s safe?
• Are GMOs labeled?
• What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?
• How do GMOs affect farmers?

Namibia is planning on testing for GMO’s

GMO’s, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Most commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide (weedkillers) or to produce an insecticide (to kill insects that eat them). Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit. In contrast, there is growing evidence that connects GMO’s with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In developing countries such as Namibia where there is little or no consumer protection, the governments have largely been ignoring the problem.

Unfortunately, even though polls consistently show that a significant majority of consumers want to know if the food they’re purchasing contains GMOs, the powerful biotech lobby has succeeded in keeping this information from the public. Recently, the Namibia Consumer Trusts has sent samples of Namibian consumer products to be tested in South Africa.

Over 80% of all GMOs grown worldwide are engineered for herbicide tolerance. As a result, use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has increased 15 times since GMOs were introduced. GMO crops are also responsible for the emergence of “super weeds” and “super bugs:’ which can only be killed with ever more toxic poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange). GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture, and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents with which to restrict their use. As a result, the companies that make GMOs now have the power to sue farmers whose fields are contaminated with GMOs, even when it is the result of inevitable drift from neighboring fields. GMOs therefore pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown, including the United States.

It is thus with great pleasure that we take note that the Namibia Consumer Trust (NCT) received an official invitation to witness the inauguration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry's Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) testing facility on Tuesday 28 May 2013. NCT informed us that they are delighted that the expert who will be doing the demonstration of how GMO testing is done is the same Professor NCT had asked to do the GMO tests on Namibian popular maize. NCT intends to continue with these tests, maybe these may be done locally in the near future. That is if the lab can also do tests for independent civil society.

With pressure from the civil society, such as the Namibia Consumer Protection Group (NCPG), Namibia Consumer Trust (NCT and the Consumer News Namibia Magazine, we hope to continue to pressure the government and state agencies to do more to ensure the foods we eat are not doing us harm in the long run. 

Funny Bank Charges and Bad Customer Service

Many people complain about banks’ customer service especially during the payday of the 20^th, 25^th and end of the month. This is something which is easy to pick up as a consumer because we are physically experiencing the frustration of standing in a queue.  However there is another problem that we do not often notice but that is costing you money. This problem is the one of bank charges. Sometimes the bank charges us and we complain but not very often we do not actually realise that the bank charges were incorrectly calculated.

Recently a consumer complained about a bank mistake that cost him more money than expected.

“I have been a customer of a certain bank for over twenty years and generally consider their service to be the best of all the banks in the country. Recently however, I had to re-evaluate my opinion. By chance I had been asked to provide a copy of my bank statements of the past six months for a business deal I wished to conclude. Upon glancing through the statement I noticed an amount of N$ 10,000 that had been deposited in my account. Having a reasonably good memory, I could not recall that any client had paid me such a perfect round number for any work undertaken. After careful scrutiny, I noticed the amount was deposited on a Friday, and then reversed the following day and indicating an incorrect deposit. Thus it was a clerical error of the bank with the account number or something.

However the next line in my bank statement had me sitting up straight. There was a charge of N$ 185 for Cash Handling Fees. The bank had reversed the incorrect deposit of cash into my account, but charged me for their mistake.”

Another complaint was received from a consumer this week:

“How can a bank have such bad service??? I call nobody answers even when you call the people who make the decisions and big guns they are unavailable the only bank I know in Namibia that people are always unavailable? Then on top that you have the cheek to send me a letter to say I must pay then when I call you admit that you are at fault yet you take the matter further now you want to repossess my things??? This is directed at the vehicle loans department how is a person supposed to make a payment when you change your bank account details for payment and then on top that hand over to handover all time and when a person try to call nobody is ever available pathetic and when email people read and never reply absolutely pathetic this will be in the news appear as i know I'm not the only one having these problems to think two years ago Standard bank said would sort out there problems well looks like only getting worse.”

To both these consumers we can suggest you contact the complaints department of your bank. If you still feel unhappy with the service, then you can contact the Bank of Namibia (BoN). The “Guidelines for Lodging Complaints” have been developed by the Bank of Namibia to guide clients of commercial banks to lodge complaints with the BoN. The guidelines further establish complaint handling procedures at the BoN to ensure a consistent approach in complaints resolution.

As consumers we often complain, but do not follow up and allow the company involved to correct their mistake. The Bank of Namibia has opened up a new chapter in getting banks to change their consumer culture, but it is still up to us as the consumers to make use of these complaint mechanisms.

Paradoxical Commandments

(Because the original page is no longer available online: http://prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm)

 The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, India, and are widely attributed to her. 

Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room.  In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives. 

They seem to be based on a composition originally by Kent Keith, but much of the second half has been re-written in a more spiritual way.  Both versions are shown below.

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1. The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

              People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

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2. The Original Version:

The Paradoxical Commandments

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

"The Paradoxical Commandments" were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders.

Citizens Data used in government registers need better protection

I need your help.

I have entered the Web Summit People's Stage and need your vote. Please follow the link and press like if you support my entry.

My topic is:

"Most African countries (e.g. Namibia) are creating central registers for voters rolls, home affairs data, etc. using biometric collection methods. Yet many do not have Data Protection or Electronic Transaction laws or even basic Consumer Rights legislation. How must Governments create mechanism that protect basic personal data rights while still using technology to ensure improved service delivery of government services? Governments and civil society have to work out methodologies that protect not only the data or the possible theft of data, but also the methods of seeking citizens permission of the way their data is used"

Link: http://www.websummit.net/competitions/peoples-stage/entries.html#3-526