DEALING WITH any government body, be it a ministry, department, directorate or agency remains a horrific experience for the majority of citizens in this country. Red tape and an outdated and sluggish bureaucracy are the main features of Jordan's civil service today. But this is not a state secret. Those unlucky enough to have official business with the government; be it to issue a certificate or authenticate one; to renew identity papers or license or to register a car, go through a never ending maze of procedures that make no sense even to those who are paid to implement them.
Many hours, if not days and weeks, are wasted every year by Jordanians who for one unavoidable reason or another are forced to report to some government body on official business.
The administrative black hole has been getting worse in recent years, since regulations and internal by-laws keep changing to the extent that even the most imaginative civil servant can't keep up with them anymore.
And yet, successive governments promised to deal with red tape and simplify procedures. None were able to suggest a comprehensive solution to the problem. When His Majesty the King expressed his outrage, earlier this year, at the incompetence of the sluggish civil service, the previous government declared a state of emergency and set about to look for solutions. Then when the new government took over, one of its main priorities was to deal with the challenge and face the problem head-on. But since then little has been achieved. In fact, it was almost ironic that the government decided to create a so-called investment window for foreign investors, sort of a one stop shop, and forgot that the most important investment in this country is its own citizens. If a one stop shop can be created for foreign investors, why not apply the same principle on all government work?
The over sized government in Jordan is nothing new. Experts tell us that it is the heart of the problem. There were suggestions to rid the system of redundant or unneeded staff. But that solution would have created a social and economic problem of huge dimensions. So after weeks of uncertainty among thousands of government employees, the government backed down and comforted all.
It was business as usual. People cramming the corridors of official buildings as they brandish piles of papers with blue smudges of indelible official stamps as they scurry from one room to the other and then from one building to the other and then from one mountain to the other in order to get their papers in order.
Governments are supposed to serve the interests of the people, not make their lives more difficult than they are already. As our lives become more complicated everyday and as we pretend to move into the electronic age and give the impression of preparing for the advent of the next millennium, the bitter and embarrassing problem of our sluggish and inefficient bureaucracy is a bleak reminder that while much superficial change has taken place in the last 40 years, mentalities remain bogged down in a time frame of their own. The government must act and sacrifices must be made. Hiding our heads in the sand is not even an option.