Remarks by the Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr. Eric Molale at the 2009 Public Service Convention Awards Ceremony

source: Republic of Botswana (23/8/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 23 of 2009
The Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"

B5) 25/8/09: Remarks by the Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr. Eric Molale at the 2009 Public Service Convention Awards Ceremony:

The 2009 Public Service Convention closed this evening with an awards ceremony to honour individuals, work improvement teams and Ministry's who have excelled in their performance through customer satisfaction and enhanced service delivery. Remarks by the Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr. Eric Molale, at the ceremony appear below.

Among the work improvement team projects the Ingwe team from the Ministry of Health in Maun came out on top, followed by teams from the
Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and Prisons.

With reference to the 2009 Customer and Employee Satisfaction Surveys the Ministry of Agriculture scored first place in employee satisfaction, while the Office of the Ombudsman was number one in customer satisfaction, with a 100% satisfaction rating. The runners-up for customer satisfaction are the Office of the President and Auditor General.

The Ministry of Lands and Housing was identified as the most improved Ministry for customer satisfaction since the last, 2005 survey.

Among the local authorities, the Survey ranked Kgatleng District first, followed by Chobe District and Selebi-Phikwe.

In terms of Performance Review the Ministry of Trade and Industry came out on top, followed by Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs and Lands and Housing.

The evening's celebrations culminated in the 2009 individual awards for outstanding civil servants, which this year went to Dudu Seduka, Emmanuel Galeforolwe, Amy Malobe, Mmoloki Molomo, Comaravel Rasamy and Belpert Kauraisa.


Remarks by the Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr. Eric Molale at the 2009 Public Service Convention Awards Ceremony:

Director of Ceremonies, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

1. The just ended Public Service Convention has exposed us to the rationale for the existence of the public service, more especially the leadership. We all agree that at the very core of our existence, we should serve the public irrespective of how less or more demanding they are.

2. Fundamental to the success of all our efforts as a public service is the dedication, devotion, commitment and perseverance by all of us. Sometimes along this road, a road to a better life, we are faced despair and may wish to give up. But when one observes individuals, teams, departments, and ministries joining hands to create a better life for those they serve, then we regain the strength to face whatever difficulties there may be.

3. As Head of the Public Service it is an honour and a privilege for me to stand here to recognize colleagues for a job well done. I find it befitting to recognize and honour those that offer their all to serve this nation in their little corners of this country and together we celebrate what they have done and achieved.

4. The enthusiasm and determination with which these distinguished colleagues are contributing to prosperity for all is there for all to see. Whatever success, they did it with limited resources but they found a path to a creative and innovative way of achieving results. To you the winners, you have set a standard that will challenge others to follow in your foot steps in future years. May your example reinforce the spirit of botho in service delivery in our public service! Let us work together to build the country of our dreams!

5. To all of us who are not winners lets us recognize that we can all be winners, but that there are better winners than all of us. Finally let me thank all those involved tonight - our customers, our partners, organizers, adjudicators and others who have worked to make this Award Ceremony such a success. I thank you.