PREMIER'S REMARKS
Three minutes is a long time. Ask any boxer how it feels in that boxing ring.
Master of Ceremonies
MECs
Members of the Legislature
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for inviting me to this important gathering. I
welcome meeting such as these for a number of reasons.
They give us a chance to review how far we have been able to fulfill our
mandate of uniting in action for change. They also give an indication of what it
is that is holding us back.
Our Business as Public Servants is Service. We have a duty and mandate to
serve our people.
Sadly, though, the perception of the public service is that it is corrupt,
nepotistic, maladministered and not adding value to tax payer's money. That is
why we meet here today to rededicate ourselves to Batho Pele.
Batho Pele is centered on Consultation; Service Standards;
Access; Courtesy; Information; Openness and transparency; Redress, and Value for
Money.
From time to time, you need to pause and reflect on where you're been, what
happened, and what might have been. This makes our tacit knowledge explicit and
it makes the knowledge of individuals available to everyone.
If you don't do this deliberately, your understanding will be
limited, your learning will be incomplete, and you run the risk of doing more of
the same long after it has become dangerous of dysfunctional to act that way;
Shared ideas lead to shared meaning. The more openly and honestly ideas are
shared, the greater the level of trust will be, the more efforts will be aligned
and the more ideas will emerge.
I know that you value work that makes you feel valued. When you make strategy,
you matter. And you own the results, so effective execution is more likely.I
hope today we will provide a clear point of view.
We need to be able to say: "There's the hill we're aiming atthese are the
results we wantthis is how we should conduct ourselveshere are our
prioritiesthis is what we'll do to get where we want to go". This is the context
in which people work.
"Let's talk about what we need to talk about"
"Let's think about the words we use around here" Batho Pele, Service delivery
etc.
Our conversation today must inform, focus attention and effort, trigger fresh
insights, light up the imagination, energise people, and inspire performance.We
can't force you to perform. The best we can do is create a context in which you
will apply your minds and your efforts as volunteers rather than conscripts. A
context in which you want the same things as badly as the country and the
province does.But until you DO, you never know what you CAN do. Your grand
visions remain mere theory.
Your learn nothing about the world at large, or about your capabilities.
Discovery is impossible.
On the other hand, when you do snap into action and try something anything
you quickly find out what works and what doesn't and you lay stepping-stones for
future progress.
So let's talk.
I thank you.