By Nandar Win
Photo: Tar Yar
EMBRACED with the lofty expectation of establishing the people’s centred administrative mechanism, the Ministry of Office of the Union Government is a ministry-level body that serves the Government of Myanmar.
It is functioning with four objectives such as that of securing rule of law, community peace and tranquility; that of the implementation of government policies; that of the realization of better administrative system; and that of the people’s centred regional development tasks.
Previously, the General Administration Department was a department under Ministry of Home Affairs and was transferred to Ministry of Office of the Union Government on 28 December 2018 under office order 1/2018.
Performing the functions as per the motto “Transition starts with GAD”, the General Administration Department (GAD) aims to provide the people a simple and trouble free administrative and service system that is legal, just, uniform and reduces time and eases the burden.
Obviously, the General Administration Department under the Ministry of Office of the Union Government provides vital administrative machinery for the country by conducting transition works in an exemplary way for a society free from corruption, self-interest and with good moral character.
Apparently, the GAD (Head Office) is constituted with the divisions namely the Administration Division; the General Division; the Land Division; the Excise and Revenue Division; the Training and Research Division; the Finance and Accounts Division; and International Division. It has one Administrative Development Institute. The GAD is functioning with (19) laws, (10) by-laws, (2) sets of procedures, and (2) sets of rulings.
Virtually, the GAD is shouldering the onerous duties assigned by the Government and the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government, while undertaking the main functions of the GAD, and also implementing tasks given by other ministries.
With the main functions such as that of the land administration tasks; that of the management in excise; that of the collection of four kinds of revenues; that of the systematic formation of towns and villages; that of the village development tasks; that of the systematic registration of associations and organizations; that of the honouring titles, decorations and medals; and that of the managing the immovable properties; the GAD is functioning in top speed.
Land administration tasks are being handled in accordance with the land management law.
Among the duties, the GAD needs to seize up or grab on the land for redistribution and reallocation to the government, to the social and religious entities; the issuance of land grants; the issuance of land hiring licences; the short term and long team land lease authorization; and all matters of land related issues.
During the fourth-year period, (174) cases of land transfer have been realized. Moreover, various kinds of land grants have been accorded including (14,520) land plot lease grants, and (1,685) village land lease grants.
Through the issuance of land lease grants to the people, it creates an atmosphere of secured surrounding with stress free persons with the opportunity to engage in related business, resulting with the tax and revenues payment to the government.
The GAD is working with the aim of managing the excise duty tax and excise administration by discouraging the habit of consuming alcohol in the society, and that of curbing the illegal trade in alcohol.
It always keeps in mind to dishearten the alcohol consumption. It levied high excise tax and revenue on alcohol keeping in mind to discourage alcohol consumption.
Across the country, a total of (41,131) excise licences have been issued. With a view to collect tax and revenue for the country, “Excise Tax and Revenue Collection and Supervision Task Forces” are being formed at township / district / state / region and Central across the country.
With the objective to gather tax and revenue, the GAD is collecting excise duty, land revenue, dam, embankment, levee and reservoir revenues, and mineral taxes. Total of MMK (28,398 point 946) millions have been realized in the first six month of this financial year.
During the fourth year period, the GAD has systematically expanded and formed one district, five towns, 39 wards, 6 village tracks, and 31 villages.
Objectively, with the participation of the people in the rural areas development programmes and activities, the GAD is actively implementing tasks such as that of the land reclamation; that of the road communications; that of the healthcare; that of the education; that of the rural water supply; that of the economic development; and that of the social affairs.
With the budget allocation of the government amounting MMK (129) millions and the funds contributed by the people amounting MMK (62 point 5) millions, total of (39) news projects and (4) maintenance works have been accomplished.
The tasks helped assist the development of the areas in education, health, road transportation, water supply, agriculture, land reclamation, and socio-economic life.
In line with the laws and the State Constitution, the GAD is undertaking the registration tasks of associations and organizations, and that the registration bodies have been formed in six different levels such as that of the Union level registration organization, the Nay Pyi Taw registration organization; / region / state registration organizations; the self administered regions registration organization; district level registration organizations; and the township level registration organization. Total of (342) NGOs and (35) INGOs have been registered during the fourth year period.
Among the main duties of the GAD, conferring of civil orders, titles and decoration to the outstanding citizens is included. During the fourth year period, civil orders, titles and decorations of the nation have been conferred to the personnel of Tatmadaw, the personnel of Police Force, and the civilians.
Titles included such as Tharay Situ, Thiha Thura, Thura, Zeya Kyaw Htin, and that Government employee titles to (30,098) persons and Rule of Law titles to (69,547) persons.
Officers and the staff members serving at the GAD have been imparted with training courses to elevate their abilities in good practices, in capacity building in information and technology, raising knowledge in leadership, administration and management by sending them to the Union Civil Service Board (UCSB), the Institute of Administrative Development, and other institutes being opened by other ministries.
During the fourth year period, the officers and staff members numbering (1,893) have been trained at the UCSB in various level training courses.
The officers and the staff members are also trained at the Administrative Development Institute ay Mingalardon. Total of (1,038) personnel are imparted with motley assortment of training course.
Over the years, the GAD has been handed over from the Ministry of Home to the Union Government Ministry on 28 December 2018. The officer and staff members moved to new office premises and necessary change have been made on the departmental flag and the department chest logo pin.
With a view to make proper reform programmes, the retired senior officer of the GAG, the sector-wise well versed professionals, the administrators from region / state, and the district administrators have been invited to participate in the first workshop held in Nay Pyi Taw from 26 to 28 February 2019.
At the workshop, reform agenda was being discussed and that the result has been achieved such as that of the four point mission and vision perspective, and six point values.
Moreover, other scheme such as “One State One Township Project” has come out in addition to implement the “Regulatory Review Unit – RRU” and also to carry out in the reform process such as “Managerial Reform Unit – MRU”. Above all, the establishment and the development of e–Government has been included in the reform process.
Moreover, the reform of the IDA has come up to make changes in structure as well as in the essence. The works are carried out with the intent to offer better services to the people.
The second workshop was held on 29 and 30 August 2019 in Nay Pyi Taw, where work programs for six spheres have been taken up for discussions in the context of three reform systems such as that of the reform in the policy affairs; that of reforms in the administrative matters and procedures; that of establishing better system for area development approach.
At the workshop, the sphere one has discussed over the reform in the stipulated points; the sphere two has covered the management reform; the sphere three has dealt with the matters with regard to Ward / Village administrators; the sphere four has taken care of the upgrading tasks for the Institute for Administrative development; the spheres five has opened up for discussion on the participation of public, transparency, accountability and responsibility; and the sphere six has covered the theme on assisting the governments at state / region levels.
The second workshop was attended by senior GAD retired officers, sector-wise skillful professionals, officials from Nay Pyi Taw, the administrators from regions / states, the district level administrators, where the tasks mentioned in the six spheres have been approved. As of now, the reform agenda agreed at the workshop have been in process with momentum in their respective spheres.
Most importantly, the GAD is engaging in cooperation with the tasks as assigned by other ministries, and the task included such as that of the collection of 2019 interim census; that of the collection of birth and death statistic of Myanmar in accordance with the MSDP guidelines; that of the reintegration of trafficked victims back to the parents and guardians. Moreover, the GAD is working that of the elimination and prevention of psychotropic drugs; that of the prevention and controlling of the recruitment of the minors as child soldiers; that of the fulfilling of the basic labor rights of the workers; that of the capacity building in cooperation skills in the matters of border demarcations and the border affairs; that of the capacity building of women administrators at wards / villages; that of the compilation of census for the upcoming general election; that of the participation in the prevention, containment, and treatment of the COVID – 19 pandemic; and that of the cooperation with related ministries.
The GAD also involved in the campaign in the democratic transition of Myanmar and the reform task in poverty reduction programs. It concentrates on the reform in politic; the reform in people’s centered approach; that of the reform in the administrative and management mechanism including the capacity building of the government employees.
The three prong of strategies have been approved, and the process is heading towards “Good Governance” and the “Clean Government”. Moreover, the national workshop in the name of “Good Local Governance and People Centered Services” was conducted through the cooperation of the Ministry of Home and the UNDP in 2013 in Nay Pyi Taw at the MICC II venue.
The workshop has agreed and recommended the futures tasks on the local governance mapping in three parts. The local governance mapping tasks were carried out in (14) states / regions from 2013 November to February 2015. After that the “Myanmar Good Governance Forum” was held in Nay Pyi Taw MIICC II in May 2015.
After the forum, “One Stop Shops” (OSS) have been established in the country with the aims and objectives of offering services such as that of fulfilling the basic needs of the public; that of the elimination and curbing of the bribery and corruption to ensure the better services to the people; that of the building of trust from the public over the government employees; that of the balancing and reciprocal control among the different government employees.
With the four prong aims and objectives, the “OSS” has opened its doors for the public on 7 July 2015. On 20 May 2015, a work committee for the implementation of “OSS” was formed, and that the committee was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, and the Director-General of the GAD was appointed as the Secretary of the committee.
The Union Government Office has formed the (14) members work committee for OSS implementation and that the sub-committees for establishing OSS in states / regions and Nay Pyi Taw. At the region / state, Union Territories, district, townships level subcommittees are formed and the implementation tasks have been carried out.
As the GAD has been handed over to the Union Government, the OSS establishment implementation work committee has been reorganized with the Deputy Minister of the Union Government as Chairman of the work committee, and the Director-General of the GAD has taken up the post of secretary.
The reorganization of the work committee was done with (15) members committee including the permanent secretaries of relevant ministries and the head of the city development committee.
The OSS were first opened at (72) townships located at district status, and at the second stage all the townships have been earmarked to open OSS numbering (330). However due to situation on ground, (24) towns could not open the OSS, and that (3,156) OSS is now functioning across the country.
Now, the OSS is offering services such as that of the basic paperwork requirements on (residency, good moral character, and good health; that of the entry and exit of persons in the household sheet; that of the addition in the household list of the newly born baby and the cancellation of name of the demise person from the household list; and many more basic paper work requirement of the citizens. OSS is offering services from (27) different sorts of units with (156) varieties of necessities of the public.
The year 2019 saw the records that (1,399,074) services were offered to the public; and that the department of public health stood as top provider that offer (197,131) services, and that the Myanmar Police Force stood as second top provider that offered (194,051) services to the public.
With the myriad of services offered to the people, the confidence and trust from the public has increased. The OSS has offered Mobile Service Delivery for (1,865) field trips in 2019 and that the total number of services stood at (196,115).
In collaboration with the UNDP, some workshops with regards to OSS have been conducted in (4) towns across the country. The supervisors at the OSS have been provided with training course for (6) occasions.
The OSS are very much instrumental for the ease and comfort of the people and that it brings better services, reduce the red tape hurdles, expose transparency, and impart knowledge , raised prestige of the department, and many more advantages.
With regard to the complaint letters and the tipoff cases, the GAD is working with sincerity without any bias and siding. It is also working in accordance with the guidelines of the anticorruption commission. Moreover, it has formed relevant units under the “Corruption Prevention Unit – CPU) in eradication of bribery and corruption.
In conclusion, the GAD under the Union Government Ministry has been working with the motto namely “Together with the People”, in reducing and minimizing the centralization, and the building of capacity at the lower level of staff members. The GAD is endeavouring with all the efforts to offer better service to the public all the time..
Translated by UMT (Ahlon)
