by Nan
The major event in the calendar of Nan this last week was running from pillar to post metaphorically, which translates itself literally to officers, to get an ETF matter settled. The pillars and posts were a mixed bunch and the path of progress in the matter, strewn with misadventure of sorts.

Nan groaned as she received the notice regards an ETF payment. She should instead have jumped for joy, careful of her creaking bones, instead of feeling weighted down. If successfully negotiated, the matter would mean money to her meagre coffers, now rapidly drained by the sky high CoL. But she remembered her ordeal at the EPF office some years ago, when she was sent packing so many times with misdirection and a wilful withholding of advice and timely instructions by a clerk, a female.

Everyone says that applying for and hopefully receiving EPF and ETF payments are entirely different kettles of fish, the latter being much easier and the path in the corridors of the ETF office being smoother. True, since on a previous occasion, through sheer exhaustion and frustration of pursuing an EPF payment, this woman Nan sought the intervention of a high up. Then it came to pass that a cup of tea was offered to Nan and the clerk advised to help her complete her work.

At the outset I must say things are improved in government offices. There is an air of efficiency and those seated behind desks realize and act as if they are there to help the public who come to them and not treat them with derision as nuisances who disturb the officer’s day dream/phone call or happy lotus eating.

Good Influence trickles down

I think I need to emphasise this point. Things have improved and government officers are more on the job as it were, and polite too, with smiles instead of scowls, at least a kindly look instead of a murderous glance shot malevolently at the seeker of assistance. This I attribute to a trickle down effect. It is obvious this government wants to do a job of work and places the interest of the general public up front. When state ministers and their deputies, specially the prime minister, seem to be set on doing hard work and pushing the country out of malaise and onto the path of progress, the feeling percolates downwards.

The first business in this latest venture of ETF claiming was deciphering the four sheets of photocopied instructions in Sinhala. Of course one must be competent in one of the national languages, but how to be competent when the curlicues and ispili paapili of our glorious Sinhala letters smudge themselves into each other in a badly printed or photocopied document?

Hence my pleasant surprise that this time around — on Monday to be exact? the ETF and EPF forms were in pristine English print. Good sign. Work in English and of course make it possible for those competent only in Sinhala or Tamil to obtain forms printed in one or both of these languages. Let’s gradually move over to English. It will improve even the mood of workers after an initial swish of the kaduwa. Eventually we will all turn out to be a better lot? more broad-minded without racial prejudice.

So I began my search for certificates. Had to get the gramasevaka’s signature. The previous person was as elusive as the Scarlet Pimpernel. Not so this one. He was at his desk most days from ten to noon. But he was most unhelpful. Yours truly had filled in one form which he said he had to fill and so he just brushed it aside with a peremptory "go and get another form". But a person in the office suggested I tippex what I had written, photocopy the document, and present it to the GS. He did not tell me I needed to go to the Vajira Road Divisional Secretariat so I first went to the Pettah office. A lady officer there was very polite. She directed me to the Thimbirigasyaya office.

With papers collected I went to the ETF office and got into a very long queue. The man there is the real subject of this article.

The manager of the queues

He was an office aide, I believe, super efficient. Got everyone docilely queuing up and playing musical chairs without music with military precision. Once you got a seat and was out of the standing queue you had to take your bottom off a chair and deposit it in the chair vacated by the moving queue, every couple of minutes. This was supervised by the office aide, now barking at a tardy chair changer, then directing the EPF queue, now getting forms for distribution and accompanying it with minute directions.

I thought to myself how precisely and efficiently offices would run if they were all manned by people such as this office aide.

So people are working with greater efficiency. Of course a pretty young face gets quicker attention and longer directions on how to attend to a matter, and if the pretty young face does the komala act, the directions are more drawn out and given with flashing eyes. But no matter. If everyone can have himself or herself attended to, why stint the man behind the counter or desk a little diversion?

People have been making dire predictions. ETF they say with a raised eyebrow and questioning voice. The voice and eyes imply I am an idiot to even think I will get paid. They are not making these payments they say, the coffers of the government having been drained by the previous regime. I read three days ago about a former minister storming the ETF or EPF office and getting a huge amount of money released.

I don’t know. But hope springs as usual. Let’s wait and see, I tell myself.

There are more hopeful signs with the new government. Some prices of essentials are being brought down. So hope is what we should have.