When it comes to local councils, the issue is not race but transparency and accountability. Also, one must distinguish between councils that perform better than others. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the performance at our local councils remains much to be desired.

The more interior you go, the worse it is. I can attest to this fact because often I leave at 7am to reach a local council office by 8.30am. But they have no discipline about coming to work.

When they do so, the next 45 minutes is spent in the canteen. Only a skeletal staff remains. When you ask for the officer concerned, you are told that he is out for breakfast. One waits for His Highness to return.

Then, you will be talked down to before the matter is attended to and information gathered. On other occasions, when you have to meet lesser officials, then one is told that they are out banking.

So many of the staff attend to their personal matters during office hours. The rot is not in the staff but in the leaders because they do not set an example. They themselves are always out at meetings!

These days it is even worse. They work haphazardly from Monday to Thursday. Friday is literally a half-day as most of them go for meetings after prayers.

Just call any government office and you will hear of people at meetings. Thus our productivity drops and we expect to challenge other nations by our quality of service. But unless discipline is maintained, nothing is going to change.