Moving Backwards

Yesterday, I went to renew the license for my company at the Municipality of Amman. Last year when I renewed the licence I had to fill out two forms. This year, I had to fill out five forms that had exactly the same information. So I told the guy who was helping me that it was only two forms last year. His reply was that it was last year not this year.

Luckily, aside from the extra time to fill the extra three forms, the rest of the renewal processes took about the same time as last year.

In it's website, the municipality states among it's goals:

• Administrative development.
• Optimum use of resources
• Reducing costs of services through citizens’ increased collaboration

Since the renewal time this year has taken more time, not less, I would say that the municipality is failing miserably at achieving its goals and is only paying lip service to them.

The three additional forms are sure not an optimum use of resources, they are not a reduction in cost and they do not contribute an iota to administrative development.

This is somewhat an annoying feeling, but I get the feeling that we are not progressing at all and are actually moving backwards.