THE term `public service' in itself suggests that those employed as public servants are workers in the service of the public - they are there to serve the public to the best of their ability.

The primary responsibility of all in the public service - and that still covers a wide area in Guyana - should be working in the service of the people, meeting the broad spectrum of services they are supposed to provide. For them, serving the people should come first.

It does not require a Gallup poll or any other sophisticated sampling of public opinion to conclude that the public is generally poorly served by what passes for the public service.

Despite the best efforts in some quarters, the public service is a far cry from the ideal and the bad old habits honed to a fine art over the years prevail in many departments.

A recent example of contrasting service from a private sector outfit and a `public service' entity illustrates the point. An employee at a private shipping wharf in Georgetown was already at lunch when a customer was sent to him to process some documents for clearing a barrel of items from New York.

As the customer waited, a supervisor appeared and in polite terms advised the employee on lunch to stop for a moment and deal with the customer who had already spent more than a day going through the process. The supervisor made a point of stressing to the employee that the company should not be found wanting in the service of its customers and that tending to them was the primary concern.

That attitude was so vastly removed from the `service' offered at Customs House in Georgetown where the customer had to pay the assessed duty on the barrel. The customer was told just after lunch on a Friday, after handing in a set of documents to be processed, to return at 15:00 hrs (3 p.m.) to uplift the papers and pay. Promptly at 15:00 hrs the customer was back and was promptly told that he could not pay as the cashier had closed off at 15:00 hrs.

That meant a wait over the weekend and jostling for about an hour with seasoned agents of customs brokers Monday morning before the small fee could have been paid.

This is not a singular case and from all accounts is more the rule than the exception in the `public service'.

There are always exceptions and public service in some `public service' departments is sometimes exemplary. It is however so rare that it is a joy to behold when it unfolds.

This is something that commentators and others have agonised about through the years but nothing much has changed.

We don't know how much attention this attracted at the two-day retreat "for enhanced public service delivery" that was due to end yesterday in Georgetown. Organised by the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Public Service Ministry, it was aimed at providing an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss public sector reform efforts in Guyana.

The top guns from the public service were there as well as representatives from the Private Sector Commission and non-governmental organisations.

Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford said at the opening that Guyana "must move forward in an accelerated pace to redefine our standards and practices to a calibre that is consistent with local and international expectations."

Improving service to the public by the public service has to be on the front burner of any reform campaign.