4.4 Service provision in local municipalities

Field visits to local municipalities took place between 17-23 March 2022 to assess the services provided, the service delivery mechanisms, and the existing infrastructure. During this time TimorLeste was in the middle of the rainy season and access was difficult due to poor road conditions. Road access from the village to the capital of the municipality was poor and almost all roads connecting villages to sub-districts and sub-districts to municipalities were damaged, making it difficult for rural communities to get fast access to the services provided in the municipalities. Furthermore, it was difficult for civil servants in the municipalities to travel to the villages to provide services.

The representatives of the municipalities who were interviewed were committed and enthusiastic about accepting the OSS concept and expressed hope that the pilot will be launched in the near future. All municipal leaders were eager to launch an OSS pilot in their municipality. They agreed that an OSS is the best concept in providing quality services to communities present in municipal, sub-district and village areas. The municipalities Ermera, Liquiçá and Aileu do not have their own service provision premises. They share space with the departments of ministries at the municipal level. This problem is exacerbated by the limited size of the room, and it is therefore difficult for the customers to get access to good services. Even in cases where the agencies have their own office, there is often not enough space to provide the services, resulting in a customer limit of 10-25 per day. This narrow office space especially affects services provided to people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The comparison of the visited municipalities and their service provision practices indicated that each municipality has a different approach to the provision of services. There are very few similarities in the procedures of the compared municipalities. The experience for users varies a lot between different municipalities. There was clear evidence that even if working side by side, the natural progress of aligning processes and functions between organizations does not happen strong coordination is needed to make all stakeholders work in the same direction. The lack of stable internet access and a low level of ICT skills (including use of computers, printers, scanners, and photocopiers) were considered the biggest problems in local municipalities. There is a need for better technical support – sometimes it takes a few days before technical issues can be fixed and the service provision restored. It may even take months if the ICT equipment needs to be sent somewhere else for repairs or a new procurement must be initiated in order to replace broken equipment. The lack of human resources is also causing problems. Information about public services is shared via community radio, in the church every Sunday, through monthly meetings with village heads, and via official announcements. Phones and mobile applications such as WhatsApp are also popular channels through which to share relevant information. Feedback and suggestion boxes are available in local governments to collect feedback on services, but they are not popular among local people. There is no regulation allowing municipalities to generate their own revenue and municipalities are dependent on the budgets allocated by the central government. The lump sum and accommodation regulations are not considered to be the best solution, and it does not motivate employees to take official trips to

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remote villages more than 40 km away. While travelling to other municipalities, such as Díli or Liquiçá, which are only 35-40 km away via very good road connections, each staff member earns approximately 40 US dollars per day. The central government has opened regional offices in different municipalities to provide services closer to peoples’ homes as can be seen from the Table 6. Table 6 Overview of services provided inthe municipalities

Municipality Type of services offered Comments

Aileu Issuance of Birth Certificate, Voter Card, and Identity Card; Business Licensing Services regarding voter cards, identity cards and birth certificates are provided in all 13 municipalities. Other services Ermera Issuance of Birth Certificate, Voter Card, and Identity Card such as passport issuance, business licensing, driving licensing, transportation track permits and car Liquiçá Issuance of Birth Certificate, inspection reports have not been Voter Card, Identity Card and submitted simultaneously, they are still Passport provided in stages.

During the interviews, questionnaires were used that relied on the key elements of the OSS (see chapter 1). An overview of the interviews is provided in Annex 4.

Key findings

Today's infrastructure in local municipalities needs significant improvements for piloting the OSS model.

No data has been collected systematically nor is it available in local municipalities to assess service provision effectiveness.

The provision of services in local governments is not standardized and communication with other state authorities to exchange information is not considered necessary.

There is no evidence-based overview of how local people are satisfied with the services provided by local municipalities.

Local municipalities need support and clear guidance in the provision of public services by a single coordinator

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