Dear Editor,
The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) continues to be a bureaucratic nightmare with the only thing perhaps holding up the Scheme being the red tape that seems to be in ready supply and easily manufactured by the NIS. The NIS as indicated is in a mess of its own and by the way it conducts its operations that mess will only get worst. The inefficiencies in the processes adopted by the NIS in dealing with the public leads to frustration for the regular man and are nothing short of being utterly unfair. While it might be a revelation to the NIS, the normal man cannot afford to take an entire day or longer dealing with the NIS and issues that can be resolved in a short time with the use of some common sense.
From the collection of various benefits, to which they are rightly entitled, to simple matters of registration and contributions; the public is made to go through undue stress because of constantly changing and manufactured procedures. There are individuals who rather not collect benefits that they are rightly eligible for simply because the time and effort involved in doing so is too much, just not worth it and frankly illogical. You can imagine how stressful dealing with the NIS must be when in ‘these times’ people rather not collect benefits that are rightfully theirs.
For example; one would think that a company commencing operations and seeking to be registered as an employer with the NIS and to pay NIS for its staff should be in the interest of the Scheme; however, the bureaucratic procedures being encountered by companies to be registered indicates otherwise and is counterproductive to doing business. From made up rules to requests for letters that are simply irrational; I would swear that the thinking of the NIS sometimes is that bureaucracy is the cement that greases the wheels of progress. It seems that the process for any transaction with the NIS changes repeatedly depending on who is dealing with the matter and what ‘mood’ you manage to reach them in. There is no structure in procedures and many of the requirements are ‘made up on the spot’. It is rather amusing when the NIS cannot provide simple reason for some of the requests they make.
The sad reality is that these operational issues have plagued the NIS for years but the same people who were there ‘with the issues in full swing’ are continually placed to correct and make better the issues – ‘a carpenter can’t do open heart surgery don’t matter how many fancy equipment you give him’. That people continually complain about the same issues at the NIS means that ‘it ain’t working’. How many tries at the same thing does one need to know that they’re doing a bad job? The reality is that contributions made are the contributors’ money – not the NIS’ employees, not the NIS’ inspectors and certainly not the NIS’. It is the employers’ contribution coupled with the workers money that they contribute from their hard-earned salaries; so the situation where it seems people have to beg for their benefits and other related services that should be provided by the Scheme has to stop. While the NIS extends social insurance coverage on a compulsory basis, this does not mean that inspectors and others of the NIS are the law in themselves or can treat the public as they feel fit.
It is unfortunate that the bureaucratic inefficiencies and red tape of institutions such as the NIS have a tendency to slow the efforts of individuals and the government in working to promote ease of doing business and building a strong and stable social security system for its people. Hopefully something is done for the people paying their hard-earned dollars to the NIS; at least for now the NIS can attempt to treat them with some respect, respect their time and understand that the Scheme is there in the interest of the public and not to make it as difficult for them as the Scheme can.
Sincerely,
Terrence Jaskaran
Chartered Accountant
