Do you think that we are living in an electronic age? well if your answer is NO, then you must be living in the jungles, and sorry for this preamble, I know that it sounds rude, and I sound irritated. yes, I am irritated.
On the one hand our countries are saying that we have a lot of traffic, we must measure our carbon foot print, we must look after the environment, we must and we must. Of course our countries puts sever measures to make you cut down on your trips, and had created the best transportation systems, metro, trains (very soon) also put a toll system and every time you want to renew your car registration you have to pay a lot of money for the renewal.
Great, so far so good. Now let us ask ourselves, why do we have to take too many trips, and why do we have to call this person and that person to see if we can get some preferential treatments and have our work completed on time? What work? and why do we have to talk to anyone? why isn't every paprwork electronically completed? well, that is what I thought. well, now we know why we have so much traffic jams, when the other parts of our governments are working so hard on stopping traffic, there are organizations who love to show off their people and wouldn't attempt the electronic world. That is why everything you need to do has to be done in person; you have to have a rude person that pisses you off too so you tend to remember that there is no reason why you have to face suce a face.
I will just mention two incidents in Bahrain, and one incident here; I was trying to obtain a trade license, it took me almost a year and a half, costed me 1.3 million dirhams and I still don't have the license; the second incident was when I was renewing my ID card (this is hilarious), I don't reside in Bahrain permanently, but I am a Bahraini, so I need to have an address, So I gave my brother's address as that is where we stay when we go to Bahrain. The woman asked me to call my brother, so he can come to where the ID card is, signs in front of her that he approves it, then she will issue the card. We waited for a mere "couple of hours" until my brother arrived, soaked in sweat due to the hot weather and the heavy traffic, he signed, then we got the ID card and left together. Did I need to go to that building to renew my ID card? couldn't my brother sign online? couldn't the whole thing be done online?
Wouldn't it be nice la lalallalalalala
Well, both of the incidents above were completed online, and with no hassle what so ever; where: in New Zealand! the country that everyone in the gulf was laughing at me when I said that I am going to send students there! one of the students said to me "I don't want to be a sheep" and the other one said: " I don't like cheese". The sheep and cheese made my life easy, I was able to buy a house, start a company, order passports, renew passports, change names, and do whatever one can possibly think of without seeing a government official! everything was electronic.
The second incident is with RTA. We had to get some parking cards done, and we were given a receipt as well as a map. I first asked if I can pay online, as I really don't have time to do this, everyone said now. Then the saga started, I followed the map, it was like a witch hunt. I couldn't find the building, so I called RTA, oops, they have no number on their phone menu for customer services or "to find our buildings press 0"; so I dialed again, and pressed the lost and found, when the person behind the line asked me what I had lost, I said your building in so and so area. so she asked me for signs, then she said that the building should be behind me. I parked, went inside, and asked, it was not the building. Then I called a friend, who directed me to the right place, as despite the map, the building was on the other side of the road. When I reached there, I took my code, complained a lot, and paid, then took my paper, went to the other place where I will receive the parking cards, and went to the office cursing.
Now you know why we have traffic? because we have to do unnecessary trips that could be avoided if we apply the letter "E" properly.
It is my wish.
On the one hand our countries are saying that we have a lot of traffic, we must measure our carbon foot print, we must look after the environment, we must and we must. Of course our countries puts sever measures to make you cut down on your trips, and had created the best transportation systems, metro, trains (very soon) also put a toll system and every time you want to renew your car registration you have to pay a lot of money for the renewal.
Great, so far so good. Now let us ask ourselves, why do we have to take too many trips, and why do we have to call this person and that person to see if we can get some preferential treatments and have our work completed on time? What work? and why do we have to talk to anyone? why isn't every paprwork electronically completed? well, that is what I thought. well, now we know why we have so much traffic jams, when the other parts of our governments are working so hard on stopping traffic, there are organizations who love to show off their people and wouldn't attempt the electronic world. That is why everything you need to do has to be done in person; you have to have a rude person that pisses you off too so you tend to remember that there is no reason why you have to face suce a face.
I will just mention two incidents in Bahrain, and one incident here; I was trying to obtain a trade license, it took me almost a year and a half, costed me 1.3 million dirhams and I still don't have the license; the second incident was when I was renewing my ID card (this is hilarious), I don't reside in Bahrain permanently, but I am a Bahraini, so I need to have an address, So I gave my brother's address as that is where we stay when we go to Bahrain. The woman asked me to call my brother, so he can come to where the ID card is, signs in front of her that he approves it, then she will issue the card. We waited for a mere "couple of hours" until my brother arrived, soaked in sweat due to the hot weather and the heavy traffic, he signed, then we got the ID card and left together. Did I need to go to that building to renew my ID card? couldn't my brother sign online? couldn't the whole thing be done online?
Wouldn't it be nice la lalallalalalala
Well, both of the incidents above were completed online, and with no hassle what so ever; where: in New Zealand! the country that everyone in the gulf was laughing at me when I said that I am going to send students there! one of the students said to me "I don't want to be a sheep" and the other one said: " I don't like cheese". The sheep and cheese made my life easy, I was able to buy a house, start a company, order passports, renew passports, change names, and do whatever one can possibly think of without seeing a government official! everything was electronic.
The second incident is with RTA. We had to get some parking cards done, and we were given a receipt as well as a map. I first asked if I can pay online, as I really don't have time to do this, everyone said now. Then the saga started, I followed the map, it was like a witch hunt. I couldn't find the building, so I called RTA, oops, they have no number on their phone menu for customer services or "to find our buildings press 0"; so I dialed again, and pressed the lost and found, when the person behind the line asked me what I had lost, I said your building in so and so area. so she asked me for signs, then she said that the building should be behind me. I parked, went inside, and asked, it was not the building. Then I called a friend, who directed me to the right place, as despite the map, the building was on the other side of the road. When I reached there, I took my code, complained a lot, and paid, then took my paper, went to the other place where I will receive the parking cards, and went to the office cursing.
Now you know why we have traffic? because we have to do unnecessary trips that could be avoided if we apply the letter "E" properly.
It is my wish.
There is not much that I do not do online. Almost everything I do, is done electronically.
ReplyDeletevelva
I wish I can say that too Velva. and thanks for reading my blog
ReplyDelete