A surprise experience at a Government Department

I had to go to a Government Department today all the way in Selayang/Gombak (I’m alien to both so to me they are about as indistinguishable as each other). An early morning drive there was smooth, and it was quite a pleasent drive once I arrived at the government offices. It was tucked away in a bit of a valley, surrounded by green trees. It made a change from being in the city all the time.

I saw some signs pointing towards a forest reserve on the way there, which may explain the prevelance of trees in the area. Whatever it is, it was soothing and green.

Now, what is your perception of having to deal with Government Departments? Long queues, having to spend the whole morning there, being given the run around, unpleasent counter staff, being made to go upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber….

Yes that was my perception so it was with trepedition that I undertook this task of visiting the Gombak Land Office. The building is a large grey utilitarian building that puts me in the mind of a spaceship.

I wanted to check on a quit rent payment for a property and immediately ran into my first brick wall of Government bureaucracy. The information counter. The lady at the information counter seemed to be happier chatting with some ramdom guy about nothing in particular. When I politely asked where I might make enquiries about quit rent, she directed me to a room downstairs. She wasn’t unpleasent (not yet) just brusque.

In the payment department, was a long counter for payments. This is the most daunting part of any government department - long counters. However, I was pleasently surprised, that when I took my number, I was served immediately, by a pleasent gentleman who spoke to me in English! Glory be! He was terribly helpful and accommodating which was very nice indeed.

Then I needed to go to another department, and went back to the information counter. This time, the information lady must have been disturbed in the midst of surfing or chatting on the telephone for she was terribly unpleasent this time round in her vague directions. I asked for confirmation and she essentially told me to just “PERGI BELAKANG!” and I scampered, not because she yelled, but because her thick makeup was scaring me. You know how The Joker in Batman looks? Nolah, I didn’t say she looked like that right? Her lipstick maybe la…

When I eventually found the department I wanted (it was done in shocking pink theme - why?!), I was again faced with that daunting long counter manned by 2 officers. Typical no? But again, there was no queue, and the counter staff were super friendly despite my bumbling queries. I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure that I was not dreaming nor that I was in the wrong department. Never have I had transactions with government departments which did not involve me wanting to go bald by tearing my hair out. Everything went smoothly, and I was out of there and back on the road in less than 20 minutes!

Other than that Kaunter Pertanyaan (Information Counter) woman who deserves to be spanked, everyone else was pleasent, helpful, quick and thoroughly accommodating. Now, if all Government departments were like this, we wouldn’t fear them so much would we? 

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