Bureaucracy at Its Finest

Bureaucracy at Its Finest

This one is from 2013

It was a Tuesday, 8.59 PM

The meaning of the word bureaucracy on my oxford dictionary:

‘’unnecessary and complicated official rules’’

The meaning of the word bureaucracy in my working world?

Here it goes..

The story starts from December 2012, when there’s a letter of invitation to the highest person in my institution to give an opening speech at an event which will be held on 4 July 2013. The date of the letter: 20 December 2012.

So this letter goes step by step to the lower level and the next lower level and the next and the next and the next and then to me! The letter took about two months to reach me. I got the letter on February 19, with the ‘’order’’ to give some consideration regarding the event, whether our institution should send someone to attend or not.

I had a meeting with the event organizer sometime in end of February. And on March 6th, I submit my note of consideration (let’s just call it ‘’the note’’ to make it easier) to the higher level and the next higher and the next and the next and the next. And then it stopped, it hasn’t reached the highest level. And then the note was sent to the lower level and the next and the next..........until it reached me once again, on April 1th. I was supposed to make an exact same note but directly mentioning the name of our big big boss. So on the next day, I submit the note again....until it reached the highest level.

On May 31th, I received the note. Again. This time, I was to wait for the new big big boss to formally be on duty and submit the note again. So I waited for a few days, and on June 5th I submit the note again....

I waited

And waited

And waited some more

While the event organizer keep asking me who will participate

And on July 1th, finally came the decision that our big big boss gave confirmation to attend the event.

Yay!

Wait wait, it’s not over yet. The big big boss changed his mind the next day, because on the latest agenda of the event, there was already another big big boss from another institution who already gave confirmation to give a keynote speech. And this person was set to be the first person to talk. The first person, means the most important, means in the highest level.

Our big big boss cannot be number 2, right? So our big big boss will delegate someone else to attend the event.

Today is July the 2nd, 2 days before the event. And we still don’t know who will attend the event.

Today, I realize, that I am a part of that bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy at its finest.