Have you ever imagined the role of records and governance? in my own view,Without
records there can be no rule of law and no accountability. Public servants must have information to
carry out their work, and records represent a particular and crucial source of
information. In many countries around
the world, record-keeping systems and in particular Records provide a reliable,
legally verifiable source of evidence of decisions and actions.
Moreover, the public suffers when inadequate
information systems affect the delivery of programmes. All aspects of public service, including
health, education, pensions, land and judicial rights, depend upon well-kept
and well-managed records.
Records management forms a basis f good governance summarily in the following ways;
Records management Demonstrate accountability, transparency and good governance in
society.
Records help to remove corrupt practices by providing
evidence of corrupt activities which have been undertaken by
organizational individuals. Good governance is characterized by predictable and
enhanced policy making; it also embraces a bureaucracy which has professional
ethics and acting to achieve public good, rule of law, transparent process and
a strong civil society particularly in public affairs.
Good Governance Entitles
- Respect for human rights and rule of law,
- openness of plans and decisions of organization individual and organizational accountability
- Ethical conduct of individuals
Enhance management decision making
This is contained in organizations records
such as policies, rules and procedures. This contributes to good and effective
decision making processes
Preserve the corporate memory of the
organization
Organization needs to preserve accurate records in
order to understand the past and plan
for the future , without proper records
the organization is at mercy of
impulse and prejudice and therefore this creates gaps in the history of an
organization
Litigation support
Many
organizations are using courts as a forum of addressing their concerns and also
as avenues of recourse, organizations rely on records to provide evidence of
their professional actions .
Management of Human Resources and Performance of measurement
The work of organizational employees is
usually documented on records which can be used to write appraisal reports,
performance reports, and promotional
reports and even for retrenchment purposes. Records assist in measuring
performance of the organizations in terms of meeting the objectives.
Protection of Human and employee rights
Records
are used to protect the employee rights
as per law requirements example pension records of personnel, property
records, social security records .Unavailability of those records may lead to
delays hence an abuse of employees
rights.
The
ability of government to protect the rights of its citizens and to improve
citizen government interaction is a critical issue in an increasingly
electronic environment. The rights and
entitlements of citizens are based on records.
The ability of a government to continue to respect these rights and
entitlements is based on the quality of the policies, standards and practices
employed for the care of those records.
Historical reference
Records usually document the past of a country
to provide information to bridge history gaps and also interpreting historical myths.
Policy formulations
Archives
contribute towards formulation of professional standards, guidelines,
procedures and manuals on proper use, maintenance and disposal of records.
Archives ensure that the developed rule, guidelines and standards conform to
national and international norms and standards. Archives also contribute
towards professional ethics that make people in the society have moral ethical
conduct. Any society needs laws and regulations to follow. For instance
archives prohibits unauthorized removal or destruction or willful mutilation of
public records by any member of the society as provided in section 8-12 of act
is liable for conviction or a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding
twelve months.
The business and Accountability domain
In this
case records underpin missions of a
system in terms of decision making
process. This is where records are used to enhance the business legal, social
and moral obligations of an organization.
Thus
Records are vital to virtually every aspect of the governance process. The effectiveness and efficiency of the
public service across the range of government functions depends upon the
availability of and access to information held in records. Badly managed records adversely affect the
broad scope of public service reforms.
