The Problem of Small Changes

Is it not annoying being asked for small change when bills at the counters of the respected sales offices of the water and a sewerage Authorities, the Telecommunication and that of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation branch offices and many more? But, what is more worrying still is the knowledge of the unknown destination of the remaining of the small change collected from practically every customer.
You're asked to foot a bill that would cost you, say birr 373 and 21 cents. You take out your wallet and give to the counter cashier four-notes of one hundred birr. The argument starts thereafter between you as customer and the counter cashier. The customer, annoyed by the administration's position of not being ready to provide the small denomination of money, says to the cashier that he has no small changes on him and would add that it is up to the cashier to worry about it and not him or her. As the argument proceeds, the busy customer, compelled by circumstances, runs around to find the small changes. Think of the time wasted in the process and of the disturbed situation.
Then the customer would give the cashier the 0.25 cents so that he would take the 0.21 cents and give him back the remaining 0.04 cents which he would not get. Soon after, the cashier comes out with his next request. He says he would give him/her (the customer) a three-10-birr-note if he/she (the customer) would give him 3-birr-notes instead.
What is the moral of it all? If the requirement were one coming down from above to the customer it had to be said loud and clear and then every customer would go to such counters ready with the small changes. On the contrary if the requirement were to be met by the counters, it'd better prearranged. There is no middle way. Ideally, we had promised one another to be straight forward as much as possible before the millennium's celebrations, to change our behaviours in tune with the requirements of change of the 21st century, or with the standard of modernization. But, in reality, some are still scrambling in the old practices maintaining the same stereotype world view, as if Ethiopians are born that way.
When we promised one other before and at the eve of the Millennium's celebrations, we had appeared to be steadfast in our commitments that we were to move forward with renewed spirit and in bondage of unity and in respect of our words. But, soon that bondage of passion appeared to be lost in the thin air when the specter of fear hovered above us as if we have formed a society that hesitates to start on a new thing, but, hastens to quit it immediately, but, why?
Are we not intelligent enough to stand up to our promise, a promise made to own mother-land, and to the nation, in a word to a bigger entity called Ethiopia, to lead her forward? Neither office functionaries like the counter cashiers nor the customers should be bothered with unnecessary intervening variables. If customers are required to carry small changes with them every time they appear before counters, the rules should be such. If, on the contrary, counter cashiers are required to give small changes themselves, the administrations have to provide them with adequate changes in advance. The bureaucracy should not undermine Government revenue by turning away customers that could not appear with small changes.
What is more frustrating is the knowledge of the unknown destination where the remaining small changes from what are collected from customers go at the end of the day, the Government's or the cashers' purse? Banks can provide a lesson in this respect. Some of them would give you changes to the last cent.
I think it is really a right time now that something was done in this respect on the road of modernization. I heard the Chinese have started controlling food and gas prices after 30 years of lull. We may have to start our management audit and control at the threshold or the commencement of our millennium's mission. If we are to prove our worth as entities responsible for the creation of a viable nation that is bound to reach an intermediary economic status in a matter of a few decades, every day should be taken seriously as a meaningful day of change; and that change should take place on every individual, work place, private of corporate entities as a reflection of the nation's superior goal and aspiration, being always conscious that the problem of small changes has repercussion on bigger changes.