Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has called for a reformed public sector which will cater to the needs of the Guyanese public without fear or favour.
Addressing the Annual Conference of Personnel Practitioners at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), yesterday morning, Harmon said that the event was a key element in the administrative wheel of the Public Service, according to a press release from the Ministry of the Presidency.
Harmon has recently kept a low profile following public revulsion at his unapologetic and bombastic defence of salary hikes for ministers of the government including an increase of 50% for those who sit in Cabinet.
Public service wages was also an issue he addressed yesterday at the forum. The Ministry press release said that Harmon asserted that “low wages and salaries, inadequate training and institutional deficiencies all result in poor delivery of services to the public.” He warned that these will not be allowed to persist under the new administration since the needs of the Guyanese people must be taken care of to provide a good life for all.
Analysts say Harmon’s citing of low wages in the public service spells out the dilemma for the APNU+AFC administration which now has to reconcile how it can justify a 50% increase for ministers who have only been in government for five months with the 5% hike for public servants even though a substantial hike had been promised to them.
Harmon said yesterday that the conference was being held at a time when the state of the public service is under intense scrutiny and critical examination.
“A new public service is envisaged and now required. A public service that is accessible, relevant, reliable, resourceful, responsive to the needs of the people, that is equally effective in all of the regions of Guyana; coastal and hinterland, in all communities, rural and urban,” he told the participants.
He added that the new administration has high expectations of the public service sector and public servants must be able to meet the high standards being set.
“The new public service has to be able to deliver in an administratively neutral way and has to be established firmly on the basis of merit and political impartiality. It must also possess expert knowledge and a high standard of academic education. In addition, it must consist of men and women of integrity, who are reliable and willing to give advice without fear or favour, partiality or prejudice,” Harmon declared, according to the press release.
He said that since the government wants a public service sector which is effective it will begin the process of modernising and transforming the sector to achieve these characteristics.
“The use of technologies will be employed and the physical facilities for delivery have to be improved. There must be a concerted effort to enhance the management capacity, administrative efficiency and skills levels of all public servants from the lowest to the highest tier of the public service workforce,” he contended.
Adverting to the Public Service Staff College, Harmon cautioned that public servants must ensure that the efforts of the College to train and orient new entrants into the public service must be complemented by their work in the administration of service.
Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson, in brief remarks, said:
“I welcome you to an era of exciting times in the Guyana public service and you are guardians of the public service. Public service is a major pillar of government. We have great expectations of you and we will work with you. We need a new dispensation. We need a chance for public servants to operate free and fair and without ill-will”.
