Dear Editor,
Justifiably there continues to be anxious debate concerning the quantum and quality of human capital needed for Guyana to effectively address the multiple challenges envisaged in the creation and maintenance of a viable monitoring and disciplinary mechanism, to be applied to what some describe as the oil and gas sector. Indeed others perceive it to be a dominant economy of its own.
In any case, all agree that the restructuring necessary is so fundamental that it must be effected as a matter of extreme urgency, and as comprehensively as possible. It would therefore not be feasible for any one person, however qualified, to construct a vision and articulate a strategy that would take account of the range of identifiable components of this new intricate dispensation. Amongst them, the establishment of a dynamic human resources management capability should be of the highest priority, for there is an enormous gap to be filled in this area of management and development, even right now.
One of the more obvious considerations must be the range of agencies that will be impacted upon and whose span of operations will become intricated, however minimally, in the new and engulfing energy dispensation.
And while there appears to be a commendable effort to organise and implement programmes of information, sensitisation and preparedness, it is not clear how relevant public service agencies are being reconstructed and upgraded in identifiable skills and competencies to deal expeditiously with future challenges – immediate and the long term.
One reason being that the Public Service skills construct has remained static over the past four decades. Critically, there is no known specific mechanism or authority which evaluates and decides on the allocation of skills and competencies across agen cies.
At the same time, and in defiance of specific recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service regarding the full integration of ‘Contracted Employees’ into the Public service, there is still the indulgence in this type of recruitment.
On neither side of the employment process does it seem to be realised how disposable these incumbents (2518 from the selected agencies) would be in circumstances of a change of administration.
So that Table 1 below invites serious reflection, firstly regarding the suspect distribution and grading of skills/semi-skills, which would demand technical reorientation for performing in an oil and gas economy – one that offers as many unpredictables as it does predictables.
Table 1
Above extracted from 2019 National Estimates
Public Service Agencies (selected)
It may well be worth examining the population distribution in the following Ministries:
-Public Health
-Social Protection
-Public Security (as compared to the Ministry of Public Health)
The Ministry of the Presidency also invites particular attention, certainly in terms of the number (479) of ‘Contracted Employees’.
Then there is the real possibility that oil and gas and related operations will impact on certain Regions and their administrative and technical capabilities. It seems critical therefore to examine what in 2019 is the quality of the human resources available in the respective Regions.
Hopefully, the following Table 2 speaks for itself.
Table 2
Regions
1 – Barima Waini; 2 – Pomeroon/Supenaam; 3 – Essequibo Islands/West Demerara; 4 – Demerara/Mahaica; 5 – Mahaica/Berbice; 6 – East Berbice/Corentyne; 7 – Cuyuni/Mazaruni; 8 – Potaro/Siparuni; 9 – Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo; 10 – Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice
For what it is worth, Region 3 appears to show some incongruities in terms of administrative capacity in the first instance, while Region 10 is also deserving of some explanation.
On the whole, the population distribution in Region 3 would appear to deserve some audit.
Region 6 is also deserving of appropriate examination.
In both the cases of the Ministries and Regional Administrations, it should be noted that the ‘Contracted Employees’ are not necessarily only the technically qualified, but in fact this category includes the various grades of employees, who may well be disposed to seizing opportunities of employment elsewhere.
So that it is conceivable, that addressing the challenge of upgrading the technical capacity of the host government may be counterbalanced by the prospective of opportunistic departures.
But it is only fair for the interested reader to get an appreciation of what types of jobs (skills?) are included in the foregoing categorisations.
There appears little promise of this organisational confusion being comprehensively revised in the immediate future, as needed.
Yours faithfully,
E.B. John