Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira says that high-ranking public servants including Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers, Procurement Officers, and other technical persons and government agencies like the Ombudsman, must be held accountable to the citizens as they manage their affairs.
This, she posited, leads to “good governance and effective management of the systems which promotes equitable access, fairness, and transparency in Guyana.”
According to a release from the Department of Public Information (DPI), the minister made these remarks at the opening of the roundtable discussion, on ethical behaviour within the public service at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday.
This discussion, the release said, was held under the theme “Promoting integrity and effectiveness in public bodies and authorities responsible for preventing corruption” and focused on developing the capacity of public officials to eliminate instances of corruption. It also sought to identify mechanisms to prevent the abuse of public funds and strengthen institutions so to enable them to function more effectively.
Teixeira pointed out that all senior public officials must be accountable. “When you’re a politician [and] if you want to be elected, you have to be accountable to the people… that goes for permanent secretaries who hold power, as well as regional executive officers, overseers at the local government level, Toshaos at the Amerindian village council level, and the treasurers of that level.”
She noted that individuals in these positions have a moral obligation to ensure that citizens receive value for the money spent by the government. She also disclosed that government was seeking to develop capacity.
“We are now looking at how we develop capacity, what are the kind of training we need to do to make sure that every public servant who is at the highest level knows very well what the rules are…and [these are ones] that does not condone corruption.”
The minister reminded participants of the importance of abiding by the Integrity Commission, as they represent the people and asserted that they must operate and build a culture that is fair and transparent, while upholding the highest standards.
“We have to now reach a point where, as a government, as a public service, that we are holding ourselves to high standards.”
The government is working on amending the Integrity Commission law to ensure that these individuals report as required and within the specified timeframe, DPI added.
