Inquiry into Public Service Commission to start next month - Minister of State

Inquiry into Public Service Commission to start next month – Minister of State

Jul 25, 2015 News

The Granger administration is once again demonstrating that it intends to fulfill all its promises made to the Guyanese populace, pre and post the 2015 General and Regional elections.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

Yesterday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said that Government is going to deliver on its promise to launch an inquiry into the conditions of service, wages, training, salaries and other issues of public servants.
Harmon said via a missive to the media, that the Commissioners have already been identified to conduct the Commission of Inquiry (COI). He explained that President Granger will soon sign the Instruments of Commission, appointing the Commissioners to “get the work started”.
Yesterday, Minister Harmon and a team also visited a section of the Public Service Ministry where the actual hearings of the Commission will take place. Even though preparatory works are still ongoing, Harmon predicts that those works will be completed soon.
The intention is to have that Commission begin hearings no later than next month.
The promise of the inquiry was made by President David Granger when the Guyana Public Service Union celebrated its 92nd anniversary on June 8, last.
During a meeting with Heads of Government agencies and Permanent Secretaries on May 20, last, Granger spoke on what will be required of them, and the code of ethics to be observed and upheld under the new administration.
President Granger had said that under his administration, public servants will be held to strict professionalism, transparency and integrity.
The President had stressed the need for public servants to understand their role as servants to all citizens of Guyana.
“It is my view that the public service is the engine of the executive, (and) it is essential to have an efficient public service.”
For a country to have efficient service in education, housing, law and order and infrastructure, President Granger had said there must be a relevant public service.
Equally important too, Granger said that it is for the creation of the conducive environment in which all citizens can enjoy what he calls the “good life”.
He had said, “It is we the public servants who create that environment in our day to day work, so civilized life in Guyana is not possible without good public service…We need a public service that is reliable, and I mention this, the relevance, the responsiveness, the resourcefulness and reliability, because I believe in having stronger regions.”
The new President had called on the public servants to improve efficiency and most importantly to increase the satisfaction, which citizens can derive.
Quoting from a report done 62 years ago on Public Service, the President had said, “The main purpose of a civil service is to be an organ for the presentation to Ministers of the product of organized thought and collective experience. This purpose cannot be achieved unless the civil service is composed of men and women of complete integrity who are able to give advice without fear or favour, partiality or prejudice.”
The Head of State had also stated, “We cannot function without a public service, and if the public service tries to be politicians there will be a catastrophe, there will be administrative catastrophe, the public service must live by different rules.”
He had also said that public servants must always be ready and willing to give sound advice to their respective Ministers and so aid in nation building, and the success of the Ministry.
Given that a lot more will be required from public servants holding high office with responsibility for state assets, the President had also announced the establishment of a facility to ensure this.
“The Public Service must possess expert knowledge and high standard academic education, and for that reason I intend to introduce a Staff College, so that everyone entering the administrative branches of the Guyana Public Service must do a course at the Public Service Staff College.”
He had promised too, that this would ensure that persons serving the nation would be more equipped, even as the present Public Service Training Division of the Public Service Ministry will be upgraded.
He had said that Public Administration courses will be high on the training agenda, while other basics in public service delivery would also be addressed with the aim of bringing about a better understanding of how the public service is meant to operate.
“So people will not enter and people will not be promoted unless they qualify to enter the public service, unless they possess that degree of expert knowledge which we require of our new public service.”
In this regard, President Granger had said, persons would now advance to higher ranks within the administrative system in the public service based on their experience and expertise.