Civil Service will improve if Govt. stops meddling in depts.- PPA
Speaking at a rally in Spanish Town on Saturday October 15, 2011, At Large candidate and former President of the Virgin Islands Civil Service Association (VICSA) Shaina M. Smith said the civil service is faced with many problems, which she said she is very aware of, having been a public officer in the Ministry of Finance for the last eight years and the President of VICSA for four years.
“I often refer to the public service as the engine room of the country and the engine needs to rebuild. We are running on 4 cylinders when we should be firing 8. We need to get the right people in the right positions; succession planning and having persons groomed to advance into top management; workplace safety and poor air quality in offices; constitutionally-aligned general orders; and a properly funded pension plan, to name a few of the issues hindering the public service from performing top notch.”
She also said her experience in the civil service was an eye opening one as she was able to get a “front row see” to what should and should not be been done in that sector. “I’ve been through two elections and this time I said “enough is enough”. I can’t tell you all but I’ll tell you what I know…I can also tell you that 80 percent of these problems will go away if politicians stop meddling in departments and allow public officers to do their job which is to serve the people of the Virgin Islands. I’m not telling you what I’ve heard; I’m telling you what I’ve lived and know,” Smith said.
The issue of Government interference in departments also came up during a recent radio talk show “Night Talk”. Recently retired civil servant of 25 years and former Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer Bertrand Lettsome had admitted that it does happen.
“When we step back and we start to talk about good governance and things of that level then yes Ministers should not interfere with heads of departments but it does happen and I feel that, whether it be the rules of the house or guidelines within our cabinet, these things need to be followed,” said Mr. Lettsome, who is the son of the late Terrence B. Lettsome.
The Territorial At large candidate also added “everybody needs to understand their role and their function. It’s a technical person’s role to give advice. The minister makes the decision but the minister also needs to adhere to the law. So I think that we need to ensure that we have the operating procedures in place and then just adhere.”
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