DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE of Public Sector Reform, Michael Archer, is calling for “stronger political will” to push public sector reform.
“My concern is that we need a stronger political will when it comes to public sector reform so that we do not keep putting ideas out there that do not come to fruition for whatever reason,” Archer said.
He was speaking to the media yesterday after the opening of the inaugural meeting of the Commonwealth Caribbean Development Evaluation Network at Accra Beach Hotel & Spa.
Representatives from 15 countries are participating in the meeting designed to expose senior public sector officials of the Commonwealth Caribbean to updated information in development evaluation.
Money wasted
“I am hoping that [people] will recognise the importance of making workshops [and] seminars meaningful,” he said, “because I think that too much money is wasted in holding workshops that come to no meaningful outcomes.”
He was concerned that “in almost 80 per cent” of the cases there was “no meaningful introduction” into the workplace of ideas gleaned at seminars and workshops attended by public servants, and added “we need to help people understand . . . that when we hold workshops, we get something worthwhile out of them”.
“I really get frustrated at times with the slow progress of activity in the public sector and from the political end with regards to getting what needs to be done,”
Archer said. “We should stop fooling around and do what needs (to be done) to get things done and we must also not be afraid to embarrass people but to really identify clearly which areas are being held up and for what reason.”
Archer, however, acknowledged there were “worthwhile public officers who if given the opportunity would probably be more productive”, but he conceded because of obstacles and challenges which public servants sometimes faced, they did not make “the kind of progress that we would want to make”.
He was hopeful that yesterday’s meeting would help public officers “to understand that we need to be less wasteful and when we hold seminars [and] workshops of any nature that we try to ensure there is a meaningful conclusion and the inputs have meaningful results”.
“We need people who have a sense of urgency and caring and who carry out their duties professionally. I think up to this point there is too much talk and not enough action and we need people who are prepared to get out there and make these things work,” Archer stressed. (GC) Please see also Page 20.
