Public Sector Modernization in Guyana: A Brief O verview

1. Public Sector Modernization in Guyana: A Brief Overview Artie Harricharran

2. Structure of Government of Guyana President, Head of State Commander-in-Chief Judicial Branch Legislative Branch Executive Branch Cabinet Supreme Court of Justice Parliament (Presidential & National Assembly) Chief of Staff Minister Chancellor Judiciary Chief Magistrate Speaker National Assembly Permanent Secretary Chief Executive Officer Cabinet Subcommittee Chairman HPS Chief Justice Parliamentary Committee Chairman Speaker, Parliament Regional Chairman Mayor Full Court Captain Village Council Chairman NDC Chairman Constitutional Body Regional Executive Officer Land Court District Development Officer Community Development Council

3. 1990 – Public Service Review The British Government facilitated the engagement of KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock to review the Public Service.

4. KPMG’s Recommendations • Need to restructure central government ministries and related agencies with specific focus on the Public Service Ministry.

5. KPMS’s Recommendations Policy • Macro level policy formulation– this strategic approach should be aimed at directly assisting public service management to achieve its objectives.

6. KPMG’s Recommendation Procedure • Revising existing procedures, to make them streamlined and pragmatic

7. Results of this process • Ministries were reduced • There were no ministers within ministries

8. Performance Management System – 1995 to 1996 • Failed since there was not enough collaboration among stakeholders.

9. In 1997 • White Paper on Public Sector Reform: Responding to Change: The Strategic Direction of the Guyana Civil Service (1997)

10. Results of the Strategic Direction of the Guyana Civil Service • The only government action initiated was legislative and vertical reforms which resulted in approximately fifty (50) semi-autonomous bodies being established with the aim of enhancing service delivery, efficiency and productivity.

11. These semi-autonomous agencies • Failed to fulfil its fundamental mandate to provide enhanced service delivery, efficiency and productivity. • Necessary training and resource allocation did not complement this major initiative.

12. Reasons for these failed reform initiatives • Lack of political commitment to this process. • Absence of budgetary allocation. • Non-existence of a communications strategy. • Lack of a coordinated approach to the implementation process. Specific people are tasked with the development of reform reports; once the report has been completed, the reform committee is disbanded and there seems to be the general expectation that the reform will happen.

13. 2001-2010 • The National Development Strategy, which the Carter Centre proposed, established that public sector reform is critical to good governance. The following areas were highlighted: • Over-lapping jurisdiction and functional responsibilities within the Central Government.

14. NDS • Weak financial management. • Multiple and sometimes contradictory lines of authority and responsibility over the decentralized administration, particularly with regard to autonomous institutions and Regional Administration, that led to ill-defined operational responsibilities and weaknesses in operational capacity.

15. Public Sector Modernization Plan - 2001 • The Inter-American Development Bank underlined the need for public sector reform. • This is necessary to ensure that the funds loaned by this prestigious institution were expended in a manner that will result in socio-economic development.

16. Commitment to Public Sector Modernization Plan Directorate of the Leadership Group • Head of the Presidential Secretariat • Permanent Secretary, Office of the President

17. Leadership Group Members • Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry • Accountant General • Director, Office of Budget, Ministry of Finance • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Works and Communication • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Water • Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development • Registrar, Supreme Court • Deputy Director, Public Prosecutions

18. Proposed Vision The Guyana Public Service is a results-driven, customer-focussed institution, recognised for its innovative leadership, integrity and professionalism in promoting socio-economic stability and sustainable development in Guyana. It attracts and retains highly motivated, qualified personnel who partner with stakeholders to provide quality services that exceed the public’s expectation in pursuit of poverty reduction and national development. • Guyana Public Sector Modernization Plan (2002)

19. Pillars of the Guyana Public Sector Modernization Plan Institution • Implementation of policies and procedures to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of internal operations within ministries and the public service by extension.

20. Pillars of the Guyana Public Sector Modernization Plan Process • Implementation of systems/organizational procedures that will facilitate strategic planning at ministry level which will lead to a strategic plan for the entire public service.

21. Pillars of the Guyana Public Sector Modernization Plan Capacity • Implement measures that will ensure that ministries utilise allocated resources with the aim of realising strategic objectives. Managerial • The sustained development of human resources with the aim of ensuring that the ministries actualise their mandate.

22. Pillars of the Guyana Public Sector Modernization Plan • Strengthening the policy-making capacity of the Government through inter-ministry coordination. • A non-discriminatory performance management system across the Guyana Public Service.

23. Coordination of the Public Sector Modernization Programme • OP spearheaded the coordination of the PSMP in collaboration with permanent secretaries and chief executive officers (in the case of semi-autonomous agencies). • The coordination team recognized the difficulty they will have in implementing this reform programme since these senior public officers must execute their jobs in addition to these modernization activities.

24. Establishment of a Modernization Management Board Responsibilities: • Policy Development and Co-ordination of the entire modernization process. • Monitoring and evaluating of the implementation process • Human Resource Management/Human Resource Development. • Integrate all International Funding initiatives with the aim of ensuring effective utilization of all resources.

25. Organizational Reviews – Status of the Guyana Public Service Committee spearheading PSMP held consultations with all the ministries. From these consultations, the following overarching findings are: Governance and Managerial Processes • In the absence of strategic planning, the management process is hinged upon procedural compliance rather than being results oriented.

26. Organizational Reviews – Status of the Guyana Public Service Roles and Responsibilities • All ministries and governmental agencies plagued with duplication and indistinct lines of functional authority. This situation contributes to the lack of strategic planning, unproductive utilization of allocated resources and general lack of accountability.

27. Organizational Reviews – Status of the Guyana Public Service Programme Structures • The programmes that the public service is tasked with implementing lack strategic objectives and an inbuilt monitoring and evaluation component. The result – wastage of scarce resources and inability to meet customer expectation.

28. Organizational Reviews – Status of the Guyana Public Service Human Resource Management • There is no government policy on human resource development and management. There was never one in existence and no urgency to develop such a policy. Managerial Culture • The management culture which exist within the Guyana Public Service is autocratic and rule governed at the expense of inclusive decision making and staff involvement. The Government’s apparent distrust of the public service has led to managers’ reluctance to delegate authority.

29. Organizational Reviews – Status of the Guyana Public Service Outreach and Feedback • There is no ingrained mechanism in the public service to facilitate government’s consultation with the public – citizens, unions, opposition parties and the private sector.

30. PSMP – Sequence of Action for the implementation of this Plan • No specified dates for the implementation of PSMP even though Government has signalled its commitment by the involvement of very senior public officials and the fact that the OP is responsible for the successful implementation of this programme.

31. Monitoring of the PSMP’s Progress • Monthly reporting to the President and the Cabinet will be followed by progress reports that are made available to the public through the media and the PSMDP Website.

32. Fundamentals of Reform Personnel Issues • Need to establish HR departments to replace the existing personnel departments. The personnel departments are incapable of providing the necessary support to sustain the implementation of this reform project.

33. Fundamentals of Reform • Downsizing - ultimate result of this reform initiative - an issue which is not being dealt with by the Government because of the social and political upheavals it can ignite. • The fundamental aim of this reform is to develop an effective and efficient public service. This realization depends upon motivated staff. No mention is being made of recruitment, pay and classification.

34. Fundamentals of Reform • Development of a performance management tool even before the implementation commences.

35. Fundamentals of Reform Financial Issues • The 2004 Budget did not reflect any allocation to the Public Sector Modernization Plan.

36. Continuous failure to implement reforms • The present inadequate compensation packages must be addressed if government is serious and committed to ensure the revolutionising of the Guyana Public Service. • The underlying issue is motivation – people must be motivated to actively participate in reform initiatives. 

37. Continuous failure to implement reforms • Lack of stakeholder involvement - political directorate, public servants, the Private Sector and the general public.

38. Continuous failure to implement reforms • Need to devise and implement accounting systems that will ensure Government’s accountability.

39. Security Sector Reform that was agreed on 4th April 2007 • The four-year, ₤3M, bilateral Interim Memorandum of Understanding for a Security Sector Reform Action Plan that was signed by British High Commissioner to Guyana Fraser Wheeler and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon on 10th August 2007 was intended to integrate the initiatives of several years worth of reports, recommendations training courses and visits.

40. The Plan provided for • Building the operational capacity of the Police Force, • Forensics and crime intelligence • traffic policing • Strengthening policy-making across the security sector to make it more transparent, effective and better co-ordinated • Mainstreaming financial management in the security sector into public sector financial management reform • Creating substantial parliamentary and other oversight of the security sector and building greater public participation and inclusiveness in security sector issues.

41. What was done? • Establishment of an oversight committee for the security sector in the National Assembly; appointed Major General (Ret) Michael Atherly as Project Coordinator for Security Sector Reform and established the Security Sector Reform Secretariat.

42. What was done? • January 2009 the Security Sector Reform Secretariat was established within the Office of the President as a permanent institution to continuously manage change in the security sector.

43. Result • The Guyanese public learnt from the BBC in late October 2009 of the British Government’s decision to abandon the negotiations with the Guyana Government on the ₤4.9M Security Sector Reform Action Plan

44. Budget 2012 • Addressing the House, Greenidge said that it was “unfortunate” that finance minister Dr. Ashni Singh did not provide in his budget presentation what the government intends to do to improve the “morale” and quality of the public sector on which so many of its development thrusts hinge.