Address Cabinet disconnect, Governor urges

Governor John Rankin has urged the government to address what he described as a disconnect between the government and officers designated to carry out the Cabinet’s wishes.

The governor made reference to a recent report done by former Permanent Secretary Kedrick Malone and suggested that this disconnect needs to be addressed in order for meaningful change to occur in the way the government conducts business.

Rankin pointed out that Malone highlighted a disconnect between Cabinet and the executive administration that did not provide a follow-up mechanism for carrying out Cabinet decisions.

In his review, Malone also alluded to the apparent absence of the checks and balances that allowed statutory limits to be violated with no consequences or accountability and a lack of response to official audits and reports.

According to Malone, the government needs to establish a clear and structured process of tracking and ensuring follow-through and implementation of Cabinet decisions and directives or any guidance to ensure Cabinet’s full authority is fully executed.

He further suggested that the Cabinet should include specific requests for the status of their decisions and reports, presentations, letters, data, etc., of the actions taken after a period.

Malone also recommended that the Cabinet Secretary should hold regular policy briefings, discussions and follow-up sessions with the senior leadership of the Civil Service including with the Deputy Governor, Attorney General, Financial Secretary and Permanent Secretaries.

Malone’s review attempted to address the conclusions on Residence and Belonger Status presented in a section of the Commission of Inquiry Report that was made public last year.