Fearful public service paralysing gov’t
Public officers in the Virgin Islands are gripped by fear and insecurity following the Commission of Inquiry (COI), causing a crippling slowdown in government operations, according to clergyman and talk show host Claude Skelton Cline.
Speaking on his weekly radio programme, Honestly Speaking, Skelton Cline warned that fear within the public service was turning the civil service into a “non-elected fourth estate” with the power to stall development in the territory.
“It is becoming apparent to quite a lot of us that the public service has become a fourth estate in this country… and is structurally having a paralysing effect on any elected government, but particularly this one post the COI,” he argued.
Skelton Cline described the situation as “government paralysis” and said many ministers were finding it “next to impossible to get anything done” promptly.
He urged public officers to rise above their fears, stating, “Public officers, out of fear, constipation, trepidation… are not doing what you know needs to be done to build your country.”
According to him, the fear is rooted in uncertainty and caution following decisions made under previous administrations and the far-reaching impact of the COI. While acknowledging that most civil servants are good and hardworking, he pointed to a toxic system “infested with the currency of fear and insecurity”.
“Things that should take three days, do it in a day, do it in a half a day,” he suggested.
Confront the stagnation
He challenged Permanent Secretaries and department heads to confront the stagnation, arguing that many processes and decisions are delayed unnecessarily.
“Stuff sits in the department and agency office for two, three, four, five months. Can’t get anything moved,” Skelton Cline bemoaned.
The radio host urged workers who feel unable to meet the demands of the job to step aside. “If you think that this is too much for you and you don’t want to be involved, then dismiss yourself from the job, and ask them to move you somewhere else. But don’t become a hindrance,” he asserted.
He stressed that civil servants must “complement and complete, not compete” with government functions and warned that continued resistance would only deepen public frustration.
“The country and the citizens are complaining. They can’t get anything done. Governments keep making promises… Where is the missing link?” he asked.
Skelton Cline called for urgent action and honest dialogue within the public service to end the stagnation and redirect focus on national development.
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The COI came about because the civil service was busy , busy just stepping out , ignoring its taxpayers, securing corrupt contracts for themselves F&F basically out of control. Yes it’s now partially paralyzed, through fear of actual work , accountability expectations from the public fear of the future where are my family benefits from a government job going to come from ,am I going to have to make my own pension contributions, will I still be able to retire at forty on a full pension and then get another government job doing nothing . Big concerns , the answer of course is to scream colonialism, raise the traditional race card call for independence win and then carry on corruption.
He crazy
In fear of being transparent and doing the right thing without breaking the law or policies? lmfao
independence them say
How about the fact that the reoccurring costs associated with the operation of government is a significant portion of the territory’s revenues each year. It does not leave any leeway for many of the projects that may lead to the territory’s development and growth. The size of government itself is weighing down what can be done for the territory.
Ha ha. Not really the COI is it.
No one remember how slow it was before?
The courruption, the corruptionn oppotunities that theyy are desperate to keep open. Look at tint on Motor vehicles as one simple example. Law in place. DMV annual check and yet hundreds of blacked out cars hiding guns and criminals.
COI should have helped but the push back from Government to prevent change is so strong, nothing much has changed.
COI is not the porblem. I know why they keep pushing that it is.
They dont want he controls the checks the good stuff.
COI is tnot the problem. Theses elite politicians working against the people are.
With the attitude that the government has: chasing revenue, there is the risk of over regulation which can lead to stagnation.
So called leaders must consider whether we are at that point where, given its size, the Territory’s regulatory and licensing regime is too onerous. They better do so quickly as we may be out paced by other island states that have more fiscal space and commercial accumen.
Come on S!0wW@nde and the A$&C!0wn brigade, look up for for a second
So wait because it have rules and procedures in place for transparency and accountability now since the COI they afraid to do anything at all!? That make sense?
Well then these paralyzed civil servants should become redundant. The BVI civil service is crippled with too many incompetent employees that do nothing for a salary and eventually earn a pension. Just make them all redundant and replace them all with foreigners like in the BVI private sector businesses.
You an idiot or what. Replacing locals with foreigners is not the answer. Then you stuck with a bunch of unemployed locals. The locals working in the private sector have to do work. foreigners going to just fall into the government culture of not doing anything and getting pay still. The problem is the environment not the people. They not working because they can get away with not working.
Excuses, excuses.
How does clearer guidelines on how to do your job equals so much fear that you can’t do nothing. But it don’t got no corruption in the bvi. Make it make sense.
who they fearful of jail or their boss? because you cant go jail for following the rules.
Now we see where the problem is. No matter who you elect, as long as the civil service isn’t held accountable, the entire thing will continue to go down the hill.
I put my money on useless as the service was bad before AND after the COI..
That Statement is not telling the whole Truth.
1. There are some Public Officers who were doing
an Excellent Job in their Areas of work and
they continue to do Excellent work Because,
they are not caught up in the Corruption that
goes on in some areas.
2. There are some Public Officers who try to
appease their Boss and get caught up in the
Corruption that goes on in their areas.
3. It was plain to see and hear by the Testimonies
of some who stood before the COI that they are
a part of the Mayhem that goes on inside. Then
there are those who were just as Honest before
the COI as they are now in their areas.
4. There are some Public Officers who cannot be bought nor sold and who will continue to do right by this territory and those are the ones who have NOTHING to Fear.
5. Lastly, Those who can no longer perform like
before are the ones who know that its NOT
business as usual and if they slip, they slide.
Kudos to Head Coach for the COI..
A more interesting question is, why is Skelton Crime not in jail.
This is like hiring a theif to the bank and the theif complaining that he has to do his job without Thieving the money