Premier stresses need for accountability in public service
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has expressed hopes of making the public service more accountable as they execute their duties and strive to deliver on the territory’s nearly $400 million budget.
“Once you get the revenue and once you pass the budget, you have to be able to execute,” Premier Wheatley said in the House of Assembly recently.
He continued: “And we have to make sure that we have a system in the public service which holds persons accountable for delivering and have a results-outcomes-based performance management to ensure that we hit the targets.”
Premier Wheatley said the government has to ensure that there is a system in place that ensures whatever is outlined in the budget is delivered upon by the public service.
This is despite his concession that there is a need for more assistance and for more persons to be employed within the public service.
“But in addition to that, and this is something that we need to speak about, is public service transformation and the role that digitisation plays in that,” the Premier added.
“So, no, it’s not just about getting more bodies, but examining your processes… [and] making them more efficient and effective so you can make greater use of your human resource.”
According to Premier Wheatley, instead of having four persons do a particular job, just one person can do a job aided by technology and have the other three persons focus on other areas of need that there are calls for additional staff to do.
“Digitisation is very important. Not just digitisation but examining the processes. See where you can cut out the fat; where you have unnecessary duplication; replication of processes; where we’re making it difficult on our customers and our clients. Make it easier, you’ll collect more revenue,” the Premier said.
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The Governor has failed the public service and needs to be held accountable for it.
“Premier stresses need for accountability in public service” – interesting headline. I think the public needs to demand more accountability from the Premier and the elected members. Don’t blindly vote them in for favors.
I would stress to the Premier that we need better salaries in the Public Service. I would stress to the Premier that he needed to put Public Officers’ increments in the budget. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and now 2022 increments are due to Public Officers. Some people only get $516 on their yearly salary which is $0.248 cents on the hourly rate!
I agree we need more accountability – but how can we when the same Premier and his team get involved in every matter for their friends and colleagues?
The slow man has failed the people and he needs to go
Not only the Governor has failed the public service but also the police force. Imagine many senior police officers were known to be retiring for more than five years in advance and no succession planning was done by the UK Commissioner of Police & the Governor who is over the police force. I guess this was by design to use in justifying the need for Uk senior officers to be employed to take over the force as part of the full master plan for overall take over of the BVI. Doing wrong to get what you think is right is still wrong.
Our annual budget has been between 3 & 4 hundred million for over 15 years. And yet:
Our teachers are seriously under paid
Some of our civil servants are well underpaid
Our Roads are falling apart
Out schools are rotting
Many Sewerage treatment plants and sewerage lines are under or un developed
Much of our electrical infrastructure is still operating on the ‘temporary’ fixes and underrated transformers installed after Irma.
The police force is sorely under-budgeted.
The list goes on; hospital, fisherfolk, medical costs/NHI.
Some of those shouting loudest about the Governor or current Premier being at fault are those elected and appointed government employees who are responsible for the utter mismanagement of 5 BILLION + dollars over the past 15 years.
THIS is what the UK expects us to fix.
We should want to fix it for ourselves.
Shame on all of us.
Usual BS talk, not a thing will happen which is why despite changing political parties back and forth, the end result remains the same! The Civil Servants do what the hell they want and that’s that. Of course there are some good ones in the bunch but sadly the bad outweighs the good in a major way. If people’s job were on the line for doing nonsense we would see a big difference in how things are done around here.
BUT…. Check out all the ministers mansions and ever expanding business portfolios…. THATS WHAT I LIKE TO SEE…. I am of course being sarcastic…. and why is the government able to behave this way? Because they have built a system that prevents the majority from speaking out or voting with their draconian immigration laws – all in the name of ‘preserving our culture’. We are now under a microscope, and I hope this will all come crashing down around them. Our children deserve the best education, we deserve the best health service the country can provide – the people in power would rather pay their friends RIDICULOUS AND INFLATED amounts for mediocre services so they can all send their children away for a better education and to pay for their private medical insurance because the local medical coverage just doesn’t cut it. One word…. DISGUSTING.
When there is suspected corruption and evil doing at the highest levels of government and amongst powerful people ,it needs to be investigated by people completely unconnected to the suspects. And by people who cannot be influenced , coerced or bullied by those under investigation.
Thats why UK officers are here.
And thats why some influential voices don’t want them here.