Public servants working in fear, says Opposition Leader
Public servants are working in fear, which has continued to affect productivity in the public service in the aftermath of the Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton suggested that public servants are fearful of being questioned over decisions they make while executing their day-to-day tasks.
“We cannot sit down and allow the public service system [to be disprupted] because they are scared. They don’t want to be questioned by another COI,” Skelton said. “But if you’re not doing anything wrong, why do you need to worry about some of this stuff?”
He continued: “You can be questioned by anybody. Are you carrying home the taxpayers’ money in your pocket?”
Skelton contended that the BVI’s systems are not functioning well due to the COI, highlighting the slow progress in addressing inadequate infrastructure and the continuous water problems in the territory.
“The people in the office are so scared they can’t make a decision. Some of this stuff needs to be corrected so the country can move forward,” Skelton posited.
D8 Representative Marlon Penn previously expressed concern after Breach of Trust charges were laid against former Chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Myron Walwyn and against Najan Christopher, who was sent on leave from the Premier’s Office.
Lawmakers pleaded with the government back then to establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ease public servants’ fears about being charged with the criminal offence of Breach of Trust.
“The last thing that we want to hear again is another public officer being charged for Breach of Trust for executing their duties in good faith, based on a policy directly from the government and saying that they’re not following a process,” Penn argued at the time.
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Those working in fear know why them working in fear. Stop playing dumb…….
Thank you so kindly for your comment. For real, the dumb…..is playing the F-ing dumb down game. No job I am working on is going to have me working in fear.
Anyone who doesn’t put in a good day’s work for their wages should rightfully be afraid to do their jobs. BVI public services is a definition of inefficiency. It has been like that for 30+ years. Got nothing to do with COI or Uk governor and everything to do with mismanagement from the top down, yet no one is ever held accountable.
How is it possible to notice a slow down or a decline in the productivity of the BVI Public Service? I didn’t think it was possible to go lower than absolutely useless….?
The COI is not why they aren’t producing Ronnie.
I got this government job because its the best way to retire with a pension and social security its like full salary til I die. The thing is apart from what I have been trained to do I understand nothing so I prefer to do nothing and secure my pension and social security. Not me meh boi leh dem politician deal wid dah.
These leaders refuse to fix what needs fixing. It is not COI. It is not others. It is protection for people not doing their jobs properly that is the problem.
Who pays the people that repair the roads when they do such a terrible job each time. Mamagers are not checking. The people paying the cheques aern’t checking. Its because people do not expect to do and complete a job properly to get paid.
Stop with the exuses and fix this. Too much money gets paid out for nothing.
Small country with such a huge government/public servant work force, and yet every transaction, interaction, process or procedure takes 10 times longer than it should, they dnt have down to bare manners much less customer service etiquette, its like pulling teeth to deal with these offices/officers! Kudos to the productive and respectful few but majority of ppl only jump to go get a government job because they literally get paid to do nothing, or the bare minimum! And nobody dont come for me because in the private sector most larger companies, if you DO NOT perform to a certain standard or meet the necessary criteria to maintain your position you will be released and replaced. Dnt matter where you born who you for or who you THINNK you are! you not performing, ur OUT!!!! No enforcement from the top so majority already got comfortable and complacent in their performance or lack thereof because no one is holding them accountable and there are no consequences for poor behaviour!
This has nothing to do with fear. The BVI has finally come to a place where we cannot hide behind tons of money coming in and people are now required to think and actually get stuff done. Nothing to do with scared but more to do with COMPETENCE! There’s too much incompetence in the service and that’s the problem. Everyone has a degree, but they cannot get anything accomplished. Stop making excuses about fear, they are totally incompetent.
be careful with online services.
Public Servants are accountable to the public and should not complain about being questioned.
are you sure it is not the demographics of the bvi and the economy of the bvi and the us drug enforcements agency in the bvi.
Prison it seems. Well that is the downside of being employed by any government. In the private sector the only fear is unemployment which an educated and skilled person can easily resolve within the private sector. Public sector employment carries the prison penalty because you work for a government that has access to prison space in the BVI and the UK. Survival of a public servant to attain retirement age and a pension without imprisonment is a continual struggle for the working life of the person whose job is to serve the public with a smile. If you frown you go down!
We got it real bad. Which fear is greater, the retired white male in Tortola advocating for the UK’s take over of our country and life and and it they acquiese to it?
The greatest fear for public servants comes from intimidation and threats from local politicians. Mostly this is to do the wrong thing and take the fall if things go wrong. They are between a rock and a hard place to not comply has consequences and to comply has consequences. Ronnie knows this.