DIRECTOR-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Audrey Jardine, told the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service yesterday that there is no monitoring and evaluation of employees at the ministry regarding their performance.She stated that there is no formal arrangement to assess workers’ performance, and that during the post-elections audit when there was a transition period, it was revealed that there was a lack of accountability.

Jardine, when questioned further, said that the report she had compiled was ad hoc after which the chief accountant was put in place at missions to oversee certain things.

Commissioner Samuel Goolsarran asked Jardine whether improvements are necessary in that ministry and she responded in the affirmative, noting that they need to re-visit the positions that exist because, for instance, they do not need so many typist-clerks.

She explained that a re-constructing process is needed, since there is a delay with the Public Service Commission (PSC) regarding staff matters. Jardine said also that some employees have been in acting positions far too long and the allowance payment is very drawn out and this is affecting employees’ morale.
NEED FOR SPECIALISED TRAINING

She told Chairman of the CoI Professor Harold Lutchman, that appraisals in that ministry are non-existent and staffers need to see growth and performance on the job. Jardine added that there is also need for specialised training which must be structured to match the needs of the ministry.

When asked by Commissioner Sandra Jones how they resolve issues around the world since they have so many missions here and farther afield, she said they address issues on a case-by-case basis.

Jardine noted that every High Commissioner must be in contact with her on matters relating to policies, security and the Guyanese diaspora where there are a lot of requests coming in and they communicate via e-mails and telephone calls.

She expressed her general views on remuneration and retirement to Commissioner Goolsarran, saying that salaries need to be improved to attract suitably qualified persons to fill certain positions, especially in the area of foreign language skills.

Jardine said at age 55 she is in her prime and the retirement age needs to be revised, but there are mixed views on this issue.

The second speaker yesterday morning, former Member of Parliament, attorney-at-law James Bond said he spent four years in the public sector attached to the Director of Public Prosecutions Chambers and recommended improvements in that area.

The attorney-at-law told the CoI that “we must be service- oriented and driven to have a job in the public sector, since we are there to serve people and must act in humility.” Bond said, “When I joined the public sector I was told to act with humility to public servants.”

He explained that back then the offices of public servants were rundown and very shabby and so the staff were discourteous and up to now some people still face those issues at some ministries.
MODERN PUBLIC SERVICE
He told the CoI that for Guyana to have a modern public sector the performance of workers must be reviewed, because they need to be monitored and services rendered should be available online. He remarked that steps should be taken to modernise the public sector so persons will not spend hours on paper trails.

De-centralisation of DPP office
Bond also told the CoI that the DPP needs to establish offices in all the regions, because people should not have to travel from Lethem to have an interaction with the DPP in the city.

He said that as public servants “we need to give the people a public service they deserve and there should be reform because people need to be comfortable with the services provided.”
POLITICALY FREE PUBLIC SECTOR
Bond stated further that there must be a politically free public sector where suitably qualified persons can fill positions in a professional public sector. He added that persons should not be appointed on the basis of their political affiliations. Bond said persons within the public sector should first be aware of their responsibility as public servants rather than putting their political allegiance foremost.

And former public servant Parbattie Deonarine was yesterday asked by the CoI to return to take the witness stand, since she did not have the required documents to support her claims of not being paid for her 29 years of service. She worked at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) as a cashier and was also attached to the Public Works Ministry as a janitorial staff.
The CoI comprises Chairman Professor Harold Lutchman; Commissioners Sandra Jones and Samuel Goolsarran; and Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmond. Sessions are open to the general public for oral presentations and are held at the secretariat on Waterloo Street.
The terms of reference of the CoI state that the commission is to enquire into, report on, and make recommendations on the role, functions, recruitment process, remuneration and conditions of service for public servants.
The CoI is also expected to determine measures to improve the efficiency of the public service, and to examine in detail how salaries and wages are determined and allocated.

By Michel Outridge