President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali in a recent engagement with public officers emphasised the need to enhance the delivery of public services to the Guyanese people. He urged higher levels of efficiency and productivity in the sector which is a critical component of the national development process.

The public service is regarded as the ‘lubricant’ of the national development machine. This is why it is so important to ensure that the public service operates at maximum levels of efficiency and productivity.

There is a view that it is difficult to measure productivity levels in public service due to the complex metrics involved in the delivery of social goods and services. While it is true that there is no ‘silver bullet’ for measuring public sector productivity, there are several measurable macro-economic indicators such as project completion rates, student attainment levels, infant mortality rates, inflation rates, economic growth and per capita increases to name a few.

Measuring efficiency level in the public service is less problematic. The removal of unnecessary waiting time and bureaucratic inertia are two such examples. In Singapore for instance there is the concept of ‘estimated waiting time’ for every unit of public sector delivery. Failing to provide such services within the stipulated waiting time could result in the imposition of ‘sanctions’ on the responsible public servant.

The concept of a public servant is instructive in its own right. Providing a service for which one is employed is not by any means doing a favour to those entitled to such services. This is why the principle of the ‘customer is always right’ is so useful as a philosophical guide. Customers, whether in the public or private sectors must be treated in a dignified and professional manner.

This is why the engagement by President Ali with public officials at the senior managerial levels is so necessary and timely especially at this point in time when the country is advancing rapidly towards transformation and modernization. One consequence of this development is rising expectations by the population of a new and changing public service culture in which there are higher levels of customer satisfaction.

As noted by President Ali, much progress has already been made in this regard, especially in areas such as the delivery of education, health, housing and water. But like every good thing, people always want more and it behoves those responsible for the provision of such services to do more within the limits of the resources available to them to facilitate the process.

The country needs public servants who are productive and who provide value for money. A rapidly growing and diversified economy requires a trained, skilled and disciplined public service.

The PPP/C administration must be commended for providing the necessary incentives to public servants by way of substantial salary increases and other benefits to further enhance their standard of living.