GUYANA’s rapid transformation presents enormous opportunities for the country, but an equally enormous responsibility on those entrusted with the management of the nation’s public resources.
As government spending grows, infrastructure programmes proliferate and public institutions assume increasingly complex roles, so must the systems of accountability, transparency and administrative efficiency.
Against this background, the meeting on Monday by Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo with ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers, accounting officers and other senior public officials is of considerable importance.
The message was timely and necessary. Public resources must be used responsibly. The law and regulations must be followed, and those who violate them must be held accountable.
That is the crux of good governance. The meeting was aimed at strengthening management at ministries, regions and semi-autonomous agencies, particularly in the areas of procurement, government payment systems, compliance and the dissemination of information to the public. These are not simply administrative issues.
They go right to the quality of government people experience and to the confidence the public has in state institutions.
The positions of Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers and accounting officers are positions of tremendous responsibility.
They are the managers of public funds in their respective institutions and are at the core of the process of translating budgetary allocations and government policies into tangible programmes and services.
While a government can announce ambitious policies and Parliament can sanction huge funds, development can be delivered successfully only when the administrative machinery of the State works in an efficient, honest and rule-bound manner.
This is particularly important for present-day Guyana.
The country is experiencing a development of unprecedented magnitude with major investments in roads, bridges, housing, health, education, energy, agriculture, security and hinterland development.
The scale and pace of this transformation require more robust systems of monitoring and management. More money for development can never mean less scrutiny over the way that money is spent. In contrast, more public spending requires more vigilance.
The government’s continuing shift to digital governance is a major opportunity to beef up just that kind of oversight.
Guyana has already begun modernizing its approach to advertising public procurement opportunities through the Government Procurement Opportunities website which centralizes Invitations to Tender, Requests for Proposals and other procurement notices, making information more accessible to contractors, suppliers and the wider public.
The country is also moving toward a more complete electronic procurement architecture. Recently announced plans include an integrated system with a digital bill register, end-to-end electronic tender lifecycle and an e-marketplace.
Such systems can increase traceability, automate compliance checks, flag potential risks and give managers better information for oversight.
This is the way in which modern government must go. Paper-heavy administrative systems have resulted in unnecessary delays for too long, records have been fragmented and tracking transactions has been difficult.
Digitalization, if properly implemented, may establish an auditable trail from the planning of a project through procurement, implementation and payment.
But technology is no substitute for integrity.
But whatever the sophistication of a computer system, it cannot make up for an official who deliberately ignores regulations, fails to exercise proper oversight or seeks to circumvent established procedures.
Digital instruments can reinforce accountability, but accountability ultimately rests with those who hold power.
This is why the focus vice-president Jagdeo puts on the duties of the Permanent Secretaries, the Regional Executive Officers and other accounting officers is particularly important.
Power means responsibility. Compliance cannot be seen as an inconvenience or bureaucratic barrier to implementation by public officials. Procurement laws, financial regulations and internal controls have been established to protect public funds and ensure decisions are made fairly, transparently and in the best interests of the country.
The effects of poor management are not limited to accounting papers.
Each delayed project impacts communities waiting for improved roads, schools, health facilities or other services. Contractors and suppliers may suffer the effects of inefficient payment systems. Any procurement failure can damage public confidence. Every failure to communicate can generate frustration and uncertainty for citizens.
So, efficiency and accountability are not conflicting aims. They bunch together like glue.
In fact, one of the most positive aspects of the government’s current modernization agenda is the recognition that better management has to ultimately deliver a better experience for citizens.
The wider Digital Guyana programme has been built around improving access to government services, reducing the bureaucracy and making public institutions more responsive.
Government plans have included integrated digital platforms and citizen-focused services, electronic identification and systems to track the performance of agencies and programmes.
The goal should be simple: citizens should not be subjected to needless bureaucratic hoops to get services they’re entitled to.
The government’s renewed emphasis on compliance also, importantly, complements Guyana’s existing institutional framework for financial oversight.
The Auditor General looks into the receipt, expenditure and control of public monies, while the Public Accounts Committee examines audited accounts and the appropriation of funds approved by the National Assembly.
But strong institutions function best when accountability starts at home, within the agencies themselves.
There should be no need for an outside audit to uncover all the flaws years later. Ministries, regions and agencies need to develop a culture in which problems are identified early, regulations are consistently followed and corrective action is taken promptly.
Here we see even more the importance of the Vice-President’s intervention.
The warning that breaches and violations will have consequences sends an important signal across the public sector.
Accountability cannot be a principle voiced only in speeches or policy documents. It must be proven in action.
We should support those who are good at managing public resources. We need to acknowledge those who improve systems. Those who see faults in themselves must be helped to conquer them. But we cannot tolerate willful violations and irresponsible management.
Guyana is building not just roads, bridges, hospitals and schools. It also has to continue building institutions that can handle a more prosperous and complex economy.
Physical infrastructure of development is as important as the infrastructure of governance.
So, Vice-President Jagdeo’s meeting is more than just a routine gathering of senior officials. It highlights a fundamental principle that must remain the foundation of Guyana’s development: development must be accompanied by discipline, investment must be paired with oversight, and public resources must always be managed in the public interest.
A major pathway to a more efficient and citizen-centric State is the PPP/C Government’s commitment to using modern technology to improve service delivery.
But its success will depend on the consistent implementation, strong leadership and a public service culture that understands the import of its responsibility.
Guyana’s future will not be determined by the resources it has or the projects it undertakes.
How wisely, transparently and efficiently the country manages what belongs to its people will also play a part.
And as Guyana sets sail on this extraordinary trajectory of national development, accountability must be firmly at the very heart of that journey.