LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Caribbean Civil Service still possesses a colonial mentality

Tuesday,  October 4, 2005

Dear Sir,

The Civil Service in the Caribbean has generally come in for much criticism for the way in which it conducts its business. As a matter of fact, in one country it has been said that the Civil Service is trained to say no. In another, the bureaucratic structure of the Civil Service has been commented on as representing red tape, slow decision making, and poor communication which affect the implementation of policy.

Although many reforms were carried out in such countries as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, there are still many complaints concerning the lack of urgency of the Civil Service. It is in this light that the comments made by the Hon. Alden McLaughlin are instructive. He speaks of the lack of accountability and non-performance, and demands initiative and action from Government workers.

These are the very problems that exist in the Civil Service throughout the region, but what makes the Hon. Minister’s comments so significant, is that he is the first leader in the Caribbean to articulate the problem with clarity and forcefulness.

The Civil Service is the instrument that implements the policies of the Government. It therefore plays the important role of seeing that these policies are operationalised and that they have a positive effect on the society at large. This means that accountability is critical, since senior managers in the Civil Service have to be energetic, proactive and committed to the work of serving the public through their performance, which has to be measured so that the results of the initiatives of the Government are seen.

The problem with the Civil Service in the Caribbean generally, is that it is stuck with the rigid following of regulations. Civil servants hide behind these to avoid being blamed for any policy failures. The point is, though, that many of these regulations were formulated in a different era, and although some have been revised, they have been overtaken by the fast pace of new developments in the political and economic areas. Civil servants therefore find themselves with regulations that cannot fit new initiatives that are undertaken by politicians, which are long overdue.

The politician is in office for a particular period, and therefore wants to show his constituents the results of his or her tenure in office. If he or she has to deal with a bureaucratic, tradition bound Civil Service with no accountability and initiative, it means that the policies of the Government will not bear the intended fruit, because of Civil Service inertia and inaction. This could be frustrating to the politician who is committed to progress.

The fact is that the Caribbean Civil Service even in the independent countries, still possesses a colonial mentality. This is reflected in delay, passing the buck, undertaking maneuvers that frustrate the quick execution of policy, having numerous meetings without any visible results, and playing the blame game when called upon to produce. In many instances the Civil Service still operates as if it were another government dictating to Ministers what ought to be done, and in some cases seeing themselves as superior to Ministers and therefore either disregard their instructions or water them down.

This mentality goes back to the period when there was a Colonial Secretariat, when the Civil Service felt it was untouchable, since there were no Ministers of Government, and as a result it possessed enormous power, particularly senior managers. With the advent of representative politics, where the elected representatives of the people now held power, the Civil Service felt that its previous power and status were undermined. It therefore tried to cling to the practices of a bygone age, and regarded the Ministers of Government as upstarts.

When Ministers tried to implement policies in the interest of the people, the Civil Service saw this as an infringement on their previous roles, and even now, in a general way has refused to change its mentality and face reality. It displays little creativity or initiative, does not take risks, and in some instances scorns measures such as appraisal and performance management which enhance accountability.

What is needed if the Civil Service is to perform its functions in a businesslike way is a total reorientation of its culture, including its management style. This means training and development in such areas as development management, human resource management, using the best practices of successful businesses, and developing an entrepreneural attitude towards its tasks. Further training is also needed in problem solving techniques, effective communication, teamwork, and how to produce better results without extra resources. Managing uncertainty is also a critical management skill here.

Training and development initiatives need to be continuous, so that new ideas are constantly being exposed to, and new strategies and methods of effective management are regularly acquired. With this exposure, a transformation of culture will occur, and a more efficient, accountable and robust Civil Service will emerge.

Oliver Mills (M.A., M.Ed.)

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