Dear Editor,
I watched the video in which President Ali chewed up and spat out ministers, permanent secretaries, engineers, and other officials over a huge number of Government projects being four or more months behind schedule.
I have never seen such a name-and-shame effort, but that is what it probably would take to get efficiency in Government projects. All those ministers and Government officials who usually act high and mighty were appropriately cut down to size. I now know whom I will complain to when NIS, Regional Ministry, GRO, Education, Health, Water, Housing, Home Affairs people and others don’t respond.
It’s a toxic culture when Government people don’t do their jobs efficiently, and where a culture of “nobody cares” predominates across Government. The poor people suffer. Thanks to the President for caring!
I had called before for an Efficiency Czar to be appointed. I have no tolerance for Government being unresponsive, with no sense of customer service, as it provides “slow motion” services to our people. In America, employees apologise to you profusely if you have to wait a few minutes to get served. Their Customer Service operates on this basis: Rule No. 1 –“The Customer is always right.” Rule No. 2 – “If you don’t believe the customer is always right, see Rule No. 1.” Imagine if we practise such customer service values how revolutionary it would be for the working masses and the country.
In Guyana’s top-down system, rich people don’t have to go through what poor people go through. They have “lines” with the big boys, and don’t have to sit in a waiting area in an office to get served. It’s the poor people who go through hell getting Government services.
It should not have to take a president’s involvement to get things done on time. If the President has to intervene, it means the ministers and other people he trusted and put there are not doing their jobs, and are letting him down and embarrassing him. The President should fire some of the bad eggs, so the country would know he means business about efficiency. Fire them up, or fire them!
Truth be told, since Independence, we have still operated in largely colonial systems geared for control and sloth, not efficiency. Nobody, from minister down, by design, wants to change these bad systems, because if you do, it would close down the bribery and corruption industry going on now at all levels to speed things up.
Mr President, you are on the right track. You will be the people’s hero if you weed out all the ineffective and inefficient folks we now have in Government. Follow President Trump’s example where he has appointed Elon Musk to be the efficiency czar, and set up a Government Efficiency Commission. I can do the job for $1 a year, but you have to give me the power to fire the deadweights embarrassing your government!
Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall
