Govt won’t let bureaucrats act like ‘little lords’, stall development – VP

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has issued a strong warning to bureaucrats and public officials, whom he says are hindering government services and frustrating citizens through inefficiency and unaccountability.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Jagdeo made it clear that Government would not tolerate public servants acting like “little lords” by arbitrarily making decisions that negatively impact people’s access to essential services.
According to Jagdeo, some officials in various regions have displayed attitudes that are inconsistent with the Government’s vision of effective and people-centred governance.

“I’ve had to speak to some people on the ground about their attitude. And so let me say that again here – this is a party’s press conference – that these officials in many of the regions, etc., they sometimes…behave like little lords…that that’s not tolerated. They show no humility in the exercise of their functions or their jobs,” the Vice President has said.
Jagdeo emphasized that all Government officials, whether or not they personally support the party, must treat citizens fairly and with respect, even if they are unable to meet every demand.
On this point, he highlighted public assistance and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) services as two areas where bureaucratic interference had caused unnecessary distress. Noting that some public servants had removed eligible individuals, including persons with disabilities, from public assistance programmes without any directive from the government, the Vice President explained that such actions have led to significant hardships for many vulnerable citizens, forcing them to appeal their cases after being unfairly removed.
“There’s been no instruction whatsoever for that to happen. I’ll just give one example of the numerous things I face when I go out. And the same thing with NIS issues. These are two things that I’ve encountered a lot, where, contrary to the policy of the Government, people don’t implement it in a fair manner or in a helpful manner. So, I want to make it clear that these things must not happen, attitude-wise,” Jagdeo said.
While addressing these governance concerns, Jagdeo reaffirmed that the PPP/C government remains committed to ensuring that public servants adhere to policies designed to improve the lives of citizens. He warned that officials who fail to comply would be held accountable.