Govt in retreat

Rowley began by saying that while the past year was one for Ministers to settle into their portfolios, 2017 is now their first year for delivery.

“We are in our second year as a Government and we have determined as any serious Government would that this year, the second year - after the first year of getting the feel of things, getting to know people, putting Perm Secs in place, getting Ministers to learn their jobs - this (second year) is the first real year of delivery.” He said the Retreat’s focus is on the effecting the Government’s development programme which needs more effort to implement than routine recurrent expenditure.

“Where you are going to be creating new work, creating new entities, taking new people in, establishing new service areas for population, that is the development programme.” This latter needs “more drive, a bit more oomph, a bit more involvement”, Rowley said. It involves procurement to management to funding to utilisation, he added. Rowley said 2017 requires some corrective decisions as several national programmes are off-track. “I don’t have to tell you all that - I’m sure you know that.

Some of the Government’s national programmes have lost their way - either deliberately, incidentally, corruptly or just by being outdated,” he said.

“So there’s a requirement for this Government to look at whatever is so designated and do some course-correction. Most times that course-correction is not without pain and inconvenience, but whatever you would have done ought to leave us in a better place.

So there are some Government policy-changes to be made. Most of them will be made in 2017.” Rowley then urged Ministers and Permanent Secretaries to work well together, show teamwork and look after each other. “If the Minister and the Permanent Secretary are not getting along, are not seeing eye to eye and can’t stand one another, the Ministry will not function properly. There’s no way the PS could operate on his or her own and the Minister (is) operating on his or her own.

They have to be in lockstep.” He said a PS is the Minister’s guide and is invaluable to their Ministry’s success. “We are all guided by the Exchequer Act and the human resource regulations.

You (PSs) are the Minister’s guide and in some cases the Minister’s mouthpiece. Permanent Secretaries are required to look after their Ministers, as Ministers are required to look after their Permanent Secretaries.” An accompanying OPM statement said Rowley declared that Ministries must not falter in their delivery of service to the citizenry, despite the country’s economic circumstances. He also spoke of the accountability of State Enterprises, said the statement. The retreat continues today.