Dumas: ‘Taxpayers must be happy with Local Government services’

LOCAL Government Minister Rennie Dumas said it was possible that everything was wrong with Local Govern-ment, especially since a recent poll showed citizens were barely satisfied with the services offered. Speaking yesterday at the opening of a seminar on productivity for mayors, chairmen and councillors of Local Government bodies at the Cascadia Hotel in St Ann’s, Dumas said a recent opinion leaders poll on Local Government and people’s perception of it showed that 52 percent of citizens said they were very satisfied or satisfied with Local Govern-ment, while 48 percent were less than satisfied. Dumas started his address by suggesting that, “Not anything is wrong, but maybe everything is wrong.” Saying that while the poll showed they had “merely made a pass mark, which in some courses is a failure,” issues of speed, efficiency and being able to deal with people were at the “heart of the matter which need to be addressed.”

He wondered aloud whether they could improve on their delivery if they all worked as a team, but pointed out that it wasn’t enough to ask the question in isolation. Dumas said when terms of conditions of work and wages are being decided, it was usually done bearing in mind that citizens’ money was being used to pay some citizens to deliver services to others. As a result, he said it meant that the population had to be satisfied with the services. Dumas suggested that to be more productive, persons should reflect on their attitudes and that tasks must be in the context of a competitive growing global economy, in which competition was a key element, where everyone was competing for resources of the State and citizens. He drew reference to the situation where MTS had lost the contracts for janitorial services at 15 schools, saying that matter reflected reality, and Local Government was “not immune because citizens are demanding more.” He said while citizens had the choice of getting rid of politicians who do not deliver, it was the politicians who had to ensure that public officers made their contributions.

Dumas also lashed out at the private sector, saying there was no such sector in existence, if only because it depended on the public sector and Government to set the pace from which everything else flows. Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Terrance Jurawan pointed out that developing productivity in the workplace was not a new issue. He said since the 70s there were concerns on the topic and several surveys were done to show the type of productivity expected, but “it’s just not coming.” He said many committees were formed to look at the matter but the progress expected was not achieved. He concluded it was clear that Local Government was not delivering to citizens, and that competition would soon come into focus as people looked to others to supply services. He advised that they act now. The need for quality and efficient service delivery was also underscored by head of the Public Service and Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister, former Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), Sandra Marchack.