Public Service COI … Stakeholders tender over 30 statements/memoranda

September 16, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under News, Source

More than 30 statements and memoranda have already been submitted to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) set up to inquire into the affairs of Guyana’s Public Service.

This information was made public by secretary to the COI, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who also disclosed that the statements not only came from stakeholders in Guyana, but also from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Chandan-Edmond was speaking at a press briefing held at the Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Service Department, Waterloo Street, Georgetown yesterday.   Also present at the event were Chairman of the COI, Professor Harold Lutchman, and Commissioners Samuel Goolsaran and Sandra Jones.

The panel unveiled thoughts and plans for the exercise slated to take place within the coming months.

Though he did not reveal much about the preliminary stage of the COI, Professor Lutchman, told reporters that the commission will be reviewing the files of information sent by stakeholders from various parts of the country.

Prof. Lutchman noted that the COI has specific terms of reference stipulated by President David Granger. As Chairman of the commission, Prof Lutchman intends to ensure that these are met.

Questioned about the cost of the exercise, Professor Lutchman noted that this is no concern of the Commission but “rather the benefits to be garnered from the exercise.”

He explained that the main responsibility of the commission is to review, examine and make recommendations based on the terms of reference and information provided, on methods of improving the public service sector.

In endorsing the statements expressed by Professor Lutchman, both commissioners also said they are most passionate about their role in improving the level of the public service.

The commission was established to inquire into, report on, and make recommendations on the role, functions, recruitment process, remuneration, conditions and other matters pertaining to the personnel employed in the Guyana Public Service.

The COI is also expected to determine measures to improve the efficiency of the public service, to review the methodology used in the classification and recruitment of public servants.

The inquiry is also slated to conduct a detailed examination of how the salaries and wages of public servants are determined and allocated; review the age of public servant retirement and make recommendations in this regard.

Following his appointment to office, President Granger had stressed the need for a more efficient and satisfactory public service.   According to President Granger, public servants must possess expert knowledge and high standard academic education.

He expressed his intention to introduce a Public Service Staff College, in which persons entering the administrative branches of the Guyana Public Service are required to undergo training.

The president had promised, too, that this would ensure that persons serving the nation would be more equipped, with the basics of public service delivery and a better understanding of how the public service is meant to operate.

The COI was established as part of a plan to support President Granger’s vision for a modern public service and the establishment of a Public Service Staff College.

The Commission is slated to operate during the next three to five months with the possibility of a renewal should the Commissioners need more time to complete the task. The public hearings are open to the general public for oral presentations, which will be conducted at the Secretariat Building of the Public Service Ministry on Waterloo Street, Georgetown.

Hearings will also be conducted at other locations in the country.

Statements and memoranda into the operations of the public service can be submitted to the Commission’s Secretariat or emailed to public servants commission @gmail.com or forwarded to the Secretariat’s address by calling 225-4321.