Acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Joseph Harmon, said that high on the agenda of the new A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government is a higher salary scale for public servants, and that it will materialise.
“We believe that (for) a quality public service you have to pay better. They (the public service workers) must be properly rewarded for their work. He said it is the coalition’s opinion that better pay will result in less corruption which would enable the country to become better, as “The increases in the hundred day plan, is a commitment which we gave to all the people who provide public service, which we will provide to get a proper public service.”
Public Service salary increase will be realised – HPS -Designate Harmon
Acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Joseph Harmon, said that high on the agenda of the new A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government is a higher salary scale for public servants, and that it will materialise.
“We believe that (for) a quality public service you have to pay better. They (the public service workers) must be properly rewarded for their work. He said it is the coalition’s opinion that better pay will result in less corruption which would enable the country to become better, as “The increases in the hundred day plan, is a commitment which we gave to all the people who provide public service, which we will provide to get a proper public service.”
Money which was previously placed in the Consolidated Fund will furnish the salary increases, according to Harmon. He was at the time speaking during an interview with the National Communications Network on Monday.
He said, “We believe there is still a high level of corruption, and if we are able to reduce that, we can find the money to pay. Our economists have looked at the situation very carefully and said to us that we are capable of finding the money for paying these people.”
Asked about the Public Procurement Commission, Harmon said this unit will be established as soon as possible. “There is no reason why the Public Procurement Commission cannot be established. We are respectful of our constitution and the ‘no objection’ (as obtained previously) is not what we support.”
There are also plans to conduct long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE) according to the acting HPS. He said that “We will announce a date. We had protested in front of parliament and we will name a date, we believe that is an essential plank of our local democracy which will ensure that a more informed electorate will come forward to vote for a party.”
During its campaign, the ANPU/AFC touted its Ministerial Code of Conduct, and this Harmon said will be used to hold government ministers accountable for their actions. “We believe that if you are a minister, there must be some kind of code”, he observed, “which monitors the conduct which should be above board, which conforms with international best practices, that say to the people that you are committed to serving them and not yourself. All of the APNU/AFC MPs will subscribe to the code.”
Other issues such as the Berbice Bridge toll, the reduction of the president’s pension and the return of the television station to the people of Linden, will be sorted over the coming weeks, he said.
