Robert Wynter, ContributorIN PART one of this article, I wrote that "A lean, mean enabling public sector is a necessary condition to achieving a better quality of life for all Jamaicans," and that MoU2, like MoU1, is antithetical to this concept of the public sector.
It therefore begs the question: How do we transform our public sector in order to achieve a better quality of life for all Jamaicans?
FOUR-STEP APPROACH
The first step is to understand the role and purpose of the public sector.
History is replete with ideas, not least of which are those of Thomas Jefferson (to secure the inalienable rights endowed by the Creator, of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and Jeremy Bentham (defence, and to a limited extent, public health and other services, which do not lend themselves to voluntary effort).
The second step is to determine what functions must the public sector undertake to achieve its purpose. These we believe should be the provision of an enabling economic environment (facilitation/regulation of international trade, commerce, natural resources and the environment and the provision of currency maintenance services and physical infrastructure) and the provision of social protection (provision of national security, justice, public health, education, heritage and social services).
The third step is to determine how the public sector should be organised to achieve its purpose.
There have been several studies addressing this issue, such as the Nettleford Report, the Orane Report and the Ministry of Finance-commissioned Report on the Rationalisation of Public Sector Entities.
The fourth step is to implement the reorganisation. This will inevitably result on the one hand in closures, mergers, right-sizing and voluntary redundancy, and on the other, in productive, facilitatory, properly compensated public sector employees and an efficient and effective public sector.
LACK OF POLITICAL WILL
Why is it then that a lean, mean and enabling public sector remains seemingly beyond our reach?
We believe it is due first and foremost to the lack of strong leadership and political will.
Even when these have surfaced, there was the lack of a facilitative, interactive and participative process that would result in the alignment by all stakeholders around the key issues; buy-in on the way forward for the public sector and commitment to implementation.
The Prime Minister has started the ball rolling by reducing the number of ministries from 17 to 14. For example, we have seen the merger of Transportation and Works and Water and Housing.
This initial move by the PM needs to be accelerated and cascaded to all levels throughout the public sector.
When we have an efficient, right-sized public sector, the bureaucratic barriers will be removed resulting in entrepreneurship flourishing, real growth, increased job opportunities and individual citizens being facilitated in their daily lives.
Robert C. Wynter is a partner in the firm Growth Facilitators. Email robwyn@cwjamaica.com.
