Better salaries must mean better services – Min. Jordan
– “More money will mean nothing to us, will not result in our advancement, if we are not disciplined in our approach and outlook”
– stakeholders urged to urged translate, “our national aspirations into effective results-based budgets”
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, July 14, 2019
Increases in remuneration must be matched by an improvement in performance and overall delivery of public services, according to Minister of Finance, Hon. Winston Jordan.
The minister delivered this charge as he formally opened, a July 11, budget training session targeting Heads of Budget agencies and financial officers of ministries and government agencies.
“Managers must manage, and supervisors must supervise. Productivity must rise if we are to achieve a modern, competitive nation… the tracking of punctuality cannot only relate to the ordinary worker. It has to be enforced from top to the bottom,” he stated.
Minister Jordan advised that use of social media be curtailed within the workplace, during work hour hours.
“Too many senior personnel are featuring on Facebook and other social media during working hours, when they should be attending to the public or otherwise engaged in activities for which they are being paid.”
Referencing the upward economic trend fuelled by the imminent “First Oil”, the Finance Minister advised:
“Irrespective of our impending new status, more money will mean nothing to us, will not result in our advancement, if we are not disciplined in our approach and outlook.”
The veteran economist urged stakeholders to remember that as public servants, “we are here to deliver quality service to all residents of Guyana. We must be driven by results, not consumed by the process. Assessing the performance across all sectors is a critical component to ensuring that we stay focused on the target of achieving a diversified, resilient, low-carbon, people-centred vision as articulated by His Excellency President David Granger.”
Quoting a former Secretary to the Treasury of the US, Jack Lew, the finance minister said, “The budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations.” He further urged that stakeholders translate, “our national aspirations into effective results-based budgets.”
Reflecting on the pending elections, the minister reminded that in this politically charged environment, it was easy to become distracted. He charged the public servants to remain professional and focused, and urged:
“Leave the politics to the politicians, Guyana is moving forward in the right direction. You can feel it; you can see it. Just witness the influx of many persons from CARICOM countries and further afield, as they seek their fortunes here. It is for us, as Guyanese to unite around a common cause, put aside our differences and concentrate on how we can share our country’s prosperity. The time is now! We either seize it collectively or lose it individually.”
See the transcript of Minister of Finance, Hon. Winston Jordan’s entire speech on the link provided.