“In this capacity, you are required to play a very crucial role in the development of a renewed and relevant public service. You cannot tell people, ‘come back tomorrow’ or they ‘have to wait’. You must not bring your problems to the workplace and let that dictate how you deal with members of the public.”
Those were the words of the Director-General (DG) of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon as he addressed the third batch of cadets of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service (BCCPS).
The DG said that public servants must understand their roles and functions as the “engine of the executive.” This description, he noted, derives from the fact that there can be no delivery of services to the citizenry by, or on behalf of the Government, without the Public Service. In all areas such as education, health, security, and infrastructure, it is the Public service that must execute programmes of delivery. This means, that public servants must find ways to deliver those services in a beneficial way to the people.
Harmon also told the outgoing cadets that they must be keenly aware that Guyana is on the cusp of becoming an oil-producing nation and that it will experience unprecedented levels of financial resources for the development of the country. This, he said, means that the Public Service will grow exponentially to administer those resources.
Harmon then commended the students for the interest they have expressed in serving the Guyanese people.
“Your engagement here, in which you have completed six months of academic studies; two months of study tours around Guyana and three months of work attachment to Government Ministries and State Agencies, were all geared to equip you with basic skills, knowledge of the structures and the nature of your intended work environment. This session will enable you to fully appreciate your role and functions within a professional public service with the hallmarks of justice, efficiency, integrity, impartiality, and accountability,” he said.
The students will be benefitting from several interactive sessions hosted by speakers such as Minister of Public Service, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Director, Department of Energy, Mark Bynoe; Guyana Elections Commission Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield and Chairman of the Guyana Public Service Commission, Michael Sommersall, among others.
