Apr
12
Written by:
Godfrey Smith
Monday, April 12, 2010
The second most staggering admission from the upper echelons of the Barrow Government recently has come from the mouth of Mr. Alan Slusher, a former Director of Economics and Programming at the Caribbean Development Bank.
Slusher, now close advisor to the Minister of Finance, told the Belize Chamber of Commerce (on two separate occasions) that the public service is too weak and incompetent to take the country’s development agenda forward.
He cited the incapacity of the government to carry out capital III projects which are partly funded by grants – free money.
This admission is very important. After a long sojourn in the Caribbean, Slusher is able to fix fresh – and obviously frank – eyeballs upon the mediocre machinery of government.
No doubt having observed many Caribbean governments in action, he is in a position to compare our public service to theirs and doesn’t like what he sees here.
The admission exposes that awful irony of governance so black and thick it could be pumped out of the ground like Belizean crude. Seventy cents out of every dollar of revenue earned by government goes to pay the salaries of public officers who, we are now told, are incapable of carrying out a development agenda.
Taken individually, there are many talented and hard-working public officers. The public sector’s most acute failing is the lack of motivated and competent managers. The serial and systemic neglect of the public service delivery system at the hands of politicians over the years has guaranteed its failing.
The public service system inherited from the British was supposedly structured to immunize and stabilize the machinery of government from the vagaries of politicians and incompetent ministers. Whether ministers were miscreants or simply misguided, government could go on.
If both the Cabinet and the public service are too weak to meaningfully advance the country, then what is the point of government?
In a mature democracy, such a revelation from a figure as influential as Mr. Slusher would have exploded like a political bombshell; instead it was a political dud.
The statement goes to the heart of governance because regardless of whether the PUP or the UDP holds the reins of power, their action plan will remain inert because of a weak public service.
There are two options open to addressing this fundamental problem. The long-term option is to rebuild the public service; putting in the necessary investment and structures.
Implementing this option has two challenges. There is no money available for the required investment in the public service. And even if there were, there is absent the necessary knowledge and skill to rebuild it. Any such rebuilding would have to be outsourced, which segues into the second more attractive option.
Public sector outsourcing occurs when a government has a set of its functions or services previously undertaken in-house, performed by a private sector provider, presumably more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Ambulance services are currently provided by BERT, a non-government
entity. Its services are of a high quality, its staff trained to international standards and it provides emergency airlifts within and outside of Belize.
Who would have thought that the management of the Belize central prison at Hattieville could actually be outsourced to a non-government foundation? By all accounts, the Kolbe Foundation is operating the prison more efficiently and humanely than before. Both BERT and Kolbe are able to get assistance from international charities because they are non-government entities.
The Meteorology Department outsources the delivery of its public service reports to a communications firm.
The litigation department of the Attorney General’s ministry has largely been outsourced to a private law firm. The PM justifies the higher cost by saying it represents value for money given the complexity of the cases and the money coming into government coffers from the cases won.
Fine. But if that’s the argument, why aren’t public prosecutions outsourced? Wouldn’t it represent good value for money to have public confidence in the criminal justice system (which currently rests at 0) restored by improving conviction rates?
Clearly, outsourcing certain public services is recognized and used as a tool for increasing efficiency and results. But it is currently employed in an ad hoc way.
There should be a conscious and focused rationalization of all those government services that can be outsourced as a deliberate reform policy of government.
First on the list should be the services provided by municipal bodies. The smattering of sub-standard inconsistent services provided by the Belize City Council could be done at a fraction of the cost of running City Hall, for example, by Cisco Construction.
The same could be done in the districts. This would eliminate the need for a Ministry of Local Government while simultaneously liberating us from the bane of having to listen to the media- happy idiot savant, Philoughby.
There are a number of specialized social services NGOs like the Red Cross, Helpage, BCVI and BFLA, for example, that are serious, committed and professional. The social services offered by the Ministry of Human Development should be outsourced to an NGO administered by a group of these experts.
It should never be the function of the Ministry of Housing to build houses. Housing loans and grants when these are available should be administered by a state corporation like the Development Finance Corporation.
Outsourcing the delivery of these and other public services would leave ministries responsible for policy, regulation and monitoring.
One minister could then realistically be expected to competently manage multiple portfolios, reducing the number of ministers and staff needed.
The greater the number of chiefs, the greater the number of Indians needed to service them and the higher the cost to the tax payer. There are 160,000 registered voters in Belize represented by 31 parliamentarians. The country does not need nor can it afford 31 parliamentarians.
Decentralization and “more representation” is a question of affordability. What’s the point of having “representation” if nothing comes out of it?
Take the honourable representative for Belize Rural Central. He is not a Cabinet member, contributes nothing in parliament nor has any hopes of contributing anything meaningful to his constituency. There are more like him.
Given the choice, people would choose tangible results over empty representation.
Reducing the number of constituencies (especially in Belize City) as well as the number of ministries and converting more departments of government into statutory bodies could lead to less waste and greater efficiency in the delivery of public services.
The most staggering admission: the Commissioner of Police’s blithe admission that a police officer had indeed been going around with a mask in a dangerous role play of “Cops as Robbers”.
We are now told, on the authority of the PM, that there is a ring of these robbers. Should we bother testing the accuracy of Mr. Slusher’s evaluation?
Copyright ©2010 Godfrey Smith
18 comment(s) so far...
Re: Outsourcing Government
a nice article. belize is going down the drain...everybody knows that.
By eckhart on
Monday, April 12, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Excellent article. Your ideas deserve serious consideration. They are both realistic and appropriate for wending our way out of Belize's national stagnation which resulted from decades of poor management. But then again, it is Belize we are talking about here. We never actively try to effect positive change. We just listen to the ideas float by.
By RAGM on
Monday, April 12, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Aha! A good and substantive article. I actually look forward to your articles and want to encourage you to continue writing; it is clearly your calling. "Really" has nothing over you save perhaps a wider vocab, which only he enjoys because the rest of us need to have a dictionary out when he speaks or writes. I enjoyed this one and actually heard a former politician (if there is such a thing) echo exactly what you are saying or what I think you are saying: nothing is wrong with outsourcing government especially given the ineffectual public service that we have here in Belize. Tell me something: is this the same reason you outsourced BELIPO and the Companies Registry? Just a question.
By Belizean nationalist on
Monday, April 12, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Nice Article-Great idea-oh-how could you not think about it to otusource yourself years ago? As for Cisco-please dont suggest them for anything else-how many more times will it take them to learn that you treat veteran escappees with schakles and isolation? There is their lesson in rehabilitation. But Godfrey is golden-to mention DFC and other institutions they raped for years as the saviours now. Does he think that the public service just recently detiorated? or may it have something to do with years of recent neglect and corruption?
By haha on
Monday, April 12, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Decrease the size of government, encourage growth in the private sector, support the work of ngo's, etc . . . these ideas seem fitting when considering the PM's upcoming visit to Chicago where he will address "Belizeans in Foreign." These issues, while relevant to a US constituency, have no meaning to Belizeans. All the PUDP's care about is Red and Blue (like the crips and bloods they are.)
Here's another "issue" Godfrey, "we should work to encourage/support foreign investment." (Ironic, no?)
By Belizean in Foreign on
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
In case the irony is lost on some of you . . . Barrow is OUTSOURCING THE VOTES!!!
By Belizean in Foreign on
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
There is some value to this essay. I think it is important to understand that these are a lot of jobs that would be at risk if government is outsourced. I think there are less dratic steps that can be taken to reform the public service. The first would be to implement bench marks and quality control. The quality control could be outsourced to ensure un bias results. The benchmarks can be implemented and measured using the technologies available toda. Finally efficiency needs to be implmented and enforced. This means reduce the fraud and abuse. All goverment vehicles should be parked at the motor pools on Friday. Only a select few should have access to vehicles 24/7. I remember when John Briceno was Deputy Prime Minister and he had a government vehicle on Fridays that vehicle was parked. He never abused, but then again how many ministers have that type of integrity?????????
By Balck Mamba on
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Interesting concept, but this concept would be a recipe for wanton corruption. If you look at the conduct of many Statutory Boards that manage government assets and funds, you will find that these were the vehicles used by the past government to scrape massive amounts of public funds into crony coffers. These institutions are governed by statutory instruments that all feature a phrase that throws out all rules; "Minister's Discretion". In the case of Government Departments, the Minister's Discretion is tempered by public service regulations. Over the 10 years previous to Feb 2008, the DFC, SSB, Small Farmer's Bank, etc, and yes, Godfrey, even the Tourist Board, were all used as slush funds ripe for the picking by unscrupulous politicians. With the only oversight being handpicked boards consisting of cronies of the Ministers, the Contractor General, or even the House of Representatives for that matter, have no say over affairs. Certainly the costly and impotent commissions of inquiry after the money has already been stolen cannot be the answer. Sorry Dude, I cannot see this as a solution without a serious reform of the rules and oversight that govern the outsourcing contractors and in particular the system of Statutory Boards. I shudder to think of a Belize under PUP rules with our tax money legally handed over to PUP Cronies in the form of bloated contracts for service. I can see it now. Lukas the Concas in charge of Public Works; leaning buildings and fallen bridges anyone??
By Plato on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Interesting concept, but this concept would be a recipe for wanton corruption. If you look at the conduct of many Statutory Boards that manage government assets and funds, you will find that these were the vehicles used by the past government to scrape massive amounts of public funds into crony coffers. These institutions are governed by statutory instruments that all feature a phrase that throws out all rules; "Minister's Discretion". In the case of Government Departments, the Minister's Discretion is tempered by public service regulations. Over the 10 years previous to Feb 2008, the DFC, SSB, Small Farmer's Bank, etc, and yes, Godfrey, even the Tourist Board, were all used as slush funds ripe for the picking by unscrupulous politicians. With the only oversight being handpicked boards consisting of cronies of the Ministers, the Contractor General, or even the House of Representatives for that matter, have no say over affairs. Certainly the costly and impotent commissions of inquiry after the money has already been stolen cannot be the answer. Sorry Dude, I cannot see this as a solution without a serious reform of the rules and oversight that govern the outsourcing contractors and in particular the system of Statutory Boards. I shudder to think of a Belize under PUP rules with our tax money legally handed over to PUP Cronies in the form of bloated contracts for service. I can see it now. Lukas the Concas in charge of Public Works; leaning buildings and fallen bridges anyone??
By Plato on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Plato . . . the DFC, SSB, and BTB are not considered "outsourced;" each of those "agencies" are instruments of government. However, I would agree that they require more autonomy to carry out their respective mandates more efficiently, without the influence of the PM & bogus Ministers.
I find it interesting that you brought up Public Works. Generally speaking, governments increase public works spending during economic turbulence to put people to work, and stimulate the economy. There is no way to undertake these projects without "outsourcing" the work to private contractors . . . the alternative would be to increase the size of government by hiring "manual laborers." This is the last thing we need.
Your disdain of the PUP should also extend to the UDP in this regard. For example, the infamous housing grants are being distributed as vouchers that can only be spent at "UDP Hardware Stores." Does this make sense to you? Is this not corrupt? Doesn't this lead to price gouging?
BTW, Luke is still in charge of Public Works, he buys Boots his work boots.
By Belizean in Foreign on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Thanks Belizean in Foreign,
Your response to Plato touched on some of the points I was going to make. His comments at first seemed powerful but on reflection doesn't stand up, as you have effectively shown.
By candide on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Thanks Belizean in Foreign,
Your response to Plato touched on some of the points I was going to make. His comments at first seemed powerful but on reflection doesn't stand up, as you have effectively shown.
By candide on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Thanks Belizean in Foreign,
Your response to Plato touched on some of the points I was going to make. His comments at first seemed powerful but on reflection doesn't stand up, as you have effectively shown.
By candide on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Thanks Belizean in Foreign,
Your response to Plato touched on some of the points I was going to make. His comments at first seemed powerful but on reflection doesn't stand up, as you have effectively shown.
By candide on
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
I think you both missed my point. The system of Statutory Boards is in fact a form of outsourcing; but to Government Owned privately managed entities outside of of the Public Service and its many strict regulations. Many Ministers wield unchecked control over puppet boards and use their budget as slush funds with little or no oversight of the legislature, using that Ministerial Discretion clause as the tool for unilateral decision making, outside of Cabinet decisions or government procurement guidelines, with the task carried out by Non Gov employees. The suggestion to outsource government takes this one step further; each and every service would be outsourced to private individuals based on contracts, but who would select the contractor, and worse, who would monitor and measure their performance and who will keep them honest? if we cannot even keep wholly owned Statutory institutions and government employees like Customs/Immigration/Police honest, how will we keep independent employees honest, more so under a PUP system of institutionalized corruption? Will contracts only live to life of a government's term like a Minister or CEO's leadership of a Ministry, or will GOB be paralized by a vindictive government saddled with opposition contractors? It would be a good utopia, but with our current political and "crab" culture, it would never work.
By Plato on
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
While there is substantial merit in the article, a problem with our local politicos is that they seemingly have all the answers only when they are in opposition. Another problem is not outsourcing per se, but how it is done. It has been noted that Godfrey outsourced Belipo, maybe was a good idea, but it was done in a most secretive manner that turned out to be a mere hustle. When the piranhas of the pup were raping DFC, gorging on bloated contracts etc, was Godfrey known to be a vocal opponent? Many in the G7 would disagree...The above notwithstanding, if outsourcing is carried out in a clear, transparent and above board manner, the entire country stand to benefit..
By Abuelo on
Friday, April 16, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
You think we cudda outsource wa brain fi Dean Barrow big head?
By SAID BARROW on
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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Re: Outsourcing Government
Or maybe we cudda outsource some babylon and wa real prosecutor fi lock up all the thiefing PUP's and UDP's!!
By SAID BARROW on
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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