Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi is defending the Government’s decision to call public servants out to work on Monday amid the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
Speaking during a press conference to update the population on the status of the hurricane, Al-Rawi said it wasn’t their first "rodeo" dealing with emergencies or crises and added that public servants are first responders.
“The reason why, Minister Gonzales, Minister de Nobrega, and I all have jackets on is because we are going to Parliament immediately after...and discuss very important and critical amendments to the Bail Act which is of significant concern to the population,” he explained.
On Sunday, during a press conference, Al-Rawi said public servants had to work as usual on Monday. He said the Government has dealt with COVID-19 and states of emergency and explained that they grew accustomed to managing flows for emergency personnel.
“There is always a very delicate balance that the Government has to achieve and always keep into gear as to who is required to make things work,” he expanded.
The Rural Development and Local Government Minister said he left the private sector to decide whether to call out their workers or not.
“How the public service works is that the permanent secretaries give instructions and notifications, and we are in touch with our employees,” Al-Rawi explained.
He said the Government had to ensure that the country was in operation.