Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says corruption in the Public Service has been flourishing.
He is hoping that the digitalisation of the sector will make those illicit activities easier to track.
Dr Rowley was speaking at a workshop for permanent secretaries, heads of departments and administrators in the Public Service yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
He said the newly transformed Public Service will have several features, including a unique identifier for every citizen to be allowed equitable access to public benefits and services.
“An assault on white colour criminal conduct which currently flourishes with impunity, but which will wither if access is digitally controlled and recorded and information in the form of evidence identifies who did what, where, when, how and under what authority,” the Prime Minister said.
He said he also hopes going digital will result in a more efficient Public Service.
He said since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of Cabinet meetings have been done virtually, adding that the pandemic has highlighted T&T’s need to switch to digital.
“Within the context of these challenges, which are global in nature but affect us acutely here at home, sound leadership is necessary to navigate in circumstances of limited resources, legacy systems and rigid structures developed for a colonial model of operations,” he said.
Rowley said he hopes the transformed Public Service provides services that are quick, cost-efficient, minimise waste and duplication and that all of this is done in an environmentally friendly manner.
The Prime Minister said these changes will allow public sector employees to feel fulfilled in their roles and have pride in their respective fields.
He wants the new Public Service to work as a single unit as he said the importance of a well-functioning public service cannot be overstated.
“We need to promote a sense of being one Public Service and take a whole of government approach to problem analysis and problem-solving; versus operating as individual agencies and departments working in silos,” Rowley said.
He said with the complexity of issues in T&T, no one institution has the resources, information or technical capacity to address those issues.
“There is a tendency where we each try to do it alone, resulting in overlapping inefficiency, wasted resources and inevitable increased demands on the Treasury. Until we see ourselves as one service, we will not be able to fully realise the power of collective action to achieve our destiny as a people,” Rowley said.
The workshop was developed by the Ministry of Public Administration and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Public Administration Minister Allyson West said it was the first of a series of activities to ensure the public service is “equipped and ready” to play its part in the digital transformation of the country.
“While we look forward to learning from comparative experience and to benefit from the expertise of our facilitators, for me I am also here so that I can hear from you, our Public Service CEOs, to understand what your concerns are and how we can structure a partnership that will maximise the realisation of benefits for our citizens,” West told attendees.
