DENNIS JOSEPH WEEKLY: The civil servants and the midnight clock

Dennis Joseph

I noticed four civil servants on their way up to work in the government office building: first two ladies and then two males.  The two male civil servants who seemed to care less if Dominica could talk or not were not busy at all.  There was something common to all of them which was they were definitely more than 20 minutes late for work.

Some Dominicans are of the view that the civil service is just a burden on the tax payers eating away ten of millions of dollars yearly in remunerations and doing zilt everyday. That can only be true if Parry Bellot, the government’s productivity consultant’s findings that the productive capacity of the service was about 20% are taken seriously.  The civil servants took it seriously but only to go ballistic and demand an apology which Bellot was forced to give to save his bleeper.

Well they must be doing something since the island continues to see dawns and sunsets without any explosive outburst from the public over civil servants work output.  However some civil servants do not help the cause with their attitude of   choice being ‘just doin all you a favour dat is all’.     A number of civil servants focus on licking some politician’s bleeper. They make their positions secure by simply licking.  It is commonly held that you can hardly get a top civil servant job except if you “talk” to the minister.

The Civil service is an administrative system, which consists of a body of government officials who are employed in civil occupations.  The earliest recorded civil service existed in China 2,000 years ago under the Ch’in dynasty.   Years later the term ‘civil service’ was coined to distinguish the civilian service from those serving in the military.

Many argue that the government of the day is never really in charge at all, and if truth be told it is those behind the scenes dealing with the red tape who influence all the decisions. There is some justification to this argument. Public officers have more astuteness and even political acumen than many politicians.   A party that has just been elected to power will more often than not have little experience in how to actually run the country, or how to deliver their election promises if they ever do. It is the job of the civil service to supply the minister all the advice and information that is needed.

Therefore the civil service must be ruled by two commandments:
1.     The civil servant must be utterly incorruptible, and completely loyal to any government.
2.    Civil servants must serve because they want nothing more than to serve the country itself.

Yah Right!   Words like ‘incorruptible and ‘loyal’ are only for spelling bee contests nowadays.

The truth is that regrettably in our political climate senior civil servants are most times appointed because of party affiliations and not competence which is the beginning of the corruption.    Do they therefore spend their days unproductively hooking up into little sub-political groupings,  protecting  territory,  job and salary?  The good news is that some are, but not all.

The difficulty of those who ‘are not’ is that the nation is so polarised in everything from VAT to economic citizenship that an united civil service has become well nigh impossible. The nation is severely cracked into Little Red Riding Hood on one side and Little Boy Blue on the other.   The civil service rules of engagement, such as no open involvement in political campaigning is a thing of the past.   After an election campaign resulting in a change of government, a new minister may find that the permanent secretary who has to give advice is the very one who was openly campaigning against him or her.   So what can the new ‘him or her’ minister do?  Seek to appoint a lackey too and the tail spinning of civil service decay continues.

Yet the job of the civil servant is too important to be used on the domino board of political manoeuvrings in a ruthless manner akin to gang control.  Within the civil service are persons of undoubted talent, the very cream of the crop of our intellectuals and workforce who if given the chance can turn our miseries into greatness.  They spent money to be qualified only to see themselves relegated to the backbench of national development because some political hack or some incompetent civil servant bawled loudest “We shall not be moved” or “Fear No More” during the election campaign. Progressive civil servants soon just give up under the pressure of trying to move a cranky wheel with no help from their superiors who are stuck in the rut and style of the old governing class.

However as the world economy struggles to rise from the bottom, the old style civil service attitude of just serving for the sake of a salary cannot continue. As the African saying goes, “When the music changes it is time to change the dance.”   If the potential for good of the civil service can be harnessed into the necessary lean, clean, decisive machine that will work side by side with any government of the day, we the people have a chance to survive this economic meltdown.

The reality is that governments have so corrupted the attitude of civil servants that the timekeepers midnight clock is chiming “Too late, too late to change.”

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17 Comments

  1. observant
    September 28, 2012

    Oh yes some just do not care. For example how can the blue messenger be calling Matt to bad talk government and get paid to do that. How can she be visiting him on government time when he was at the hospital. The civil service needs to be purged. You work for the government regardless if it is your party in power or not. Persons like that need to be sent to plant their dasheen as she boasts she can do if she is ever sent home. Do you agree with me Annette?

  2. Met Yo
    September 28, 2012

    All of a sudden No Name James Warrant agrees with Dennis Joseph, because he sees the article as confirmation of what Parry Bellot said months ago about lack of productivity in the public service.

    All of a sudden No Marc No Warrant agrees with Dennis, hahahahaha…..aaah boy.. :mrgreen:

  3. T mama
    September 27, 2012

    well written article….when persons are pressed they get tired, drooping shoulders and laysayfay attitude…rise up from your sleep…

    • Anonymous
      September 28, 2012

      LAISSEZ-FAIRE

  4. Concerned Citizen
    September 27, 2012

    There is non so blind as he who will not see…..

  5. budman
    September 27, 2012

    this is a well written article that really could apply to any country

  6. No Name No Warrant
    September 27, 2012

    I think Met Yo villified Parry Bellot for that. And he was not even in Giraudel yet

    • Met Yo
      September 28, 2012

      boy how them fellas in jersey like my name so nuh. why them marc-ac doesn’t get up and do something with their self and stop check me…LMAO

      • Anonymous
        September 28, 2012

        LOL! ou say met yo mem mem mem.. :mrgreen: 8)

  7. UDOHREADYET
    September 27, 2012

    AGREED. this artic clew is well written and addresses an issue most people in Dominica know but don’t talk about.

  8. Mamizoo
    September 27, 2012

    Dennis what i hearing is that we need mature politicians and instead of children. Will we ever see a level of maturity in our politicians that stimulate the changes that some of us would like to see? Not in our life time. It is well established that politicians thrive on the ignorance and naivety of our people. Where the politicians can’t fool all the people all the time they employ the the device of divide and conquer through bribery of all sorts. Yes employing PS Joe to replace a capable and competent john because John wore a red tie is simply bribery. This is why the people must control as oppose to government politicians railroading the people.

    • No Name No Warrant
      September 27, 2012

      Wow, the gist of the article flew right over your head Mamizoo.

      Not because you have internet access makes you a fool access

      CHILL OUT

      • 1979
        September 27, 2012

        what you aself saying dere nuh??

  9. Fairness!!
    September 27, 2012

    Stupes

  10. mouth of the south
    September 27, 2012

    wow!!! this article hit my brain, like a cool morning breeze at 4:30 a.m hitting my face, while taking deep breaths wishing 7:00 a.m never arrives….

  11. tommy
    September 27, 2012

    Very true are these enlightened words of Mr. Joseph. One wonders how many of these trueisms He shared with His political masters when He was a darling of previous Labour party administrations.

    • 1979
      September 27, 2012

      what does that have to do with anything hilfiger?

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