Observation: Government Working Or Not?
Private Sector businesses are wondering if the Government is open for business, or if the Public Servants are secretly on strike.
When you call Government offices the phones ring out until the recording cuts in for messages, except for the most part the box is full.
Personal visits to Government offices are met with disgruntled persons who seem to object to being asked to stop their phone conversation to deal with issues.
Most of the Ministries have serious problems which are being ignored by those who should be working, but are not.
Once more we are experiencing a tug-of-war between one Ministry’s staff and other Ministry’s staff, and what is worse the Statutory bodies have all gone rogue.
It seems as if the Statutory bodies have forgotten the changes made to the regulating of Statutory Bodies by applicable Ministries, which was done to rein in the National Parks Authority.
There are rumors of one very important Government entity which has outright refused to accept their Permanent Secretary’s authority, not answering letters and not taking his phone calls.
The contractors at two of the contract-laden Ministries are complaining that new favored persons are replacing Antiguan owned equipment, and small contracts are being subsumed by the larger contractors for their subcontracting to their own kind.
This measure is not being met with cooperation of the public servants seeking to protect their own and also their pockets, thereby provoking the wrath of higher-ups.
Officers of Government in their attempt to pass the buck are sending persons back to the Ministers who have already given instructions with the saying, “the more things change the more they remain the same.”
Politics is now so rife among Government public officers, that payments are delayed by color, not only of skin, but now also of party.
Things seem to be falling apart as the new Government tries to seize the reins of an Executive on secret strike action.
The Cabinet meets and sends out Decisions which are read, ignored, or delayed until raised again as an issue, and then delayed again.
As is well known, the complaints of the oppressed and the victimized soon becomes unbearable, and even the once helpful Minister like his officers, wants them to disappear and leave them alone.
Finally there are those Public Servants who only take orders from the Prime Minister, and regardless of what their Minister advises or the Permanent Secretaries communicates on his behalf, it is ignored, and the hidden encouragement of the PM continues to apply in spite of any Minister’s demands.
The dichotomy exists between the Maximum Leader’s secret wishes vs the Ministers’ efforts.
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Well, if payments are delayed because of imagined party colour, they might create more enemies within the system than they actually had.
Cause it would be quite wicked to starve people and families based on disagreements on political policy…
Also, the extra pay prior to the election might start to look like treating if they suddenly can’t find funds for payments after the election.
People in Antigua are too political. Every little bit of constructive criticism is considered political. This impedes progress/improvements in the public sector.
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This has been going on for YEARSSSSS no matter what party is in power. Shake them up! If they don’t want to work get rid of them. Plenty people out there looking for work.
This is utter nonsense!!! If elected officials would accept they are Public Servants entrusted by the people to govern their affairs and the Electorate held them to that task; this would not be a problem. Elected officials think they own the island, ministries and power!!! It’s time the people start jailing and removing them from office and employment!!! This is making us more backward and sitting ducks ripe for picking by the international con-artists and crooks who seemingly gravitate to our shores and are slowly taking away our island from us!!!
For my 2 cents worth, I’ve been highlighting the imbalance of our politics, politicians and their policies for as long as I can remember; and never more highlighted then in the run-up to the last General Election when money for funding, wages and pensions was mysteriously found.
Antiguans deserves a leader and government that loves and invests in its citizens all year round.
With a population of just under 100,000 we should be all benefiting economically, financially and have an infrastructure as good as any of the other Caribbean countries with a vibrant tourism industry; and let us not forget about our inherited and unique yachting community.
Antigua makes plenty money, but the distribution of wealth is way way off the mark.
A good article!
So because I support UPP openly I can’t get my social security money for a year Now..Mr.PM do I need to come protest like the two one man woman to get my money? People in America getting pension money every month why can’t I who live in Antigua get mines so?
Maybe it’s the government intentions to infill the Africans into the ministries, as they have done with the Nigerian who is employed at the Ministry of Argiculture and who have subsequently stated that he and the PM are tight! Antiguans watched this space!!!
Government ministeries have been broken for years, I have sent endless emails to various ministries and have not received an acknowledgement, or answer to my queries.
I found it to be an utter waste of time calling ministries because they don’t answer the phone, or when they do the person you need to talk to is on the phone or out of the office and there’s no point leaving messages because calls are never returned.
I have tried without success to get information about the process for sending dried tea bush to the UK and neither the Post Office or interestingly the Ministry of Argiculture could give a clear answer. The Post Office referred me to the Ministry of Argiculture and apparently the unnamed person at the Ministry is never available to assist with my enquiries.
I totally agree with the long ringing of the phones and regardless of the time of day. May I add that the dialect heard in the background when trying to find out from someone else if a particular person is in the office.
Dialect is a part of us, but it has its place. When it comes to business phone calls, it should not be heard. This is my opinion.
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