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The New
National Party is very concerned with
the top heavy, government that has
emerged merely a month after the
National Democratic Congress assumed the
mantle of leadership in Grenada. The
first sign of the top heavy government
appeared only days after the election
when 16 Ministers were sworn into
completely new Government Ministries.
Prime
Minister Tillman Thomas has consistently
said that he and his administration are
committed to the principles of good
governance. Yet so far, it appears as
though there is a disconnect between
principle and practice, as the new
Administration barrels into changes that
lack even the most basic elements of
good management practice.
The
Government has continued to appoint
Advisors, while firing scores of
productive young employees and contract
workers. These employees were productive
members of Government, with a full slate
of responsibilities, many of whom served
the Nation with distinction. Most of the
employees that have been sent home were
making small salaries that were
supporting themselves and their families
in a month-to-month existence that was
getting increasingly difficult while the
cost of living has skyrocketed globally.
The New
National Party has been informed that
many of these employees did not have
their performance reviewed as was
promised by the NDC during elections;
they were not given notice; and some
have not yet received pay. This has a
tremendously negative effect on people
(and their families) who expected to
keep their jobs when the NDC promised to
retain people on the basis of
performance.
For these
people, their financial prospects are
dire indeed: Jobs are already scarce;
the cost of living is soaring; and now
the Government has flooded the labour
market by dismissing so many people at
once it leaves little hope of these
people finding news jobs. Thrusting
people into this kind of economic
hardship without warning at this
critical juncture in our history simply
because of their perceived political
affiliation is nothing short of cruel.
These
people did not occupy jobs for the sake
of having them; and if some of them were
perceived to be supporting the New
National Party it would have been
prudent to give them the opportunity to
demonstrate their professionalism before
terminating their employment. The NNP
led Government maintained a large number
of known NDC supporters without
penalizing them for their political
affiliation by removing their
employment.
Attorney
General, Jimmy Bristol for example, has
prioritized creating yet another Senior
Government post, hiring more staff and
paying higher wages for his office while
the Finance Minister complains about the
financial constraints faced by the
country. Meanwhile, hiring more Lawyers
and Advisors while thrusting honest,
hardworking employees to the street
despite the Prime Minister’s promises to
review the performance of staff before
dismissing anyone - reveals shocking
contradictions within Government far too
soon after elections.
Already,
employees in Ministries that have a
profound impact on the wellbeing of the
people are complaining that morale is
very low.
One
unionized employee who admitted to
voting for change, confessed under the
condition of anonymity, “I thought we
needed a change, but I didn’t think it
would be like this. I didn’t think it
would be so bad. People are coming to
work and doing nothing”.
It will
not take long before these mistakes will
spiral out of control. Of course, it is
expected that there will be changes when
a new Government assumes power, but what
is taking place now goes beyond
historical precedent.
Change that
is meaningful, sustainable and positive
does not happen overnight and this
gun-shot restructuring of Government
Ministries, top heavy spending, and
radical staffing changes are a formula
that threatens to reverse a lot of gains
the Nation has made in recent years if
left unchecked. Therefore the
Opposition is urging the new Government
to give more consideration to their
management decisions, and follow the age
old words of wisdom: “Look before you
leap”.
NNP
Perspective week ending August 29th, 2008 |
