Government has allowed hordes of crony consultants to populate government corporations and ministries, the opposition FNM said in a release on its website announcing a part of the its policy agenda for the nation.
“Remnants of the pre-1992 cronyism and lax standards are alive and well today. At the very beginning of the present government’s tenure their party’s old guard launched a campaign of victimization at the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation. Other departments have also witnessed striking examples of victimization,” the party claimed.
The party claimed that prior to 1992 very few non-PLP cronies received government contracts.
By contrast it said, the FNM granted contracts to people from every political affiliation and those with no affiliation.
“Once again the governing party is moving in the wrong direction by significantly reducing access to contracts by those who are not their known supporters. We will award contract’s on a fairer basis and bring more transparency to this process,” the FNM said.
Despite the more than $11 billion worth of heads of agreement announced by the government the FNM said that it can point to very few projects that have started in earnest.
“Unemployment is up. Towards the end of its single term in office the government has few things to which it can point to show they weren’t all show,” the FNM said.
The FNM said that it will create a greater culture of strategic planning within government and restore effective planning and evaluation in the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The PLP Government’s failures are a combustible mix of poor planning and even poorer execution. The FNM team will once again usher in an era of competence, efficiency and results,” the party said.
It pointed out that the office of the prime minister, with access to various policy experts within and outside government, must be responsible for advising the government on a variety of policy issues. It should also assist the government with the monitoring and evaluation of government policies and programmes.
“One feature of this office will be a risk assessment programme that will help the government monitor long-term trends, and threats to the well-being of Bahamians. While crises are inevitable, many can be avoided through long-range planning and vigilance. Unfortunately, the present government prefers to govern in a constant crisis mode, many of their own making.”
The FNM said it will also transform the Ministry of Public Service into a reorganized Department of Public Service and Management which will place great emphasis on how the service may more effectively manage public resources, achieve greater productivity and deliver more efficient user friendly services.
“The present government has talked a great deal about public sector reform and transforming government, but has done very little.
“Systemic rather than piecemeal transformation is now needed if we are to provide government for the 21st century,” the party said.
Toward this end the FNM said that if it becomes the next government, taking into account the advice of consultants and experts, will look into every area of government operations, listen to the concerns of all stakeholders and design and implement improved systems and processes, including the role to be played by Local Government.
“Central to all our efforts will be the achievement of greater efficiencies within government and the effective delivery of every service for the Bahamian taxpayer whom government too often burdens through chronic delays, poor systems management and simply bad service,” the party said.
Source: The Tribune
