COMMODORE JOSAIA VOREQE BAINIMARAMA PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE SPEECH AT THE LAUNCHING OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY INITIATIVE

(FRIDAY JANUARY 9TH 2009, No:0047/PMO)  COMMODORE JOSAIA VOREQE BAINIMARAMA PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE SPEECH AT THE LAUNCHING OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY INITIATIVE

Chairman of the Public Service Commission;
Distinguished Guests;
Permanent Secretaries and Senior Officials;  
Ladies and Gentlemen.
 
A very good morning and best wishes for the New Year to you all.
 
It is my pleasant duty as the Minister responsible for the Public Service to take this opportunity to thank you all most sincerely for your hard work, dedication, commitment and perseverance throughout the year to meet the Interim Government’s Mandate.

I also acknowledge the support and understanding of your families and well wishers throughout 2008, who have assisted us in our efforts to meet our goals and aspirations.

I also wish to applaud you all for the revival of the Civil Service Excellence Award Programme in which you have all participated. This is part of the Civil Service Reform framework, implemented to foster service excellence across the service. The aim of course is to increase productivity and to make delivery of public services more efficient and effective and ultimately also raise the quality of services we provide.

However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and be complacent. The Civil Service Excellence Awards Programme must be anchored in reality, consequently translating into tangible improvements and results felt and/or enjoyed by ordinary members of public or relevant stakeholders.

There remains many pressing reasons for us to speed up the reform of civil service for improved productivity and service delivery. I personally over the last few months have correspondences sent to me, as well read and heard from the news media, how poor our service delivery is in some vital sectors such as rural development, health, water supply, maintenance of law and order, environment, granting of permits and approvals and other related areas.

In 2009, I expect higher levels of achievement and implementation rate of approved projects/programmes from all Ministries. There will be no excuses and no passing the bucks. As promised in the 2009 Budget Address, I have already convened the Workshop on Implementation of Capital Projects. You all had a chance to learn, share ideas and agree on a plan of action to speed up implementation of budgeted projects and delivering of appropriate services for 2009.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this morning, I am delighted to officiate in the launching of the “PUBLIC SERVICE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY’ entitled PS 21,marking a new beginning and a new era for the Fiji Public Service with its new vision:

“GOOD GOVERNANCE THROUGH VISIONARY LEADERSHIP  IN THE CIVIL SERVICE”.

I have been informed that PS21 is a reform initiative and is aimed at achieving two basic objectives:

i.     To nurture an attitude of service excellence in meeting the needs of the public with high standards of quality, courtesy and responsiveness; and

ii.   To foster an environment which induces and welcomes continuous change for greater efficiency and effectiveness by employing modern management tools and techniques while paying attention to the morale and welfare of public officers.

I am indeed pleased that this initiative  augurs well with the Pillars Three and Four  of the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress and if I may quote, “Ensuring Effective, Enlightened and Accountable Leadership and Enhancing Public Sector Efficiency, Performance Effectiveness and Service Delivery respectively”

You will all be aware that His Excellency the President has conveyed to me his full concurrence with the contents of the Report of the National Council of Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) on the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress. He has further invited the Interim Government to commence with the implementation of all of its recommendations. At my level, I have already got Cabinet Minister’s to submit to me their deliverables for 2009, incorporating the recommendations in the Charter. At your respective levels, you are to ensure there is effective implementation of all those deliverables and that the Charter recommendations always form the centerpiece of those deliverables.

PS21 is clearly a reform initiative to promote a capable, innovative, and forward looking public sector and is intended to be an internal initiative of the Permanent Secretaries.

It also puts some emphasis on learning from the ideas and lessons of successful private sector corporations, such as their management approaches, their customer care concepts, their productivity standards and their drive to excel.

Its intent is to be at the head of the pack in seeking continuous improvement and innovation to enable the Public Service to become a catalyst for change, standard bearer and a pace-setter for desired changes for the much needed improvement in the production of goods and public services delivery to our people.

The crux of the reform is about promoting innovation and creativity, rewarding potential employees through promotion, and facilitating change vision and commitment.

It should also be noted that the identified objectives and excellence in management functions is not enough. The Public Service is to seek aspiring and anticipatory leaders with a broad strategic mindset and superior leadership if it wishes to be denoted as a first class entity in the 21st Century.

Therefore, I look to you Permanent Secretaries and Senior Management Officers to provide that visionary leadership role to inculcate the development of a new work culture in the civil service. Your key deliverable is to promote a more efficient and service-oriented workforce, that is responsive to meet the needs of the people of Fiji.

As Prime Minister and the Minister responsible for the Public Service, I now have the honour and privilege to launch the PUBLIC SERVICE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY INTIATIVE (PS21) WITH ITS NEW VISION:

“GOOD GOVERNANCE THROUGH VISIONARY LEADERSHIP IN    THE CIVIL SERVICE”.

I would like all of you to be an integral part of it both individually and collectively. I shall follow the progress of PS 21 initiative closely as it very well complements the Change Agenda of Interim Government.

Once again, I wish you all a successful and rewarding 2009.

Vinaka Vakalevu.



Prime Minister addressing guests at the launch of Public Service For The 21st Century

Credit: Department of Information

Date:09/01/09