PHILOSOPHY FOR PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM Government's ...

White Paper on Public Sector ReformEXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe White Paper on Public Sector Reform prepared by the Ministry of the CivilService at the mandate of the Prime Minister outlines the policy of government onPublic Sector Reform.The case for Public Sector Reform rests on the view that the public sector, as anintegral part of the executive arm of the government, must be responsive to thechanging demands of both the national and global market place. To accomplishthis, it must move away from the traditional way of doing things. Public servantstherefore have to adopt positive approaches to achieve results which are consistentwith the policy intentions of the government. Public Sector Reform beingundertaken in Ministries and the regular administrative and service agencies ofgovernment, is part of a deliberate policy and strategy to alter organisationalprocess and behaviour in order to improve management capacity and enhanceservice performance.The challenges and opportunities for change are discussed in a historical contextin Section II of the White Paper. The change from a colonial administration, toindependence, bringing with it, stronger linkages with the International FinancialInstitutions, and the need for new ministries, departments and other administrativearrangements to implement social and economic policies, are outlined. Specificproblem areas such as hierarchy and red tape, human resource and financialmanagement and lack of effective standards of accountability, are highlighted;likewise are some opportunities taken over the past two decades to improve serviceperformance through training programmes and the creation of special focus unitsand Ministries. This section also addresses the pressures for reform arising from