Discipline within our Public Service

These are certainly testing times for those people working for the Public Service in the Cook Islands. Since the reform era of the mid 90’s, the Public Service has been benign of loyalty, commitment, innovation and leadership. While it is easy to point the finger at individuals, at best rather, any responsibility for success or failures within the Public Service rests entirely with the government of the day.
Finger pointing is nothing but an excuse because the management of our governance administrative systems depends on the quality of people who are appointed to provide leadership and direction especially for the largest employer within the Cook Islands, the Public Service.
There is no argument that good people do exist within the Public Service but the influence of politicians on the machinery of government has had an adverse effect on the performance and service provision within the Public Service.
There have been several instances in the past where senior public officials have compromised their positions through potential conflicts of interests but were never taken to task because of sympathetic politicians, inadequate policies or they are related to Ministers in one way or another.
Senior officials have also escaped criminal convictions because of political intervention setting a bad example for those public servants who continue to do their job in a diligent and law abiding manner.
There was also a time up until the reform period of 1996, that the Public Service was often perceived as a career path for many talented Cook Islands people who joined government with aspirations of seeking employment where you went to work with pride and had a sense of belonging knowing that you are contributing to your country’s development.
Today, that discipline, that commitment within the Public Service is slowly eroding and all we see now is a service being provided by a system that lacks integrity and loyalty. Gone is that feeling of being appreciated and doing service with pride. Gone also are the feelings of contributing your skills, your knowledge and your time which have been replaced by an attitude that leaves only scope for nepotism, corruption and a total lack of discipline.
Does this mean that we are entering a phase of a future which we have no control over because of the political instability currently being experienced or are we faced with a service where there is really no control with no direction yet alone leadership?
The Public Service Act was reviewed last year in what was termed “politically convenient” and ironically, we still see loopholes appearing that should have been covered by the new Act but hasn’t. More ironic is that the government intends to bring in “more consultants” to tidy up what was supposed to be tidied up under the new Act.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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