Senator Williams Committed to Quality Public Sector

KINGSTON — Minister with responsibility for the Public Service, Senator the Hon. Arthur Williams, says he is committed to the mission of “bringing a well-defined package of solutions” to address the issues that currently affect the public sector.

Senator Williams, who was recently promoted to his current position, now has the responsibility to drive the process in creating a transformed and cohesive public sector. “I will seek to create a public sector that is performance-based, efficient, cost-effective, and service-oriented,” he said, as he addressed business leaders and students at the launch of the Global Leadership Interlink (GLI) at the Courtleigh Auditorium, New Kingston.

The Minister said he was aware that the results would not "come overnight", but stated that he was willing to pull from international best practices to support the government’s efforts to establish an efficient, responsive and cost effective framework of operations for the Jamaican public sector. “I also welcome the ideas and the partnership of organisations like GLI, as we try to reach our goal,” he added.

The Minister further argued that all Jamaicans must seek to build a public service that “draws upon the best of ourselves. This must be expressed in our appetite and discipline for work, in our commitment to excellence, in our respect for the individual, and our desire to do right by our neighbour – to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”

He said he strongly believed that these are the values that must guide government policy in the difficult job of transforming and reforming the Jamaican public sector into a modern and highly functional bureaucracy, noting that dialogue is an essential ingredient in the process.

Some 300 professionals, businessmen and university students converged at the Courtleigh Auditorium for the launch of the Jamaica chapter of GLI.

An international network of professionals and university students, GLI is active in more than 25 countries across the globe, including South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago.

Director, Mark Thomas, said the organisation is committed to impacting societies and governance systems through the promotion of values-based leadership and ethical nation development initiatives. The purpose of the organisation, he added, is to operate as a training ground to prepare professionals and students for their present and future roles.

“We, therefore, seek to equip our members with a core set of values and perspectives that allows them to pursue the progressive transformation of their chosen sectors of professional endeavour,” he stated.

Founder of GLI, Dr. Noel Woodroffe, stated that the world faces unprecedented and complex challenges that require global solutions and leadership of unprecedented quality and capabilities.

“We understand that the society demands values such as integrity, humility, selflessness and collaboration to be pre-eminent in emerging and current leaders, as well as professional expertise and competency,” he noted.

He explained that GLI is a network that equips professionals and students from across the world with these values and provides organisations with insights and consultancy on how they can address the complex issues they face.

“Our global spread and unique perspectives allows GLI to get to the very heart of issues and provide approaches by which long-term solutions can be built,” he stated.

Also attending the function were outgoing President, Jamaica Manufacturers Association, Omar Azan; and Leader, GLI, Strategic Leadership Team, Dr. Farid Youssef.

By ATHALIAH REYNOLDS, JIS Reporter