Grant takes on Chuck for criticising civil service

Nadisha Hunter, Staff Reporter

The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) has taken issue with comments made by former Justice Minister Delroy Chuck who has claimed he had to micromanage the ministry to get movement on some key laws during his tenure because technocrats were too slow to act.

Chuck, who made the comment while speaking Wednesday on TVJ's morning programme, 'Smile Jamaica', said he had to micromanage the legislation committee in order to get the work done.

"If you don't micromanage policy directives, nothing will be done. If you leave it up to the technocrats, they will sit and ask for directions. You have to manage each file, manage each sector and manage each department, otherwise nothing will be done," Chuck had said.

Shortage of resources

But speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, JCSA President Oneil Grant rebuffed the former minister's claim, saying it was far from the truth and arguing that while technocrats would try to do their work effectively, the shortage of resources sometimes acts as a hindrance.

"I don't find that is the case where the government employees are concerned. There are certain policies that require a certain amount of due diligence before they can be put forward and sometimes there is speed and haste by the importance that the minister would place on a particular matter, but that is not to say that the public-sector workers will drag their feet once the policy directives have been very clear," Grant said.

"My personal experience with technocrats within various ministries is that they often don't get the resources that they need to do their jobs speedily and effectively and that manifests itself, seeming as if it is a delay, but once they have the proper resources that have been made available to them, then they always act with the speed that is desired," he added.

Grant argued that ministers sometimes ended up being obstructions to the employees as they were too taken up with the work of the ministry.

"We at the JCSA have always maintained that the ministers who are not experts in their field must allow the technocrats to do the work that they need to do," he said.

"Delroy Chuck may be an exception because he has been an attorney-at-law at the Bar for a very long time, but there are other ministers who would be in various areas and they would never have had any practice in the field but they would want to come and tell the technocrats who have been in the area for years how to do their jobs and then you will find a conflict there."

nadisha.hunter@gleanerjm.com