Public Service News from around the world

Conservationist headed Kenya’s PS  

NAIROBI (January 5): Conservationist Richard Leakey, who has died aged 77, was also a career Public Servant who rose to head Kenya's Public Service.

President Uhuru Kenyatta described Dr Leakey (pictured) as a leader who served the country with dedication, with his Public Service roles including Director of the National Museums of Kenya and Chair of the Kenya Wildlife Service Board of Directors.

“He is celebrated for his prominent role in Kenya’s vibrant civil society, where he founded and successfully ran a number of institutions, among them the conservation organisation WildlifeDirect,” Mr Kenyatta said. 

Dr Leakey is credited with making improvements to the way the Government kept track of money and in the quality of people appointed to high office.

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UK advice on costly lunch rejected

LONDON (January 5): United Kingdom Foreign Minister, Liz Truss reportedly rejected the advice of senior Public Servants and hosted a lunch at an expensive private club owned by a donor to her Conservative Party.

Ms Truss apparently “refused to consider anywhere else” when urged to choose a cheaper venue and asked for £3,000 ($A5,676) in public funds for the event where she hosted a United States trade representative.

Public Servants were so concerned at the cost and the venue’s close links to the Conservative Party that the proposal was referred to the most senior official at the Department for International Trade.

In negotiations, the venue agreed to reduce the bill to £1,400 ($A2,648) but on condition of immediate payment, which meant Public Servants had to use an emergency process to pay up straight away.

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New calls to postpone Indian exam

NEW DELHI (January 6): Candidates for India’s main Public Service examination have upped their demands for a postponement as another wave of COVID-19 infections cripples the country.

With the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examinations due to begin this month many candidates fear contracting the virus as they travel from their homes in towns and villages to exam centres in the major cities.

They are saying long hours on public transport and having to stay in hotels near the exam centres are unacceptable risks.

The examination consists of nine papers taken over several days. Candidates who pass this stage are called for a personal interview.

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Department pays for ‘death threat’ software

LONDON (January 7): The United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care has spent £700,000 ($A1.32 billion) on software designed to detect and report online death threats made against “named high-profile individuals involved in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout”.

The technology is also intended to identify and flag up misinformation about the pandemic, including targeted foreign interference conducted on social media by hostile Governments.

Commercial documents reveal the Department has signed a contract with artificial intelligence firm, Logically which will see the company use open-source intelligence methods to provide “regular reporting of threats to life and property” made against people to be specified by the Department.

Open-source intelligence relates to any information that is available to the general public using standard search engines, as well as the wealth of information on the deep web, which invariably sits outside of the scope of common search tools.

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Politician slams ‘constipated’ Irish PS

DUBLIN (January 7): The Irish Public Service is "constipated" and dealing with it will be one of the biggest challenges for a Sinn Féin-led Government, Leader of the Opposition, Mary Lou McDonald says.

Ms McDonald, whose Sinn Féin party is surging in the polls, said Public Servants needed a "jolt" to become more efficient.

"There is immense talent in our public administration, but we have, in many respects, a system that is constipated, a system that is slow, and a system that needs to be jolted into more efficient actions,” Ms McDonald said.

As an example she said the length of time it took to hire doctors and nurses for the health service was "just shocking". She also criticised the length of time it took for capital projects to clear the planning system.

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UK digital awareness lacking at top levels

LONDON (January 7): Research from Global Government Forum maintains that few senior public officials in the United Kingdom are genuine champions of digital transformation.

The research also reveals that Public Service recruitment and performance management often weeds out people with the skills and behaviour required for leading digital transformation projects.

The report highlighted that in most countries, the careers of Public Servants progress based on political and policy skills rather than technical expertise.

One interviewee said that as a result of this, senior digital figures in Government ended up working with Departmental leaders who had “spent their entire careers being reflexively liability-conscious and risk-averse – it is the wrong cohort to try to get to lead such an operation”.

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Ireland reveals cost of PS pensions

DUBLIN (January 2): Figures released by the Irish Department of Public Expenditure under Freedom of Information legislation have revealed that 65 former Public Servants are on annual pensions worth more than €100,000 ($A157,700).

There are 28,773 Public Service pensioners whose pensions cost a total €541 million ($A853 million) a year.

The Government is currently struggling to make provision for its growing public sector and State pension costs. It is estimated that it owes €149.6 billion ($A236 billion) in retirement benefits for current and former Public Service employees.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, said the overall figure was undoubtedly large, but it was important to bear in mind that it would be paid over the next 70 years or so.

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UK public dentists threaten walkout

LONDON (January 4): The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned that thousands of dentists will quit the National Health Service (NHS)  if they are penalised for activity levels less than 85 per cent of what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the BDA said nearly two-thirds of practices currently estimate they are incapable of achieving the required 85 per cent activity level. They claim the NHS-imposed target has had a devastating impact on morale and financial sustainability.

A recent survey by the BDA shows that more than 40 per cent of NHS dentists are now likely to change career or seek early retirement this year given the current targets.

More than half also state they are likely to reduce their NHS commitment, and one in 10 estimates their practices will close in the next 12 months.

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Greek officials brace for Omicron chaos

ATHENS (January 3): Greek officials are bracing for the rampant Omicron variant of COVID-19 to disrupt vulnerable services including hospitals, public transport, Public Service offices, schools and universities.

There are already signs of dysfunction in hospitals, and in the police and the fire services, where employees cannot work from home.

Sources say even if Omicron lives up to its billing as a milder form of the disease, the extra hospital admissions will pose a problem, which will be exacerbated if large numbers of hospital personnel also miss work hours.

Aides to Minister for the Interior, Makis Voridis said all Public Servants who did not deal directly with the public would work from home.

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Malaysian call for business as usual

KUCHING (January 6): Business leaders in the Malaysian State of Sarawak are calling for the local Public Service to return to full-capacity working as the country enters Phase Four of its National Recovery Plan (NRP).

Secretary-General of the Sarawak Business Federation, Jonathan Chai said it was important for the Government to increase public sector capacity to ensure delivery of services to businesses and members of the public would not be disrupted.

Mr Chai said that in Phase Four of the NRP the private sector was allowed to operate at 100 per cent capacity.

“Therefore, Government Departments and Statutory Agencies should follow the same guidelines to normalise the Civil Service which is crucial for supporting and maintaining the livelihoods of many people,” Mr Chai said.

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Overhaul for Greek teleworking

ATHENS (January 3): A new project is aimed at increasing the efficiency of Greek Public Servants working remotely through a public sector teleworking system overhaul.

While the Government’s initial experience with teleworking has not been good, with results from the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 showing a fall in efficiency, the latest surge in the pandemic is a reminder to everyone that working from home in some form is here to stay.

The latest project, now out for public consultation, covers issues such as the monitoring of workers’ efficiency and the compliance with standard procedures and working times.

The consultation document states that for teleworking to function in the public sector, the entire flow of labour will have to be monitored, while ensuring the timetable set for specific tasks is adhered to.

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Korean warning on feline firebugs

SEOUL (January 5): South Korean public officials are warning cat owners in Seoul that their pet could burn their house down.

The warning comes as the capital’s Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters estimated that more than 100 fires over the past three years were started by cats, many of which managed to turn on electric stoves while playing with knobs and dials.

An official working at the Department, Chung Gyo-chul said 107 fires sparked by felines were recorded between January 2019 and November 2021.

Nearly half of those were started when the owners were out of the house, but in the recorded incidents, four people were injured. Often the pets themselves did not survive.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 18 

Media boss calls for independent Northern Ireland

The Chair of a major United Kingdom media group has called for an independent Northern Ireland as a first step towards eventual union with the South.

David Montgomery, who heads JPIMedia, has urged the Province to “seize the moment and boldly determine its own future”.

A native of County Down, he believes that Northern Ireland as an independent entity supported by Britain, Ireland and Europe “a Switzerland of the north, may be the only route to finally resolving the Irish Question”.

“If Irish unity is ever achieved it can only be with two equals — two nation states — coming together voluntarily. Otherwise it will be perceived by a vociferous minority as an annexation on the one hand and a betrayal on the other,” Mr Montgomery says. 

He urged the Province’s politicians to “become statesmen and stateswomen unreservedly representing the whole of Northern Ireland and no other nation”.

Mr Montgomery said Northern Ireland was changing with a good quality of life for an expanding middle class, a growing diverse population and high standards of behaviour based in part on religious adherence.

“More people are identifying less with being British or Irish and instead they proclaim being whole-heartedly Northern Irish,” Mr Montgomery said.

“They identify with pride to be from a place apart that mainly by its own efforts is casting off the struggles and bitterness of the past.

“For Northern Ireland, at the start of 2022, a nation beckons.”

His comments come as two new polls show voters in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland see themselves united as one country in the next 10 years.

South of the border, 62 per cent of people favour Irish unity, though the majority view it as a long-term project rather than an immediate priority, according to the poll published in the Irish Times

A separate poll in Northern Ireland shows that while most still support the link with the UK at present, a majority think if a referendum was held in 10 years it would result in a vote in favour of a united Ireland.

Importantly, unification with the South was most popular with younger voters, with one in five saying that the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union had made them question their support for staying in the UK.

This is significant among a generation that has grown up since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 that made the island of Ireland borderless within the EU.

A majority in the Province (and in Scotland) voted to remain with Europe in the 2016 referendum, only to see their wishes denied by the English majority. 

There is also increasing disgust at the antics of the Government in Westminster, with Ministers seemly more concerned with picking fights with the EU than governing effectively.

In this fraught atmosphere, with no other solution on the table, Mr Montgomery’s idea of an independent Northern Ireland deserves serious consideration.

 

Keyboard warriors a threat to journalism

Journalists are being driven from the industry by an incessant barrage of online abuse and threats, a senior editorial executive in the United Kingdom has warned.

Ian Carter, of Iliffe Media, also believes the attacks are leading to a fall in the number of people wanting to become journalists. 

“I have no doubt this is happening, in part, due to a reluctance to open themselves up to abuse from morons,” Carter says.

Recently a senior journalist in Cornwall quit, citing abuse directed at him and colleagues, while media group Reach has appointed an online safety editor in an effort to confront the problem.

Reporters and editors have had to deal with disaffected members of the public since the birth of newspapers in the 18^th century. In my time in the media I was often confronted outside court with defendants pleading that I not publish their case. 

On one memorable occasion I had to negotiate with a trio of rogues who buttonholed me demanding to know why my story on their rampage that led to the near destruction of a local bar was on my newspaper’s front page rather than a major battle in Vietnam (yes it was that long ago).

You learned to talk your way out of those kinds of situations (blame some anonymous editor). However, the problem has been hugely magnified by the domination of social media in the past couple of decades.

Where once a complainant had to go to the bother of penning a letter, or taking on the journalist face-to-face, keyboard warriors can, from the anonymity of their living-rooms, direct a torrent of vitriol and vile threats at their helpless victim.

It often goes beyond simple abuse and foul language. Women journalists have been threatened with assault and rape; males with beatings, or the sinisterly ominous “we know where you live” statement.

Carter believes “a very dangerous narrative is developing; it’s no wonder we are seeing smaller numbers of people entering the industry”.

The problem here is that social media is a two-way street. Journalists must be on Twitter and Facebook — and let the world know they are there — because increasingly that is the way we communicate.

Media outlets attach comment sections to the stories reporters write because they want to judge the interest they generate. There is also the possibility that sensible and informed comments will lead to valuable follow-ups.

However, that makes the authors, in effect, Aunt Sallies for anyone who thinks they have a grievance, to take a shot at.   

Carter says that while anonymous social media users are the biggest problem, it isn’t helped by people who should know better feeding the myth that journalists are untrustworthy.

“We have had numerous examples of [police] family liaison officers warning people off talking to the press, and every politician who labels something ‘fake news’ because they don’t like their own shortcomings being exposed, add to the problem,” he says.

 

Public Service News from around the world

Malaysian officers drafted in for flood relief

KUALA LUMPUR (December 31); Almost 5,000 Public Servants have been mobilised to help in post-flood relief missions in affected regions of Malaysia.

Director-General of the Public Service, Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said Government workers involved would be paid as if they were performing their official duties.

“Ministries will determine and direct officers in their respective Agencies to help implement post-flood duties according to the designated areas,” Mr Mohd said.

"It will be implemented in badly-hit areas for a specific period to ease the hardship of flood victims."

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Irish officials deciding on COVID exemptions

DUBLIN (December 28): Senior Irish Public Servants have been given the responsibility of deciding whether key workers who are symptom-free should be exempt from COVID-19 isolation requirements even if they are close contacts of people with the virus.

In a statement, the Government said this was part of contingency plans to ensure public services remained in operation amid high levels of infection.

There are already exemptions in place for essential staff in the health service; now this could be extended to the Gardaí (police), fire service personnel, prison officers and those involved in infrastructure and public utilities.

The statement noted that Departments are “working to ensure the full implementation of existing sectoral guidance, as well as putting in place contingency plans to ensure the continued operation of critical infrastructure and essential services”.

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New plan seeks ‘thousands’ of UK job cuts

LONDON (December 27): The United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak is preparing a plan to cut tens of thousands of jobs within the Public Service over the next three years, the Financial Times newspaper has reported.

Citing sources that had been briefed on the plan, the newspaper said the Treasury would release more information early in the New Year.

Unions warned the cuts could jeopardise Government plans to move thousands of Public Servants out of London to depressed areas in the Midlands and North.

Earlier in the year, Mr Sunak said he wanted to shrink the Public Service’s size to pre-pandemic levels by the middle of the decade. 

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UK workers’ pay rise ‘in the balance’

LONDON (December 26): The Minister responsible for the United Kingdom Public Service says a fair pay rise for senior Government officials must be balanced against “other considerations”.

Lord Theodore Agnew has sent a letter to the Senior Salaries Review Body stating that the Government’s first priority must be to protect funding for front-line services and ensuring affordability for taxpayers.

Two months ago, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak declared that public sector pay growth over the next three years “should retain broad parity with the private sector”.

However, Lord Agnew’s letter made no mention of this, noting only that recent times had been “challenging”.

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Unions slam Nigerian water privatisation

ABUJA (December 24): Nigeria’s Public Service unions have joined mounting opposition to Government plans to privatise the country’s water supply.

A statement from the unions said the Bill currently before Federal Parliament “is anti-people and will make clean water inaccessible to most Nigerians”.

“Privatisation will price water above the reach of the poor. Privatisation will lead to job losses to privateers who are interested only in maximising profits,” the statement said.

“We implore Governments, Federal and State in Nigeria, to develop the political will and swing into action in order to improve water infrastructure for regular water supply to the citizens.”

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India seeking remedies for PS shortages

NEW DELHI (December 26): The Indian Government is to establish a panel that will seek ways to address the growing shortage of officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS).

According to sources, the panel will assess “the number of officers that would be required over the next 10 years to man the various senior positions in the State and Central cadres”.

The States have a severe shortage of IAS and IPS officers. As an example, in Kerala only 52 per cent of IPS and 62 per cent of IAS positions are filled.

Nationally, there is reported to be a shortage of 2,418 IAS and IPS officers.

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Maltese official under investigation

VALETTA (December 26): The head of the Maltese Public Service is looking into whether action should be taken against the Ministry of Education’s top official following an ethics probe into a contract awarded to his then Minister’s close friend.   

Principal Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar said the internal process would consider whether Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Frank Fabri broke any rules and if he should face disciplinary measures. 

Mr Fabri was named by Standards Commissioner, George Hyzler over a €15,000 ($A23,500) contract awarded to Daniel Bogdanovic, a close friend of Minister for Education, Justyne Caruana who then resigned.   

Mr Hyzler called on Parliament’s Standards Committee to consider passing the matter on to the police for an investigation into possible offences that carry an effective six-month prison sentence.

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Biden signs off on Federal pay rise

WASHINGTON (December 30): Federal Public Servants in the United States are to receive a 2.2 per cent pay increase plus a 0.5 per cent rise in locality payments under an Executive Order signed by President Joe Biden.

The adjustment brings the civilian Public Service into line with the pay rise already granted to the military.

It means that employees in the Senior Executive Service, Senior Level or Scientific and Professional classifications will have a new minimum pay of $US135,468 ($A186,531) in 2022.

However, President of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, Ken Thomas said the award did not take into account recent steep rises in inflation which would likely more than wipe out the increase.

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Pandemic bonus for Philippines workers

MANILA (December 30): Philippines Public Servants are to receive a one-off payment of PHP10,000 ($A270)  under an Administrative Order (AO) signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The AO “acknowledges all Public Servants for their collective and unceasing participation in, and invaluable contribution to, the establishment of streamlined Government processes…especially in the midst of the prevailing public health emergency”.

It continues: “It is imperative to provide reasonable incentives and assistance to Public Servants who are impacted not only by the pandemic but also by various natural calamities.”

It states the incentive would be received by civilian personnel in National Government Agencies, including those in State universities and colleges and Government-owned or controlled corporations.

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‘Enrichment’ program for Maldives services

MALE (December 30); Maldives President Ibrahim Solih has launched the Executive Enhancement and Enrichment Program, claiming it will greatly assist the Government’s efforts to improve the delivery of public services.

The President urged all Public Servants to support the two-year program, which builds on the recent launch of the gov.mv message, an official digital service for citizen-to-Government communications.

Mr Solih also stressed the need to create public awareness and train Public Servants on the use of new technology.

“We are working hard to upgrade this technology in all public offices,” Mr Solih said.

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Isle of Man call for more efficient PS

DOUGLAS (January 1): The President of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has called for a more "efficient and responsive" Public Service to aid the island’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kristan McDonald said the public sector needed to follow the private sector in changing its practices to reduce bureaucracy, adding that a Government plan to overhaul Departments was "a very good vision".

Mr McDonald said the private sector had transformed in response to technology changes, demographic change and the pandemic.

"We need the Public Service to do the same thing, changing its risk-averse attitude,” Mr McDonald said.  

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Year-end payment for Cayman retirees

GEORGE TOWN (December 26): Retired Public Servants in the Cayman Islands have received a one-off end-of-year payment of $C150 ($A252).

Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service, Franz Manderson thanked his Cabinet colleagues for supporting the pensioners.

“Many of them have served our beloved Islands for decades and could easily be described as the backbone of our society,” Mr Manderson said.

Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Chris Saunders said the Government recognised the valuable contributions the former Public Servants had  made during their working lives.

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Bahamas PS ‘poison pill’ for Government

NASSAU (December 26): Bahamas Minister for Public Service, Fred Mitchell has slammed the “deplorable” state of the bureaucracy left behind by the Government of Hubert Minnis, saying it had been a “poison pill” for the incoming administration.

“There’s plenty of passive-aggressive resistance throughout the system; poison pills left by the last administration. I have been told that because Minnis called the General Election suddenly, budgets and payments were thrown out, so I couldn’t even get my staff paid on time,” Mr Mitchell said.

“The whole system is in disarray and off balance. We must fix the public administration. We must fix the institutions of Government so they can appropriately respond to what the political directorate requires.”

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Bihar PS hopeful foils train robbery

PATNA (January 1): An applicant for the Indian State of Bihar’s Public Service examination, Ritik Kumar Verma is being hailed as a hero after he intervened to stop a gang of young robbers on the Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express train, taking a shot in the stomach in the process.

Police said the robbers boarded the train at Bhagalpur and as soon as it was in motion began demanding valuables from travellers. Mr Verma (27) intervened and was shot, prompting the gang to pull the emergency cord and flee.

Mr Verma was rushed to hospital where doctors said the wound was not life-threatening. Police said he had been studying for the State Public Service examination with an ambition to serve the people.

Superintendent of Police at Jamalpur Rail, Amir Javed said Mr Verma and other passengers had helped to identify members of the dozen-strong gang and he was confident of arrests.

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Praise for Jamaica’s front-line workers

KINGSTON (December 31): Jamaica’s healthcare workers have been praised for their work on the front-line of the battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Nigel Clarke highlighted the work of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association, and the Jamaica Midwives Association.

Speaking after the signing of an agreement for a four per cent salary increase for all public sector workers, Dr Clarke said Jamaica’s health system had experienced an unprecedented crisis sparked by the pandemic, resulting in a significant economic fallout.

“There was no work-from-home for nurses, doctors and midwives. On the contrary, their work became harder and more intense, and the risk was greater,” Dr Clarke said.

The full International PS News service will resume on January 18