BY GEORGINA KEKEA
TO effectively implement its policies, the SIDDC Government has mandated a Core Ministerial Coordinating Committee to assist and to carry out the task of making sure public officers are doing their job.
Established within the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, this is in response to part four of the SIDCC Government Policy, ‘Effective policy implementation strategy’.
This internal executive group will oversee and scrutinise the strategic approach that aims to provide the political government information on the efficiency of the implementation of its priority policies by government agencies.
In their presentation last week during the launch of the 2019 Budget, Robson Djokovic from the Prime Minister’s office said the aims and objectives of the Committee is to enable the Executive Government to internally oversee the implementation of its core priority policies as well as to ensure there is effective and efficient coordination of policy implementation, monitoring and evaluation within the government machinery.
Another aim is to ensure the office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) are able to hold implementing agencies and their senior officials accountable for their actions or non-actions in delivering the priority policies of the government.
A part of the function of the committee is to work with the Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination (MDPAC) and Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) to oversee and scrutinize as well as monitor the implementation of the 2019 budget amongst other functions.
The 2019 Budget is said to be of utmost importance to the current government because of the limited time left before parliament dissolves sometimes in mid-December.
The Core Ministerial Coordinating Committee consists of ministers and designated senior government officials from OPMC.
“This is to ensure MPs assert ownership to Government Priority Policies and OPMC being the main coordinating organ of the political government exert its presence in coordinating and monitoring of policy implementation.”
The committee is said to have powers vested upon them by virtue of a cabinet paper [CAB[2018]52].
