BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale says professionalism is the key cornerstone in the public service bureaucracy.
He said among areas a healthy public service must have policy execution and bureaucracy is responsible for the doing—taking the laws and policies enacted by the legislative and executive branches and turning them into actionable programs.
“Examples include running schools, managing hospitals, maintaining infrastructure, and collecting taxes and so on,” Wale said.
He pointed out that public servants should also be career professionals and experts in their field as specialisation ensures that complex policy details are handled with technical competence and professional knowledge.
The Member of Parliament for Aoke/Langalanga said this is to ensure tasks are clearly broken down and assigned to specialized expert officials, leading to greater competence and efficiency.
On the same note, he highlighted that a clear hierarchical structure and division of labor streamline operations define who is responsible for which decisions and tasks.
“This structure, maximizes efficiency and allows for better coordination and control. There is a clear, fixed chain of command and control, ensuring accountability and coordination.
“The buck has to stop somewhere. Someone must bear responsibility for decisions and actions taken within the structure of the public service,” Wale said.
He also stressed the need for organizational memory, through which extensive record-keeping, where the bureaucracy maintains continuity and organizational memory.
“This allows government operations to follow precedent, learn from past experience, and function seamlessly, even as elected political leaders change.
“This also ensures precedence is respected and provides certainty and predictability of decision making,” Wale said.
He stressed that well-functioning bureaucracy uses a merit-based system for hiring and promotion, where civil servants are selected based on qualifications and job performance rather than political patronage or wantok relationships.
“This commitment to professionalism is key to effective and non-partisan public service,” he said.
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