MERGED MINISTRIES HOLD FIRST STAFF MEETING

The newly created Ministry of Housing, Transport, Water and Works held its first general staff meeting on Tuesday, April 11 at the Hilton Hotel in New Kingston.

The meeting was chaired by the Senior Director, Human Resource Management and Administration in the former Ministry of Transport and Works, Mrs. Barabara Cadogan. Addressing the capacity audience were Minister Robert Pickersgill, State Ministers Richard Azan and Fenton Ferguson. Permanent Secretaries Alwin Hales and Genefa Hibbert assisted in fielding questions from the audience. Ms. Lorna Green, Principal Finance Officer in the former Ministry of Water and Housing offered prayer on behalf of the meeting.

In addressing the meeting, Minister Pickersgill welcomed all, in particular new State Minister Richard Azan to the new Ministry. He noted that the new Ministry emerged from Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s wish to decrease the number of Ministries and also the bureaucracy. Minister Pickersgill pledged that he would preside over a Ministry that engaged in transparency and order and as such would adopt an ‘open door policy’ along with the other Ministers (State). He echoed the Prime Minister’s injunction that Ministers and civil servants needed to ‘put on walking and working shoes’ so that they could engage the persons to whom they are accountable.

In explaining that the Ministry was being viewed as a ‘super Ministry’, the Minister said that the ‘four pronged challenges of road, water, transport and housing now resided in one place’. Continuing, he said, “ That being the case, you can begin to see the impact that our Ministry will have on the entire country. This Ministry and its operations are vital to the productivity and indeed the very survival of the nation. To put it succinctly, ‘the country goes to bed with us and wakes up with us – we are on duty 24/7.”

In outlining the financial figures for the Ministry’s budget, he said that the combined totals for the merged Ministry is $5B. The breakdown is as follows: Former Housing and Water - $385M for recurrent; $311M for Capital A. Former Ministry of Transport and Works – $667M for recurrent and $210M for Capital A.

For their part, both Ministers Ferguson and Azan pledged their support for the new Ministry. Minister Azan said he was looking forward to his tenure at the Ministry and that ‘challenging times but opportunity-filled times were ahead’. He called upon the workers to ‘do a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Minister Ferguson noted the changing dynamics of the Ministry and asserted that he would be doing his part to advance its cause. He used the opportunity to call for a Citizens’ Charter which he said, ‘would assist in keeping the Ministry consistent with its aims and objectives’.

Following the presentations of the Ministers, staff members were invited to ask questions. Staff members were assisted with responses by Permanent Secretaries Hales and Hibberts along with Mrs. Barbara Cadogan, Senior Director, Human Resource Management and Administration.