Is Mr Christie misunderstood?

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Dear Editor,

I would like to believe that Contractor General Greg Christie means well for Jamaica, and that his work and his objectives of bringing a high standard of accountability and transparency to Government Procurement procedures are without question. Therefore, it is very important to note the importance of the kind of work done by the contractor general.

I sought to understand the kind of person who must be responsible for driving the different ministries, permanent secretaries and Government employees in putting their best foot forward so as to avoid reprimand or sanction. In so doing, I took note of, and make reference to, a very important presentation made by Mr Christie to the Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners Long Service Award on March 5, 2011.

His topic was 'Ideal Employer and the Ideal Employee'. In his presentation, he said that some of the attributes of the ideal employee are as follows:

* He should be prepared to make discipline and integrity his daily signpost;

* He should be completely ethical, honest, truthful and respectful in his on-the-job dealings with his co-worker and his employer;

* He must avoid conflict of interest, whether perceived or real;

* He must avoid gossip and acrimony and at all times try to exude a pleasant and harmonious disposition toward his co-worker and supervisor;

* He should be a team player, but he must be forthright and confident in expressing his views whenever the need arises.

In relation to the Ideal Employer, here are some of the attributes he outlined:

* A professional work environment;

* A disciplined work environment;

* A structured work environment;

* A pleasant and appropriately resourced work environment;

* An organisation that truly values its human resources.

All this has caused me to ponder whether Mr Christie is misunderstood, or could it be that he has misunderstood the people with whom he works and the country in which he operates?

Could it be that this man is an idealist who only sees things in a defining perfection with which he would want them, and as such he expects that everyone should measure up to his personal perspectives? Whatever the case may be, what is sure is that he needs to find more effective ways of communicating to the country that his work as contractor general is to achieve the objective of the greater good of the country and as such his actions should be more harmonious with the urgent requirement of the development of the economy, while he ensures that the proper procedures are adhered to.

Remember, procedures are developed so as to ensure successful results and not for the sake of simply ensuring successful procedures.

Denton Jenkins

dentonjenkins@gmail.com

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Is Mr Christie misunderstood?