CO-CHAIRMAN of the Public Sector Transformation Oversight Committee (PSTOC), Danny Roberts says the economic gains made by the country in the last five years could be reversed if transformation of the public sector is not urgently prioritised.

He says the perception of transformation is too focused on the size and cost of the public sector, and this will not engender confidence among public servants to embrace the need for reform.

Roberts, who was speaking at the second quarterly meeting of justices of the peace for St Andrew, on the weekend, said the five main pillars identified by the transformation implementation unit under public sector reform are critical, but that these must be supported by a transition phase which must create an emotional investment for public sector transformation by the workers and wider society.

Roberts stated that while Jamaica has had some measure of success over the past 30 years, the Global Competitiveness Index ranks the quality of its public institutions at 82.

He added that a recent report from global management consulting firm, McKinsey, pointed to the fact that 80 per cent of the efforts at public sector transformation have failed.

Roberts further noted that a recent World Bank study underscored the importance of quality public institutions to sustainable development and the growing body of research, explaining that the adequacy and effectiveness of public institutions are what account for the differences in growth rates and development trends across developing countries.

He said the social contract between government and citizens requires full national participation in defining the priority and policy direction to ensure that government delivers.

“We all benefit from a transformed public sector where quality services are provided, citizens’ safety and security are assured, there is widespread and equitable economic growth and opportunity, and there are effective means to counter externalities and environment threats,” he argued.

The PSTOC co-chair urged that in the post-IMF period public sector transformation should move “from a veritable trot to a pace and intensity that signals that as a government and a people we have the ability, capacity, and fortitude to be masters of our own fate”.