ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) — Newly elected Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell has admitted that his Administration lacks public sector experience and going forward there will be educational sessions to engage others who can guide them in the right direction.

Mitchell, whose National Democratic Congress (NDC) was elected to office on June 23 after winning nine seats, made the pronouncement while delivering remarks during the opening ceremony of the first Government retreat for Cabinet ministers and senior management of the public service on Friday.

“The fact that we went back to having transition leads is to accept that we don’t know everything, that we accept that we may have significant weaknesses that will need strengthening, we accept that we will need to learn from others, particularly those who are more experienced than us,” he said.

“And so, this retreat is part of our willingness to engage and embark upon a learning exercise, but ultimately as the persons who will decide policies for the Government over the next several years, we want to forge a close professional working relationship with the senior management of the Government,” said Mitchell who referred to the NDC’s general election manifesto as a bible for Cabinet ministers.

“We are under no illusion that if that relationship is not a professional one…we will not be able to achieve the transformational agenda that I am satisfied it is the only basis on which the citizens of Grenada gave us the mandate to assume office,” he continued

“And therefore, the programmatic platforms that I have set out in our manifesto is the bible of the ministers of Cabinet and the ultimate goal is, in fact, to suit the achievement of those things that are set out in the manifesto. We are under no illusion that some of them may not be achievable in four or five years, but we are satisfied that if we set the foundation to achieve them that they can occur in the medium to long term,” he told participants at the one day retreat.

Secretary to the Cabinet Ruth Rouse explained that the retreat is aimed at having the best for the public service and the country.

“This retreat is the first in a series of sections of the next few months to enable an understanding of how to achieve the Government’s agenda effectively and efficiently. It is against this backdrop that I implore and encourage you to seize this moment and the exercises involved so that when we leave here today, we are better equipped in the core areas that foster the metamorphic agenda of the Government,” she said.

“We and the rest of the public service have a role to play in ensuring that we make profound and lasting transformational changes in how we work and the expertise in how we involve our work. These changes can be achieved through fully utilising technology to modernise service delivery, to inform more robust policies that can tackle the wider demands of our citizens,” she said.