ANCHOVY, St James — Civil servants have been warned that there will be greater scrutiny on service delivery if the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is elected for a third-consecutive term in the next general election.

Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, who is also the Member of Parliament for St James West Central, issued the warning as she addressed a JLP Area 4 meeting on Sunday evening at Anchovy High School in the parish on Sunday.

“When we go into the next term I want to put everyone on notice that we’re going to be working to ensure that the internal clients of Government are well served,” said Malahoo Forte.

“We are going to have to look at our civil service, we are going to have to look at our public service, because we find that on that extreme we have two sets of people. One set say, ‘Boy, a nuh my party in power… so we nah guh really do nothing to make them look good,’ and they don’t serve you as well. And some of you will say they sabotaged the Government,” added Malahoo Forte.

She told the meeting that there are also some people who support the JLP who have taken up this unwanted position.

“But then we have another set — and I want you to hear me carefully because in that set, some of the Jamaica Labour Party family falls. They say, ‘Well, my party in power… so I don’t have to do nothing because nobody can fire me.’ And on both sides the people are not well served,” added Malahoo Forte.

She argued that if members of the political directorate make all of the decisions to improve the lives of Jamaicans but the, “middle men don’t do their work, you are not going get the benefits in the way we intend it”.

In a media release on Monday Malahoo Forte sought to provide clarity to her comments at the JLP meeting, as she rejected reports saying that if re-elected the party has intention to target, victimise, or malign civil or public servants who have personal political preferences.

“My comment was centred on upholding the long-established principle that the public service must be politically neutral, professional, and focused on delivering quality service to the people of Jamaica. This is essential for ensuring that all Jamaicans, regardless of political affiliation, receive fair and efficient service from their Government,” Malahoo Forte said in the mid-afternoon release.

“Let me emphasise that the Government of Jamaica remains committed to empowering civil servants. This is clearly demonstrated by the implementation of the largest public sector compensation package in Jamaica’s history. The Jamaica Labour Party Government has also made the largest investment in capacity-building and skills training through the Marcus Garvey postgraduate scholarships and unlimited, free online courses.

“This transformational investment improved the livelihoods of public sector workers and attracted and retained top talent in service to the nation. As the Government continues to modernise and transform the public sector the focus remains on building a results-oriented, high-performing workforce. I have the utmost respect for our civil servants, many of whom work under challenging circumstances to keep the machinery of Government running smoothly. My remarks were never intended to cast aspersions on their professionalism,” added Malahoo Forte.