With the appointment of Ambassador Audrey Marks, Member of Parliament for Manchester North Eastern, as minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for efficiency, innovation, and digital transformation, a strong signal is being sent that the Government is determined to achieve economic growth with increased productivity.

This is almost a declaration of war on what has contributed to stagnation in the economy, a clear intention that there can be no business as usual, and there is the urgent need for fundamental change in the ways we have operated in the past.

Having been a business person herself, and knowing the frustrations she faced as the architect of one of the premier bill payment companies in the country, Paymaster, she undoubtedly has a good grasp of the laborious and meandering paths that have to be navigated to achieve the efficiency, innovation, and sustained economic growth that the country desperately needs. It is now well established that Jamaica has the lowest productivity levels among her Caribbean counterparts. It is also acknowledged that Jamaica has some of the brightest minds anywhere in the Caribbean and the world. How we harness the much-touted resilience and entrepreneurial energy of the Jamaican people to which political leaders tend to pay only lip service will determine how successful we are at the goals we seek.

But there are many hurdles and tremendous headwinds that the minister will face. The task before her can truly be described as Herculean. It is not far-fetched to suggest that the task is similar to that which faced Hercules of Greek mythology who was given the arduous task to clean the stables of King Augeus. To remove the mountain of manure that had accumulated over the years, Hercules knew that the feat could not be achieved by brawn, though he was known for his strength. He could either use a shovel or his ingenuity to accomplish the task before him. He used the latter by training two rivers to flush the manure from the stables, thus completing the job in the desired time.

Of course, this is just a metaphor for what I believe faces Marks, but it is not indistinguishable from the morass through which she will have to wade as she cleans the Augean stables of Jamaica’s moribund public service machinery. Part of the problem she faces is a historical one that is rooted in the politics of intimidation, exploitation, mediocrity, and clientelism. The politics of clientelism, as the late Carl Stone described it, led many people to believe that the State was best placed to provide them with the goods and services they needed to make it in life. This led to an over-reliance on the State to meet these needs.

Over the years many were led down the garden path to believe that their political party would be the one to help them, even though there was a fundamental disconnect between the ability of the party in power to deliver on its grandiose promises and the economic realities of a country that could not afford what was promised. A wide gap developed between political rhetoric and economic determinism which led to great frustration among many. The net result is workforce productivity was cauterised by this over-reliance on a State that could not deliver.

The present withdrawal from the political process is a manifestation of the disillusionment and betrayal that many feel. How you engage Jamaicans to believe and feel they are important stakeholders in the Jamaican dream will be fundamental in helping them to use their creativity and innovativeness to enhance productivity, not only for the country but for themselves.

As governments in the past were forced to practise the tribal politics of clientelism, the political directorate was pushed increasingly to wrap its tentacles around every nook and cranny of the productive process, not only by corrupting procurement guidelines to benefit their friends and cronies, but also to give them lucrative contracts. A minister of efficiency and transformation must have no illusions that this mentality still persists in the public service. The civil service is supposed to operate as an independent body, as required by the constitution, but it would be foolhardy to think that independence in the Jamaican political milieu really means no overt or covert support for the party in power.

I predict that it is in dealing with the civil service that the new minister will have the greatest headache. She is not unaware of this, but she will have to possess the intestinal fortitude to confront what she will find without wavering. I have said in this space before that the Jamaican civil service is one of the greatest hindrances to productivity and innovation in the country.

As we know, people do not give up too easily that to which they have become habituated. Old ways die hard. I believe that the minister’s ambassadorial skills will be of great help in dealing with the civil service bureaucracy that is crying out for reformation and new directions. I will admit that there are areas of the civil service that function quite well, but if there is ever an Augean stable that needs cleaning, this is it.

Minister Marks would be well advised not to be too starry-eyed about what can or cannot be done. She must face her task with optimism and boldness, which must be tempered with humility and patience. Government is not as “joined up” as it may appear. There is still too much of a siloed approach whereby everyone does what is pleasing in his or her sight, so the task will be arduous. I have a quiet feeling that she is up to it, but only time will tell. In the meantime, this column wishes her well.

Golding’s meeting request

There has been some public discussion as to whether Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness should meet with Opposition Leader Mark Golding to discuss restarting the constitutional reform process.

It is within Golding’s remit as leader of the Opposition to call for this meeting and Dr Holness should accommodate it.

I would like to believe that there was no animus behind the prime minister referring Golding to the justice minister, but the appropriate meeting, in my opinion, should be between himself and Golding.

It is clear that the recently concluded political contest between both men was brutal and rancorous and personal feelings might have been hurt. But the good leader puts on his hat of magnanimity, sets aside personal feelings, recognises whose interests he or she is there to serve, and rises to the occasion.

The meeting should be held sooner rather than later, and I believe there need not be any mediator between them. They must be man enough to meet. Good governance demands it.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.