Press Release From OPM - October 28, 2026
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| The Most Hon. Dr Andrew Holness |
Prime Minister Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness is calling for greater urgency and efficiency across the public sector, insisting that government processes must move faster to deliver critical projects and relief to Jamaicans who cannot afford to wait.
Speaking today at the official reopening of the Black River Hospital, exactly one year after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, Dr Holness said the pace of recovery had exposed weaknesses in public administration that must be addressed if the country is to respond effectively to the needs of its people.
The Prime Minister said while public institutions must uphold the rules governing the use of public funds, those rules must not become obstacles to timely delivery, particularly when communities are waiting for essential services and infrastructure to be restored.
“We are not saying you must not follow the rules. We are saying that you must follow them quickly,” Dr Holness said, highlighting that bureaucratic inflexibility risks leaving public administration serving itself rather than the people it is mandated to serve.
The Prime Minister underscored that the need to accelerate project delivery was not a call to bypass accountability. He said faster decisions and implementation could still withstand public scrutiny.
“Everything that we do as a government must withstand scrutiny. We do not shy away from public scrutiny. In fact, come and scrutinize what we have done and then judge us on how fast we have delivered. You have never heard a report stating how fast we have delivered or how efficient we have been,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness said the reopening of Black River Hospital demonstrated what could be achieved when the necessary decisions are made and projects are advanced, while acknowledging that too many other initiatives remain undelivered because of delays within the public bureaucracy.
Dr Holness highlighted that his administration will pursue a change in the culture of public service delivery, with greater emphasis on how quickly and efficiently projects are executed, alongside the established requirement for transparency and accountability.
The reopening of the hospital comes as the country reflects on a year of recovery following Hurricane Melissa, which caused extensive damage across western Jamaica.
He said the restoration of the hospital is tangible evidence of recovery efforts translating into benefits for Jamaicans, while emphasizing that the anniversary must also serve as a reminder that the pace of implementation needs to improve.
The Prime Minister maintained that accelerating implementation must not come at the expense of proper oversight, but that processes must be applied in a manner that is lawful, relevant and responsive to the circumstances facing the country.
Prime Minister Holness said the wider recovery efforts must now be matched by greater urgency across the public sector, so that projects are completed, assistance reaches those who need it and Jamaicans can see the results of decisions taken in their interest.
Editor's Note
This is an excellent speech, but action must be taken to ensure that the public sector performs. Those who take a partisan position and have become a stumbling block must be removed.
The Prime Minister needs to meet with representatives from all government departments on a monthly basis to get updates and to hear about the bottlenecks.
There is a need to set up a citizens' complaint section in the Office Of The Prime Minister to keep the PM aware of challenges being faced by the people..
The public sector needs strong and effective leaders who understand the importance of giving excellent customer service to citizens.
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The public sector need to be efficient. We should not have to spend a half a day to get a transaction done. Wasting of our time and productive time.
ReplyDeleteCan some tell me why the offices that have been designated to execute effective and efficient execution of achieving is in the pm office and this is still a problem?
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