Manderson: Strict code should be enforced
Frequently changing elected governments and an extremely small population make preserving political neutrality within the Cayman Islands civil service a daily challenge, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson told observers during an anti-corruption conference panel discussion.
Mr. Manderson’s point about Cayman’s small size was made emphatically when he recognized his mom, Jenny Manderson, sitting in the audience of about 50 people who listened to the discussion Friday.
“She’s put added pressure on me to perform at a high level,” Mr. Manderson joked.
The panel discussion surrounding civil service neutrality issues was part of a three-day anti-corruption conference held at the University College of the Cayman Islands last week.
Personal difficulties
Mr. Manderson and Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose spoke openly about some of the personal difficulties civil servants can experience trying to enthusiastically support the elected government’s policies, without supporting one political group over another.
“In my situation, no less than three of my classmates have been members of parliament, including the current Minister of Financial Services [Wayne Panton] who I’ve been friends with since primary school,” Mr. Manderson said.
The pair also referenced a situation recently where, because of absences due to official travel within the government Cabinet and in the civil service, Bodden Town MLA Alva Suckoo ended up standing in as education minister and his brother, Christen Suckoo, became acting chief officer of the Ministry of Education.
“That situation lasted for a few days and there was no mischief,” Mr. Manderson said.
Changing leaders
In addition, the government leadership has changed no fewer than six times since the year 2000, the deputy governor pointed out, making the average lifespan of each leader – be it premier of leader of government business – about two and a half years.
“Against this background of significant political motility, the need for our civil service to remain non-partisan is underscored,” Mr. Manderson said.
Cabinet Secretary Rose noted that the civil service as the constant backdrop for successive elected governments could probably be credited for continuing Cayman’s tradition of corruption-free elections, the ability of new governments to locate records left behind by the old ones, and continuity in matters of public-private sector relations.
“Imagine if you had to change out all your senior civil servants every time a new government was elected,” Mr. Rose said. “We’re too small.”
Blurred lines
Mr. Rose admitted that, in times gone by, the lines of separation required by the U.K.’s Westminster system as practiced in Cayman may have been a bit blurred.
“If the walls of the old Glass House [former government administration building] … could speak, you might hear the whispers of information being leaked to government or the opposition, inappropriate involvement in election campaigns, deliberate blocking of policies or choking off unwanted projects,” he said. “Of course, none of these happen now in our new building.”
Code of conduct
To combat against such situations, Mr. Manderson said strict adherence to a code of conduct for civil servants must be maintained. He said updated training on the code would be given in the coming months for all government servants.
“A code of conduct is there to set clear ethical boundaries to protect against blurring the lines of our professional conduct and inappropriate blurring influences,” he said.
According to Mr. Manderson, common pitfalls for civil servants in Westminster-style democracies include: Unawareness or willful indifference to requirements for political neutrality, having good intentions while making bad decisions, mistaking political neutrality for political apathy and believing “might is right.”
The last issue of political pressure applied to civil servants carrying out their jobs is one that Mr. Manderson said government is still working to get over. However, he said he believes the danger lies more in civil servants assisting government ministers they do like, rather than in thwarting the ones they don’t like.
“The fact that our society is comparatively small, with a total population of 57,000 persons, it is easy to see that there’s going to be a high degree of familiarity between the civil service and the government we serve,” he said.
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