Parliamentary visit meeting with Ministry of Finance
THE Honourable Prime Minister yesterday supported the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and National Planning initiative to consider monitoring and evaluating its staff on a monthly basis.It is aimed to boost strong public service delivery and strong leadership.
Head of Planning Division of the Ministry of Finance, Tufui Faletau revealed this when Hon. Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva and other MPs visited the ministry yesterday during the annual parliamentary a visit program to Government ministries and departments.
Faletau said she noted the model while taking part in a Peer Review of Samoa’s national planning, budgeting, public financial and aid management systems in 2013.“The monitoring evaluation process is to involve staff from the top to the bottom level including CEO.
When engaging everyone they can work together to identify what goals and objectives which have been achieved in the ministry’s corporate plan and ensure staff performance is in line with their key performance indicators (KPI),” said Faletau.
The proposal aims for all employees to work and report to the Hon. Prime Minister and not the Finance Minister. The intention is for an independent body to oversee the work performance of MOF’s personnel.
Faletau added, personnel in the lower ranks are sometimes hesitant when executing their duties and responsibilities because they are unaware of the ministry’s corporate plan or the Tonga Strategic Development Framework.
Therefore moving Tonga forward in a whole government approach helps to make a difference in improving strong leadership and to deliver reforms.Faletau also points out it is important there is a whole Government approach to ensure other key central agencies are fully engaged and to progress all of Government reforms and systems.
She asserted that improve effective budget allocations and implementation to achieve national development priorities is needed.
The Hon. Prime Minister said to move Tonga forward there is a need to break the culture of fear among most civil servants in executing duties and responsibilities effectively.
Pohiva also noted there is room for improvement in civil servants’ performance. He added sometimes they are hesitant to perform when given a task to do. However he believed such attitudes and behaviours needs to be addressed and eliminated to move Tonga forward.
Hon. Pohiva assumes the lack of motivation to perform from civil servants is simply no work promotion given to them in the past 10 years or so.