Paradigm Shifts

There are a number of areas where Bermuda can eliminate red tape and bureaucracies but the first thing that is required is honesty.

We need to be honest with ourselves as a country to admit that we have been doing too many things incorrectly for decades. Add to this the word 'corruption' which may cause an immediate adverse reaction to readers but even the slightest bending of the rules in place can be classed as such.

The first area that will ensure consistency and efficiency is to remove the human factor from many of the basic administrative tasks that government departments routinely mismanage.

For instance,

Policies and Procedures

Across government, this is probably the weakest area that needs to have not only drafting of same, but also the revision on an annual basis for relevance and suitability.

Walk into almost ANY government department and get multiple answers from different staff members on different days OR two different people get two different answers to the exact same query.

Accountability

This is an area that the Head of the Public Service needs to address.

Unanswered phones, emails, letters, etc are deeds that go unrectified.

Take TCD, Immigration and Customs as three similar examples and compare them to the Departmant of Planning.

The first three entities have poor customer service at varying levels.

A simple search of the government's website will quickly reveal the vast lack of availabilty for specific forms that are completely electronically based.

We live in the most digitized era in the history of mankind, yet members of the public still have to print applications, manually sign and deliver to nearly all three for the vast majority of applications that require vetting that can be accomplished by a web based program.

With the exception of HM Customs who can process a CAPS Trader ID completely online there are hardly any other functions that are available online that create more red tape for no reason.

We consistently attempt to reinvent the wheel in many areas but only create an additional problem in addition to the original problem.

Here are a few instances where the public is shortchanged.

Passport applications

UK, completely digitized and online.

Bermuda, paper based and cumbersome.

Why can't we mirror the exact same website design as the UK Government and make the processes simpler and more user friendly.

Vehicle Registration

We'll look at commercial vehicles.

A business owner cannot currently download an application for a truck permit.

You have to attend TCD or try to get an email answered.

A complete waste of time to have to do so.

There are obscure details contained within the application and the department inflates the process unnecessarily which frustrates applicants. Make the applications clear, concise and complete with references to legislation or policy where applicable.

Record keeping

The government has a proven poor track record of record keeping and continues to cling to a very manual system despite the ability to digitize records. The need for re-training staff to manage better record keeping is also needed. There are too many instances where staff have not been trained to work in a modern office setting and rely heavily on storing stacks of paper that in other countries has been eliminated.

Meanwhile, at the Departmnt of Planning, individuals can access tons of information that is freely available without setting foot in their offices.

There is an online interface called Customer Self Service or CSS that allows the user to provide whatvis required without the inconsistencies of the past when poor management of Service delivery existed. Now it is more cut and dry, you either have the required documents or you don't habe the documents and have access to information and staff members who communicate freely.

Why such administrative disparities between departments whose mandate is similar?

Why is Planning so far ahead and the others so far behind?

Online Access to Information

All forms and publications need to be online.

Regular Updates

Staff must be able to quote latest information. The public must have access to same.

Online Payments

No department shouldn't have the ability to accept online CC payments.

In Bermuda, we have a tendency to bring forth not only well intentioned ideas but also those thatvate politically motivated and both types of ideas often suffer from a lack a financial capacity, intellectual capacity and most of all, discipline and buy in from a significant amount of public service members to affect operational output.and overall success.

No more clichés about getting back to basics.

Bermuda desperately needs a public service that is not reminiscent of a very repressive period in our history (which is evident in the policies and procedures actively practiced in present administration of the PS).

Lastly, the paternal approach to public administration needs to be replaced with a professional regime that is disciplined and compassionate to the needs of the public who are at the mercy of those charged with administration of government services.

Bermuda needs to take an honest look at the perennial inefficiency of many public offices and have real synergies between the public face of government in order to get rid of the red tape. This very forum cannot be used as a faux attempt to make it look like "we're doing something".

We already had the SAGE report.

This is the same effort if we simply say we have heard what you have to say but don't make the difficult decisions desperately needed for change.