Change will not bring job losses – Minister Ally assures

Newly appointed Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation, Zulfikar Ally has assured public servants that the changes being introduced under his leadership are aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, and accountability and not taking away jobs.

During a recent appearance on the National Communications Network (NCN) programme, ‘Beyond the Title,’ Minister Ally outlined the government’s modernisation efforts.

“People want to go to Government agencies and get through with their transaction very quickly. They don’t want a government department that closes at 12 for lunch, because that’s the time that they get lunch, and that’s the only time that they can transact business,” the minister said.

Minister Ally added that citizens do not want to apply for a licence or visit the NIS without knowing where to go to complete their transactions. For this reason, he explained that change in the system will strengthen operations and bring every worker up to speed with modern technology and will not lead to job losses or difficulty adapting to new systems.

“Some people are thinking that with change comes, ‘I may not have my job anymore or I may not be able to function.’ That is not the change we are bringing.

“The change that we are bringing is one where we will make the system more transparent and upscale everyone to ensure that they are in touch with the modern world,” Minister Ally said.

The Minister said new technologies, including artificial intelligence, are being introduced to make day-to-day work more efficient. Notably, the minister’s experience abroad have affirmed his certainty that Guyana can achieve world-class standards but a shift is necessary.

He added that the ministry’s system should also be able to identify whether employees have received annual training, a measure aimed at promoting fairness and reducing managerial favouritism.

Minister Ally said that implementation and accountability will be key moving forward. Guyana is undergoing massive projects that cannot be left to run at their usual pace.

“Implementation is very important, and we have to be on top of it. We can’t start projects and just allow them to go with the normal speed of things. We have to ensure that people are doing their work,” he said.

The Minister reaffirmed his commitment to building a more transparent, efficient, and forward-looking system where all employees are empowered to perform at their best in an evolving, technology-driven environment.