Deputy Governor Mark Capes says Anguillians must come to grips with a rather different revolution to the one led by the distinguished leader James Ronald Webster. He said the new revolution was about the impact of globalisation and information technology that was bringing about the ‘global village’.

“To live peacefully in a global village means sharing a new set of common values and rules based on the principles of good governance,” he pointed out. “In response countries across the globe are reviewing the way they do things in both the public and private sectors. It follows that many countries share a number of common challenges. Both the public and private sectors must adjust to keep pace or risk losing out. We must all prepare to meet the challenge.”

Deputy Governor Mark Capes

Mr. Capes made the statement on Monday January 27 in an address to members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force on the occasion of Police Week.

He emphasised the importance of a police force that was accountable, fair and governed by the rule of law. He also stressed that central to good governance was an impartial, non-partisan, effective, modern and professional public service which he said was the main purpose and challenge of his job. He saw an important part of his role as being “to help ensure that in Anguilla we have a public service that is able to contribute to the sound development of this uniquely beautiful island and keep pace with the changing times around us.”

The Deputy Governor, who took up his appointment some five months ago, went on: “This will not be easy. To achieve it we will need good managers. People with vision and key skills. People who will take decisions and get results. People who will deliver quality services to the people of Anguilla by exploiting the benefits of this new knowledge age. We will need to strengthen the policy capacity of the Public Service so that it can fully play its role as a knowledge centre by accessing, interpreting and applying the best available information from all sources in support of the government agenda. Ministers have a right to expect quality policy advice from impartial and professional public servants.

“We do of course have many very good and competent people in the Anguilla Public Service. But it is clear to me that some people were appointed to managerial positions perhaps more by accident than design. The opportunity was there, they were offered the job and took it. And why not? The system allowed for it. And sometimes entitlement for promotion appears to have been on the number of years of service rather than merit and ability to do the job. But management is far too important to be simply a reward for carrying out more routine duties as well.

“To serve as a manager means shouldering the responsibilities that come with it. Management is about purpose and about people. The role of a manager is about pulling together people, skills, energy, commitment and resources to achieve a set goal. To do this managers must have authority, but they also have responsibilities. They are responsible for the results of their team. They have a responsibility toward everyone working for them and with them, to allow everyone to contribute, to be involved and be part of the efforts of the group. Managers are responsible for maintaining high standards and integrity in the work place. They must be responsible for encouraging innovation, teamwork and life-long learning. Managers must motivate, lead by example and when necessary hold others to account.”

Mr. Capes charged that there were persons in the public service who were not able or willing to take the responsibility associated with the job; and that this was doing real damage to Anguilla’s development. He continued: “Such people are not only failing to fulfill their own role but are preventing others from making progress. We need managers who will take the hard decisions as well as the easy ones.

Officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Force at the Deputy Governor's lecture

“I have to say that I am not among those who think that the public service should be run on the same lines as the private sector. The public sector must be managed in accordance with public sector values. Although the public sector and the private sector are different, both are essential to ensure a well-performing society. We need to work together and to learn from each other. The private sector is about the creation of wealth and economic growth, the individual interest and the individual pursuit of happiness. The public sector is about the public good and the collective interest; and public services should apply to all irrespective of income or position. But the public sector must be as equally committed to efficiency and quality as the private sector so that every dollar of government money can be applied to delivering a better service to our customers and to our shareholders… the people of Anguilla.”

Officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Force at the Deputy Governor's lecture

Mr. Capes ended his address by stating that the police force was a central element of a democratic society and of good governance. He urged all the communities on the island to play their part in supporting the police and preventing crime; and he thanked the officers for their hard work to keep Anguilla safe.

The Police Community Band

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