Measures taken in the new dispensation
Downsizing of Government Structure
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the above, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency’s inspiring inaugural speech on 24 th November 2017, in which he set out the tone on a number of reforms and that it was no longer business as usual. His speech envisaged a new dispensation and already some measures have been taken that include an initial meeting with the Permanent Secretaries and Public Service Commission to discuss the need to downsize Government structures, appointment of a lean Cabinet and retiring civil servants who have reached their retirement age; with the ultimate result to cut down on Government expenditure.
90% Government Expenditure is Labour Cost
It is common knowledge that Government expenditure takes up to 90% of the National Budget and His Excellency the President has hit the ground running to curb that expenditure so that Government employs more financial resources into development and service delivery. We welcome the school of thought to retire those who have reached their retirement age so that they open a gap for the young unemployed youths in the civil service. This is inspiring particularly when it is coming from the Head of State, setting the right direction to take as a Government and we are in full support as Parliament.
Lean Cabinet – taking a cue from the Chinese Leadership Model
Subsequently, a lean Cabinet will definitely reduce the cost that comes with a large Cabinet. On this concept of a lean Cabinet, borrowing from our all-weather friendly nation China, Lawrence and Martin (2013) states that China’s highest decision making body, the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) comprises of only seven members with each member having a specific portfolio and it is descriptive of collective leadership and 25 Politburo members in the larger Politburo. Thus, China has no supreme leader since the death of Deng Xiaoping in 1997 in comparison to our situation where we had more than thirty Cabinet Ministers with a population of only 14 million while China has 1.35 billion.
Lawrence and Martin (2015) further observed that although Xi Jinping is ranked as the first among the seven and has responsibility for convening Politburo Standing Committee and the larger 25 Politburo meetings, also controls the military and foreign affairs, however, Xi must win consensus from the rest of the group for major decisions. Forging agreement can be difficult in part because members of PSC owe their jobs to horse trading among different constituencies, interest groups and influential retired party elders whose interest they represent informally on the PSC. Reaching decisions, though consensus as a tool for leadership reduces conflicts, leading to unity and peace creates a conducive environment for development.
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