THE Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) has called for sweeping reforms across the public service, saying government agencies must be better aligned to the needs of ordinary citizens and held accountable for their performance.
Speaking during an interview on The Fiji Times’ online portal The Lens@177, FCOSS director Vani Catanasiga said there had been a growing disconnect between government structures and the services people required.
“I think we’ve been displaced, there’s been a disconnect for the longest time,” she said.
“When government created these new portfolios, new staffing structures, we said, it’s getting a bit top-heavy. We are now seeing that.”
She said FCOSS had raised concerns about productivity and performance within the public service as early as 2023, particularly regarding the accessibility of government services in rural and frontline communities.
“The information on those services are not rich in communities, so I doubt very much that they’re accessing the services because a lot of them are unaware that there are support services available.
“And it’s indicating to us that productivity is very low, implementation is very low.”
Ms Catanasiga said the problem had been allowed to worsen over time.
“The problem, in our estimation at FCOSS is big. It’s very big. We’ve allowed it to fester.”
While commending the Ministry of Justice for undertaking a functional review, she called for similar assessments across all government agencies.
“A functional review across government agencies is needed,” she said, adding that “citizens are not getting the support that they want.”
