THE civil service has come under scathing criticism from Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry Minister Charan Jeath Singh.
During a handover of grants to six communities in the Central Division yesterday, Mr Singh criticised government processes as slow.
“To be honest, I tell you one thing, the government system is so slow,” he said.
“It has taken over a year for us to just get a simple project done. If it had been my private company, it would have been done in three months.”
Mr Singh said the slow pace in the administrative process of government service meant many projects could not be implemented in this financial year.
“And I’d like to give this warning to the civil service, that you guys should put your heads together and make this happen.
“Because one year has gone, the budget has been approved, nothing has happened.
Mr Singh said the bureaucracy was frustrating and he was sick of it.
“I’m warning the civil service, not just my ministry, that everybody should put their heads together.”
The minister’s frustration was triggered by the delay in the construction of the Shraad Ghat (place where Hindu’s pray before scattering ashes of their loved ones) in Labasa and Lautoka
“We are running around in circles,” he said.
“Over the past two days, I’ve been hearing that one guy wants to know what has happened.
“As I was coming to this office, I got a call from the people that I was supposed to get the data from, and they’re saying, ‘look, if this is the way it’s going to go, they’re going to withdraw the project’.
“So, as I said, I’m very, very upset with the way the civil service is operating in this country.”
