(Trinidad Guardian) Speaking at an event of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce yesterday, Neal and Massy Holdings president and Group chief executive officer Gervase Warner said at the chamber’s post-budget panel discussion, “I think the worse agency to run anything in T&T is the government.” Turning to Finance Minister Larry Howai, who was waiting to deliver the feature address at the event at Crowne Plaza, Warner said, “Not your government, any government.”
Warner explained why he believed government is unfit to “run things.” He said, “For scores of years, we’ve been talking about public sector reform and we keep talking about it, and we hire consultants (but) where is public sector reform (at)?” Warner said he went through documents on a government ministry’s Web site which publishes “every position in every ministry and salaries of all of those positions.”
He said he didn’t know that was available, but “If you see paper! If you see people! I was really struck, however, by the salary levels.” He said in the private sector, particularly as you move up, salaries are more competitive and attractive. In contrast, Warner said, “The salaries that are available in the public sector would never attract serious managers. We have a structural problem. I don’t say this thing about the government shouldn’t run things lightly. We don’t attract the best management talent or leadership.”
