Cox promises crackdown on crime and focus on youth

This was the message from Premier Paula Cox as she delivered a report about the first 100 days of her administration.

She was upbeat, saying that despite the recession, Government will push to provide jobs for Bermudians.

The public can also expect a revolution in the civil service, zero tolerance on crime and a greater focus on young people, described as “our most precious resource”.

But Premier Cox said a team effort is needed from the community, unions and private sector.

As Government reforms itself, so too must businesses re-examine themselves, she said.

She added: “Operating models have to change. As a country we will have to shift and to have a radical rethink as to how we do business.

 “Your Government will continue to protect Bermudians in the workforce and will remain vigilant in defending the employment rights of Bermudians.

“Hard times bring out the best in us. Given the challenges that face us, your Government has to be working at optimal efficiency.

“Delivering services and programmes to the people we represent is key for any Government.

“This is even more critical when our people are being challenged daily.

“During this first 100 days Ministries have been recalibrated so that we can raise the bar and deliver with a new integrated approach to the delivery of services.

Reform

“There have been teething pains but it is necessary that your Government change the way it does business. It cannot be business as usual.

“The reform of Government will not end with the realignment of Ministries.

“We must deliver more with less. We must become more efficient, more service-oriented and more responsive to the needs of the people and business.”

Consultants from the U.K.’s National School of Government are reviewing the civil service.

The Premier did not disclose details but said a previous review in 1999 under former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith had “set the groundwork”. Ms Cox said her appointment to Premier and a new administration was “a chance to redraw the map”.

She added: “It’s a chance to clear out some of the debris in terms of our policies and look at fresh new ones…  a radical rethink of how we do things and also effect some reforms.”

Asked whether this would mean reducing the number of overseas consultants — a bugbear of unions and the Opposition — she brushed this aside as a cost-saving measure. Conceding a three-month freeze on overtime pay for Public Works staff last month, the Bermuda Industrial Union said it wanted Government to cut the money spend on consultants in return.

Ms Cox said the “20 odd million (dollars)” spent on consultants is “miniscule” in terms of Government’s total expenditure.

She added: “Looking at consultants is really a tiny piece of the iceberg.

“It goes much wider than just looking at consultants. It is looking at how we can operate more effectively and efficiently.”

In the Throne Speech, Ms Cox said Government needed to “live within its means” and committed to “savings of at least $150 million in the first year”.

In the report on her Government's first 100 days, she said that despite the recession, community spirit prevailed.

Ms Cox praised the “tremendous reservoir of talent and goodwill in the community”.

She said Bermudians and expats of all ages had offered their services for the good of the country.

Tax relief

She added: “These exchanges benefit Bermuda and add to the Government’s bank of ideas and our strategies.

Ms Cox has met with hoteliers, financial institutions, international business and the unions.

She said she could not comment on the forthcoming Budget but the Premier, also the Finance Minister, hinted at possible tax relief for the island’s beleaguered hotel industry.

She added it would be “a sensitive and responsive Budget”.

The Premier also praised BIU president Chris Furbert’s conciliatory approach.

She said: “I salute the BIU president for his game-changing approach to how the unions, the public sector and the private sector need to interact when our country is going through tough times.

“All of us will feel some measure of pain. It is not easy but it is necessary.

“What is notable about these meetings is the degree of common ground and the degree of willingness to work collaboratively and cooperatively with the Government.”

In her speech yesterday, the Premier stressed there would be “zero tolerance” on crime.

Hinting at tougher criminal justice legislation, she said: “Our enforcement and our sentences must be robust enough to deter would-be criminals.”

But Government is conscious of the social problems that lead to crime and the need for rehabilitation and job opportunities.

The public can also expect to see a “full implementation” of Professor Ronald Mincy’s recommendations in his Young Black Males report.

Ms Cox concluded: “Now is the time to make ourselves more innovative, more competitive and ready for the challenges of this 21st century global environment.

“The Government cannot do it alone. This must be a team effort at every level of our society.

“Some may advocate that present circumstances are too great and too daunting.

“We do not subscribe to that view and remain optimistic that the resilience found in Bermuda’s people represents our greatest and most valuable asset.

“The work continues. We remain optimistic about our country’s future.”