She has also urged an end to confrontational stands between groups in the country.

In her presentation in the recent debate on this year's budget in the National Assembly, Westford pointed out that the Government has embarked on the initial phase of the much anticipated Public Sector Reform programme, she said.

She noted that during this initial phase there is going to be intensive stakeholder participation in diagnosing and chartering the course of events.

The aim of this broad spectrum of involvement of stakeholders is to ensure that they have a sense of commitment and ownership of the process, she said.

Human resource development will be a prominent feature of the reform process, and to reaffirm its commitment, the Government has allocated $102M to provide scholarships and other training opportunities, bearing in mind that a professionally equipped Public Service is vital for development and change, the minister told the House.

She said too that the pace of change in the Public Service, driven by the commitment of the administration seeking to respond to a rapidly shifting economic environment, will not slacken.

According to her, change is ultimately about improving the quality of people's lives.

"In order to ensure that quality and transparency are hallmarks of the Public Service, the Government has intensified its anti-corruption drive (since) it is a fact that corruption, in varying degrees, is a reality in the Public Sector."

Noting that while perceptions of its nature and extent vary, Westford said this provides a strong impetus for reform initiatives.

She also observed that a significant shift from tradition in the 2002 Budget was the non-announcement of increases in wages and salaries for public servants.

She said that as Finance Minister, Mr. Saisnarine Kowlessar indicated in his budget presentation, the Government is inviting the principal stakeholder, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), to sit with the Public Service Ministry and negotiate an acceptable multi-year wages package.

Westford also said it is significant to note that there was no disruptive industrial action in this country during last year.

This, she said, "did not just happen by chance" and in this regard, she congratulated the GPSU, on behalf of the Government, for "its display of maturity, professionalism and commitment to a harmonious industrial climate".

"Like all negotiations, there were and still are areas of non-consensus between us, but like responsible Guyanese we will endeavour to continue our interface in a cordial non-confrontational manner, always bearing in mind our respective mandates," Westford told the National Assembly.

She said too that this should serve as an example to the bipartisan dialogue process.

"Let me reiterate once again this year that efforts to beat each other into submission have not been successful in the past, and will not be in the future."

"...without a doubt, the time has come for us as leaders of this nation to stop concentrating on partisan politics and work together on matters of importance for national development," she said.

She also noted that like all developing countries, the scourge of poverty continues to be a constant in our communities and to this end, the Government has made substantial allocations in this year's budget to continue and sustain its poverty reduction programmes.

"To expedite the process of tangible and sustained progress away from this unacceptable situation, all of us will have to endorse our meaningful contributions," the minister said.

Westford also noted that the society is a victim of unacceptably high levels of violent crimes.

"Notwithstanding the sometimes unreasonable criticisms from all quarters, intense training of our policemen and women to raise their levels of proficiency and professionalism is continuing.

"At the same time, it is clear that we need to increase the strength of the Police service, better its working conditions, improve the logistical base as well as continue to attend to the critical matter of ensuring good relations between the Police and the communities they serve," she said.

"This must form part of a new patriotism which should inspire and motivate all of our peoples, especially the Honourable Members of this House, to unite and rally around a common perspective, whose vibrant core must be the building of a safer Guyana," Westford urged. (MARK RAMOTAR)