Deputy Governor Franz Manderson addressed parliament on 7 May to reaffirm the civil service’s full commitment to working with the newly elected government.
He told members and attendees that the public service stands ready to help implement its priorities “with passion and conviction”.
“I met with the new government this morning, along with Her Excellency,” Manderson said. “And I assure the government – and I do so now publicly – that they have the full support of the civil service, the wider public service.
“We will work shoulder to shoulder with them to allow them to deliver on their promises and to deliver their policy priorities in a timely fashion.”
Manderson thanked his former Cabinet colleagues for their collaboration and recognised the professionalism of Cayman’s 4,832 civil servants during the recent election period.
“I don’t run for election, but I have a fairly large constituency,” he remarked. “I do want to thank [our civil servants] for their conduct and their professionalism during a period of sensitivity.”
He noted that some civil servants felt “a bit constrained” during the election period, despite being told they had every right to be informed and engaged.
“There’s still some more work to be done to ensure that our civil servants don’t feel too restrained during the election period,” he said, adding that his office would continue to provide guidance and support.
Manderson also praised his internal team for preparing transition materials in advance of the election, including analysis of party manifestos and structural recommendations.
“We did a lot of work leading up to the election… I think the government today was impressed with the work that we did.
“They now have some really good information which can make their decisions – and that’s the job of the civil service.”
Calling the initial meeting with the new government “a really great first meeting,” Manderson emphasised the need to equip civil servants to turn political vision into operational delivery.
“Our job in the civil service, once we get the policy priorities from the government, [is] to translate that into action.”
