Modernizing and Reforming the Public Administration

Public administration is the nerve of the state. Talk of bolstering a common sense of citizenship and loyalty to the state is hollow, as long as citizens lack confidence in official decisions and their implementation by the executive authority concerned, the administration.

The success of any government program depends on the existence of a modern, efficient and highly active administration that believes that the reason for its very existence is to serve the citizen and develop the country’s economic growth. An administration should welcome constructive criticism and should be accountable for the quality of its performance.

 A modern and successful state requires an efficient administration. No development can be achieved without it. Such efficiency requires the ongoing training and development of its employees to enable them to perform efficiently. No general policy of the state in economic, social or developmental matters can succeed without a productive and effective administration. It is only with a creative and trusted administration that the spirit of loyalty and affiliation to the state can grow. It is only as a result of the activities and services of such an administration that citizens become closer to the state, gaps are bridged and confidence grows between people and government. Good public administration consolidates justice, equality, freedom, and equal opportunities.

At present, there is much to do and Lebanon must make exceptional efforts to improve the performance of its public sector. We propose to do this by reducing its size, increasing its efficiency and productivity and making better use of available human and material resources. Real administrative reform is achieved by reducing, modernizing and mechanizing formalities, by applying new technologies, and by modernizing laws and procedures. This includes the drafting of modern laws that ensure better services for the citizens and better cope with the needs of economic development from an open and modern perspective. It also necessitates developing a mechanism that improves the process of choosing public administrators according to their qualifications and training, These mechanisms should also provide for supervising these administrators as well as outlining reward and punishment procedures. Good performance must be the only criteria for keeping administrators in office. Accountability must be based on productivity and ability, rather than personal loyalties and nepotism.

There is a pressing need to involve the non-governmental sector in public affairs, which should play a role in modernizing public administration to harmonize the public sector’s objectives with the interests of the private sector.

 The public sector should concentrate on basic matters that cannot be resolved without state intervention or aid rather than focusing as it has on matters that it cannot handle properly, or that reduce its efficiency and success. These latter responsibilities could be left to the private sector, which can provide more efficient, less costly and more productive services. This policy will reduce the number of state employees, curb the budget deficit and create new jobs in the private sector. It is a policy that capitalizes more efficiently and productively on the state’s potential and the economy in general.

 Public administration will fail to play its basic role in development if it is flabby, overstaffed and unable to benefit from experienced and qualified people. It will also fail if it is slow to adopt modern trends, methods, and means, and remains exposed to the interference of politicians and their vested interests.

Honesty, straightforwardness, a sense of national duty and loyalty to the state are among the most important criteria when it comes to any administrative reform. However, these criteria should not replace or be more important than professional qualification, productivity, creativity, initiative, and proper execution. They should not eclipse the need and ability to make hard decisions that will free the economic cycle and remove what hinders the effectiveness of the private sector.

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