Challenges Facing Senior Public Servants in a Plural Society

Abstract

This article examines some of the challenges facing senior public officers in a plural society such as Trinidad and Tobago. Published studies and data collected for this article suggest that in divided societies, it is not unusual for the public sector to be dominated by the group that maintains political control. In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, for example, while the Indo-Trinidadian group constituted 40.3% of the population during the period considered, members of this ethnic group held very few senior positions in the bureaucracy. This article discusses the factors that led to ethnic imbalances in the civil service of Trinidad and Tobago. Much of the article is devoted to advancing explanations for the imbalance. The article also presents an examination of the challenges that emerged with the introduction of New Public Management within the country's government, suggesting that the major challenges that may emerge in divided societies will be introducing mechanisms that will bring about changes in attitudes and behaviors among public sector employees. The article concludes with the recommendation that government leaders may need to implement mechanisms to establish trust in order to see changes to public management succeed.