The life of a public servant is not easy one. Steeped in well-intentioned procedures and regulations – all designed to provide important checks and balances – life can sometimes seem dry and dreary, with creativity often stifled by the need for strict compliance with those very procedures and regulations. When he or she interfaces with the public, the public can be extremely unforgiving and impatient towards the public servant, when all that he or she is doing, is doing his or her best to comply with the multitude of structural and operational directives to which unswerving adherence is generally demanded. I’m at little risk of over-stating things, when I say that the philosopher Thomas Hobbes has probably come the closest to an accurate description of the life of public servants, when he said, of the life of man, that it can be, solitary, poor, nasty and brutish.
Into this sometimes dystopian landscape, enters the Inter-American Development Bank’s PrAISE Awards for Innovation in Service Excellence. Like the “darkling thrush” in Thomas Hardy’s poem of the same name, these awards appear, sounding the sweet, if contradictory, notes of a “happy good-night air”, and shining a spotlight on innovation and the pursuit of service excellence in the public service. In their eighth year, these awards shift the focus away from the many challenges that bedevil the public service. Instead, they bring much needed focus on the ingenuity that propels creativity and innovation, in an institutional environment that is often hostile to creativity and innovation.
I therefore wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Inter-American Development Bank for creating this platform, which highlights both the pioneering initiatives and the dedicated individuals who make them possible. Your efforts help dispel the unfortunate misconceptions that too often surround the public service. You invite citizens to see, that which I have seen and known all my life – that there are, in our public service, examples of people who are creative, capable and hardworking, and who care deeply about the citizens they serve. These awards highlight both their inventiveness and their integrity, reminding us that public service remains a noble pursuit, worthy of the best and brightest among us.
I am especially grateful to the IDB for allowing the Office of the President to host this eighth instalment of these Awards. It is the first time that the Office of the President has done so, and it crowns a year of momentous firsts for this Office. Earlier this year, we were honoured to host Ramleela for the first time within the walls of President’s House, and, even more recently, we were honoured to host the annual Armistice Dinner for the very first time, here, in this House. As this House, which in 2026 will celebrate 150 years of its existence, serves as the venue for yet another historic event this evening, I am thrilled to see President’s House becoming a place which cradles and holds the nation’s spirit and ambitions.
The most significant holders of the nation’s spirit and ambitions, however, are the public servants whose ingenuity and creativity we celebrate this evening. There is no gainsaying the importance of the role that public servants play in the affairs of a country. Twenty-four (24) years ago, in a 2001 speech, Dr. Carlton Davis, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Public Service in Jamaica at the time, explained that there are three (3) fundamental roles of the public service. First, the public service advises Government on policy options. Second, the public service implements Government’s policy decisions. And third, the public service functions generally as the Government’s administrative machinery. I don’t believe that these roles, as identified by Dr. Davis, have changed much in the past twenty-four (24) years. They remain the essential roles of the public service today, by reason of which the public service continues to play an integral and key role in the governance of a country. As I have said, public servants do so in the context of well-intentioned procedures and regulations, which are designed to provide important checks and balances, but which can often stifle the creativity and the innovation that are required in order to respond effectively to the changing demands of governance. This evening, we celebrate the triumph of creativity and innovation over institutional constraints and entrenched barriers to efficiency.
As we have seen, this year’s Awards were organized into two (2), distinct categories: the Citizen Experience category and the Internal User Experience category. The Citizen Experience category focused on innovations that improve how citizens interact with public services, while the Internal User Experience focused on improvements in processes and operations that boost efficiency and effectiveness within the public sector.
In the Citizen Experience category, finalists sought to bring services closer to the people. They replaced slow or inconsistent processes with accessible platforms that deliver timely, fair, and equitable service. These initiatives empowered citizens with the information and confidence they need to engage with government. They showed how people-centred innovation can enhance not only efficiency, but also trust, dignity, and inclusivity in public service delivery.
In the Internal User Experience category, teams recognized the need to improve efficiency, accuracy, and capacity across the public sector. Their initiatives moved organizations away from fragmented, paper-heavy systems to streamlined digital processes that enable real-time data collection and evidence-based decision-making. Equally important, was the focus on enhancing human potential, building collaboration, strengthening training, and fostering a culture of continuous learning. The reported impacts were better performance, smoother workflows, empowered teams, and workplace cultures where innovation and teamwork can thrive.
These are extremely significant areas of focus in the context of the roles of the public service. They reflect an understanding that service excellence is impossible without innovation. We cannot improve service culture without rethinking how we operate, how we engage citizens, and how we empower public officers to solve problems creatively. We cannot achieve better outcomes by relying on outdated systems, rigid processes, or “the way things have always been done.” Innovation is the thread that connects all of these efforts, and I could not agree more with this direction. My sincere congratulations to the IDB for championing this shift.
Having said this, the reality remains that public servants will always be required, for good reason, to operate within the context of settled rules and regulations and in accordance with established conventions. This is as much for their own protection, as it is for ours. Compliance with regulations and conventions ensures that public administration is lawful, consistent, fair, and transparent. Adhering to established rules safeguards both the integrity of the public service and public confidence in governmental decision-making. Public servants must therefore walk a veritable tight-rope in the execution of their roles: on the one hand, they must strive to innovate and be creative in their quest to find ways of better serving a rapidly changing society. Yet, on the other, they must remain true to the core principles of the Constitution and of the law. I have said that the life of a public servant is not easy one. And I am sorry if, by pointing out the need for our public servants to innovate on the one hand, but to stay true to established regulations and conventions on the other, I am making their lives even more difficult. But I do think that Trinidad and Tobago is at a place where a gentle reminder from me about the need for the public service to stay true to established rules and conventions, is appropriate.
I offer this gentle reminder precisely because of the fundamentally important role that public servants play in our country’s governance. Adherence to established rules and conventions is the foundation of lawful, fair, and stable governance. Regulations set out clear legal limits and procedures, ensuring that decisions are made consistently, transparently, and without arbitrariness. Conventions — which are well-settled administrative practices — help fill gaps where the rules are silent. They promote continuity, predictability, and professionalism. Together, adherence to rules and conventions prevents abuse of power, reduces the risk of corruption, protects individual rights, and ensures that public administration operates in the public interest. By adhering to rules and conventions, public officials maintain public trust, uphold institutional integrity, and ensure that government actions can be justified and defended if challenged. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure that, even as we embark upon and embrace wholeheartedly the innovation that is necessary for the public service to become a more efficient and effective agent of service delivery, public servants do not ‘innovate’ themselves out of adherence to those unchangeable rules and conventions that point us to what is right.
This evening, we celebrate all that is right about our public service. The achievements of this evening’s awardees prove that the much-needed transformation of our public service, is already happening, and that it is well within our reach. Sustaining this progress is another matter – this will require continued investment and attention. Public officers need the training, resources and confidence to innovate, and leadership must create an environment where experimentation and responsible risk-taking are encouraged, and where trying new approaches is recognized as progress, rather than perceived as a threat to the old order. In the world of today, meaningful transformation cannot take hold without continuous learning and investment in digital literacy, data skills, modern management practices and agile governance. This is the commitment that we need to make to our public service. On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank the IDB for leading the way in this commitment.
And as we celebrate, let us remember that the work does not end here. Let the projects that we celebrate tonight set a benchmark for excellence and inspire others to carry forward the spirit of creativity and excellence. Let us ensure that innovation in service excellence becomes the norm across our public institutions, even as we remember that adherence to those unchangeable rules and conventions that point us to what is right, is equally vital.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Although we do not observe that holiday here in Trinidad and Tobago, I believe its spirit of gratitude is one we can all embrace. Tonight certainly offers much to be thankful for. I am grateful for this ceremony and the opportunity to witness and honour public sector excellence. I am grateful to share this moment with all of you. I thank the judges for their careful attention, time and commitment in selecting this year’s winners. I thank the IDB for its eight-year commitment and investment, which has allowed this programme to flourish. And I thank the public officers who participate, innovate and inspire through their work each and every day.
I take this opportunity to congratulate those who have struck gold in their respective People’s Choice and Social Impact Categories as well as the soon-to-be-announced overall winners. My deepest congratulations on your well-deserved success.
I wish you all, and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, a joyful holiday season and a prosperous year ahead.
Thank you.
