Dharmendar Seesungkur : ‘My Ministry has set in motion a plan to create an Office of Good Governance’

Dharmendar Sesungkur also known as Sudhir, Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, has been in office since the start of this year. In the interview that follows, he underlines the importance of good governance. Right from the start, he goes straight to the point: If we want to have a corruption free society, then good governance has to be our birth right, he tells News on Sunday.

Why is it important to have a Ministry of Good Governance?
To promote and consolidate the concept of good governance, the President of the Republic, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appointed, for the first time, a Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms in accordance with the provision of Section 53 (3) of the Constitution with effect from 15 December 2014.

If one wants Mauritius to emerge as an international financial centre, the focus should be on good governance.

We want the population, investors and the world to know that Mauritius is a safe and trustworthy financial centre.  High standards are absolutely crucial for attracting and instilling confidence in investors. During my mandate, I intend to place capacity-building high on the agenda so that we are well set to compete on the international marketplace. It takes years to build trust but that same trust can be lost in an instant. 

This is one of the reasons why I call for all stakeholders to join hands with my Ministry to promote a Mauritius Brand where investors will have a feeling of reliability, security and clean governance; a brand that will give expectations of high standards. We need to work together to create a new model of involvement and engagement.

The OGG should be seen as a transparent agency for effective and efficient governance that will have to sustain and promote participation by each and every organisation, even individuals, either direct or through institutions in the society feel that they have a stake in all decision making process and do not feel excluded from the mainstream.

How can financial services contribute to the development of our economy?
The government is promoting the financial services sector to become one, if not the most important pillar of the economy in the coming decade. This sector is expected to contribute 15% of the GDP by 2019. Such a target cannot be achieved without a robust financial and clear governance strategy.

Already, my Ministry has set in motion a plan to create an office of good governance as part of government’s avowed promise to shape a new, clean, transparent, secure, prosperous and strong nation.

Good governance occupies a prime position and focus on the strategic plan of the government of Mauritius. The 2015 – 2019 Programme and successive national budgets have repeatedly underscored the need for good governance at all levels to improve the life of the common man across the length and breadth of the nation. The promise made is no hollow promise.

Have civil servants understood the meaning of Good Governance?
I’m aware it’s no easy walk in civil service to have what one wants. Ministers too have limits and parameters to adhere to. That’s why, first, I am going to have a section within the Ministry to look after all that concerns good governance. This unit or section will slowly pave the way for the emergence of the national Office of Good Governance-OGG.

The OGG will be an independent body corporate, within the Ministry. The Minister may issue such directions, notifications and guidelines in relation to good governance and governance related matters, and the OGG shall comply with those directives.

The organisation shall have the responsibility to initiate, propose, lead, control, coordinate and supervise the implementation of good governance practices in all social, political and economic institutions in the country. It will regularly produce and update consensually agreed governance principles and practices for implementation by different institutions.

An organisation like the OGG cannot operate in a vacuum. It shall be empowered to take action against those who ignore its directives, fail to act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries and/ or fail to implement proposed governance practices.

However, the independence of the OGC remains the sine qua non condition for achieving its statutory objectives and ensuring that the interests of shareholders and stakeholders are preserved.

It shall not be subject to the control of any person, body or other authority though it will be under the aegis of my Ministry.

But the powers to be attributed to the OGG won’t they be in conflict with other bodies currently engaged in the promotion of good governance?
No. I do not see any conflict. On the contrary, OGG will be supplementing the works of other bodies and take the governance to the homes of the entire population. It will be responsible for the increase of Gross Domestic Happiness.

However, as things are today, there is a general perception among the population purporting a lack of good governance and transparency in financial institutions.  This perception is due to the fact that governance is a very broad term. If not misinterpreted, it is often interpreted very narrowly by many people, including the literates. Governance must be seen as a process, a system by which decisions are made and the methods by which a society is controlled and administered.

Governance concerns each and every component of our society; it is wider than anti-corruption. Governance, to me, implies a change in the mind-set and a stubborn willingness to do clean and transparent actions that adds to the credibility of a community, of a nation. The aim of good governance is to achieve a series of good results and to avoid bad circumstances.

How do you plan to consolidate Good Governance?
To consolidate good governance in all our institutions, the OGG is expected to collaborate with all organisations, private and public, to promote consensual good governance practices. It should also motivate all formal and informal actors to play an active role in decision making or in influencing the decision-making process and help organisations to avoid conflicts among stakeholders.

I do not wish to see the OGG as any other organisation. I want it to be proactive, develop direction, strategy and planning in good governance with organisations in different sectors of national life; set, maintain and live up to its vision, mission and values of good governance; establish systems for reporting and monitoring; ensure compliance and accountability with the governance, external regulators and the law within organisations, and above all, Inform and educate the population on governance principles and practices.

The OGG should be seen as a transparent agency for effective and efficient governance that will have to sustain and promote participation by each and every organisation, even individuals, either direct or through institutions in the society feel that they have a stake in all decision making process and do not feel excluded from the mainstream.