LETTER: Public Works in Chaos: Director Axed While Minister and PS Remain Untouched

Dear Editor

In a move that raises more questions than answers, the Director of Public Works has been unceremoniously fired, a decision that government sources claim was made to “restore public confidence” in the department. But many are now asking: is this just a convenient scapegoat, or the first crack in a dam of systemic failure that leads straight to the top?

For years, the Department of Public Works has been plagued by inefficiency, lack of transparency, and dismal execution of critical infrastructure projects. From crumbling roads in five island and liberta to the half-completed drainage works in Lightfoot, the signs of incompetence have been as visible as the potholes dotting our roads.

Residents have been left to navigate not only the literal sinkholes in their communities, but also the gaping chasm of accountability in the Ministry of Works.

Yet, while the Director has now paid the price, glaring questions loom over those who were supposed to oversee his work: Where was the Minister of Works? What role did the Permanent Secretary play in allowing these failures to continue unchecked?

The firing appears less like decisive leadership and more like political theatre. An attempt to appease an increasingly frustrated public without addressing the rot at the core. The truth is, no Director operates in a vacuum.

Major capital projects, budget allocations, and contractor approvals all pass through the hands of the Minister and the Permanent Secretary. If the Director was incompetent, it begs the question: what were his superiors doing? Sleeping? Complicit? Or simply out of their depth?

The public deserves more than a sacrificial lamb—they deserve an honest reckoning. Ministerial responsibility is not optional, and Permanent Secretaries are not mere bystanders. The dismissal of one man will not erase years of mismanagement, cost overruns, and public outcry.

It is time the nation demands full transparency. A comprehensive audit of all Public Works projects over the past five years must be undertaken. And until the Minister and Permanent Secretary account for their role in this disaster, the government cannot credibly claim that the problem has been solved.

One man has fallen, but many more must answer.

Ben Simmons