Is it time to change the culture of the public sector?!
A few days ago, “Tawam” graduates, who studied engineering at one of the private universities, were appointed in one of the ministries. This appointment request was preceded by their nomination through the Civil Service Bureau, despite there being no actual need. However, the tragedy does not lie in the lack of need, but rather in their request to be appointed in a department notorious for “irregular attendance,” or as young people call it, “slacking off.” This is the case of the “legendary beast” that Thomas Hobbes referred to as “Leviathan,” or the public sector. It is one of the tools that crush ambition, the desire to achieve, and the eagerness to learn and gain experience. This situation demands a reevaluation of all the structures established within our society.
Today, this sector, especially after recent achievements, faces a challenge that is not about job vacancies or funding, but about the prevailing culture within its corridors. The question is posed seriously: Has the time come for the government to adopt a comprehensive cultural project or revolution to free the employee-citizen in this sector from a state of dependency and laziness? The answer can no longer tolerate delay, especially when the past decades have produced a work model where evaluation is based on attendance and absence rather than achievement, and the idea of a “guaranteed job” has become entrenched in people’s minds, stripping away passion and killing initiative.
This pattern is no longer just a burden on the public budget; it represents a real obstacle to achieving any ambitious development vision. The required cultural revolution does not mean merely issuing administrative decisions or tightening penalties, but rather building a new system that redefines the concept of “national work.” This step requires parallel measures, such as linking pay to performance, and making a genuine transition from seniority-based performance evaluation to strict and transparent productivity standards, while restructuring the institutional environment and creating a competitive work environment that rewards innovators and holds underperformers accountable without favoritism.
It also requires awareness and training, and a shift in the prevailing mindset from merely “waiting for a salary” to a sense of responsibility and building skills relevant to the modern labor market. Reforming the economy and building the future cannot be achieved through outdated mechanisms and a culture of dependency, especially at this juncture, when the moment has come for the government to take a serious step toward changing this reality. Investing in human capital and correcting public employment concepts are the foundations upon which sustainable nations are built.
Nasser Al-Abduli
