The performance of WASA should be judged by customer service and if this is applied then WASA has failed the nation. Over the years, WASA has been challenged to find proper CEOs to manage its affairs and generally these new CEOs resign before their term expires, the last being Executive Director Lennox Sealey.
In the midst of these happenings, WASA has offered a lucrative package to its new CEO: a salary of $100,000 per month with a car valued not more than $400,000 exclusive of VAT, a monthly housing allowance of $8,000, a medical plan, meal and entertainment allowances etc. Also included in the package is a gratuity of 20 percent of gross salary and bonuses based on performance – six months of gross salary for the first year and four months of gross salary for the second and third year. This is quite a package and I wish the new CEO, Keithroy Halliday, best of luck.
I wondered aloud the experience of this newly minted CEO and was happy to learn than he has experience in transforming the water sector in Barbados by removing aging infrastructure and leaks, improving customer service and has also been able to collect outstanding arrears from customers. While those achievements are commendable, I would have preferred a CEO with experience gained from working in a city in North America where he has successfully serviced tens of millions of customers including manufacturing plants and skyscrapers. I was deeply disappointed to learn that his experience was limited to Barbados, a mere 300,000 in population while Trinidad and Tobago has a population of 1.4 million with a mega consumption culture and a first world mindset. Nevertheless, by Caribbean standard, a CEO from Barbados brings high expectations!
WASA and its 400 plus managers have never focused its energies on providing water to its customers. This appears to be the last idea in their heads as they choose to engage in petty conflicts that engage the courts for resolutions. From where I am standing it is clear that the new CEO is invited to serve in a dysfunctional company where the managers are in conflict with one another.
Political interference in the hiring at WASA is a major contributor to its failure. Unless that is resolved no CEO is going to turn around WASA to ensure that water is delivered to its customers throughout the country. It is not enough to hire a professional CEOs when the middle management are mainly incompetent political appointments. This reality is going to hit the new CEO and he would have to act if he wants results. If not, he would have to terminate his contract because health and wellbeing are aways better than the best remuneration package!
In WASA the CEO is the only fall guy. The directors and the managers are part of the WASA family – untouchables to do as they please except to bring a reliable water supply to the customers. The CEO is expected to operate in this social environment without interfering with the prevailing social structure. Therefore, WASA’s problem can be sorted out when the it is de-politized. In fact, the administration of WASA should be removed from politicians and placed in the hands of the private citizens who have experience running successful private companies, not URP and CEPEP and party groups.
It is time for citizens to not remain dumb on the failure of WASA to deliver water in our taps but speak out. The crisis in WASA cannot be solved by politicians who are mainly concerned about staying in office to live off the fat of the land. Maybe we should consider parliament vetting the choice of director and more so chairman to solve the current mismanagement. Again, this may fail as it may return a candidate like the government’s choice for Commissioner of Police. Is WASA and the government repeating the same process with an expectation of a different result, that is, water for all?
