TNAG-0826-FCO40-1034-Length-of-term-of-office-of-Governors-1979 — Page 31

RESTRICTED

-

2

Governor's function and the obligations on the United Kingdom which

Dependency imposes differentiates his post sharply from that of the

Diplomatic norm.

4. To build mutual trust between Governor and the people of a territory

requires time, particularly in a small remote community where there is

naturally suspicion of newcomers who must gradually establish themselves.

Time is also needed for the Governor to get to know the people and learn

something of their needs and wishes. Only then is he able to formulate

plans and policies of his own to meet them.

5. A three year tour is too short to allow this process to take place.

The plans of action laid by his predecessor, or predecessors, are still

in force when he arrives and will continue for some time: the first

year or eighteen months must be spent in obtaining the local feel of

things: by the time new plans are made or needed alterations made to

existing programmes and by the time approvals have been given, at least

another year will have passed and the Governor is likely to finish his

tour of duty unfulfilled and without any significant sense of achievement.

This is wasteful to himself, to his employer and to the territory he

serves.

6. There is a further factor to be considered. Small remote

territories, which are innately conservative, traditional and slow to

accept new things are bemused by the frequent changes of expatriate

personnel whose tours range between two or three years. Each successive

Head of Department, whether of Agriculture and Forestry, or of the

Public Works, will have different ideas:

generally local people are

chut

shy of contesting publicly the brain children/innovations of these

expatriate experts and a sad legacy is left behind of half implemented

ideas or in the case of Agriculture for example in the many different

RESTRICTED