Junior Social Protection Minister Simona Broomes yesterday defended her decision to ask the Public Service Commission (PSC) to suspend interviews to fill vacancies in her ministry, after being criticised by the PPP for unlawfully interfering with the commission’s work.
Broomes yesterday said she wrote to the PSC simply asking that interviews slated for May 29, mere weeks after the new administration took office, be discontinued until further instruction by President David Granger because of several complaints of irregularities in the hiring process. She added that she was not even clear if the vacancies really existed.
“Persons were being placed in jobs for which they were not qualified and I simply asked that the interviews be put on hold and I called the Secretary [of the PSC] and informed him of complaints that persons were being selected for political reasons. This is very shameful and I just wanted to understand what was happening. We are not trying to override the authority of the PSC,” Broomes told Stabroek News.
But according to PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, the minister has “overstepped her boundary” in her letter, in which she “directed that the Commission should cease functioning and making decisions in respect to appointments of public servants until so directed by Mr Granger.
“Ms Broomes is either being bullish or ignorant of the fact that the PSC is an autonomous, statutory body as described in section 200-203 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and cannot be dictated to by a Minister of Government,” Rohee said yesterday at a press conference at the party’s Robb Street headquarters.
In her letter, Broomes indicated that it was brought to her attention that there were “clandestine efforts” to fill vacancies within the public service and more particularly the Ministry of Labour, Human Services & Social Security (now Ministry of Social Protection). The letter was dated May 28 and she indicated that interviews were expected to be conducted the following day and that all interviews should cease until further instruction from President Granger.
Rohee noted that the allegation by Broomes about “clandestine efforts to fill vacancies” was not supported by any evidence and he called the claim an “obnoxious accusation.”
Former Attorney-General Anil Nandlall, who had spoken to the newspaper on the issue last Friday, had stated that the letter by the minister was a clear violation of the constitution and it constitutes unlawful interference with “a constitutional commission clothed with independence and autonomy in the discharge of its functions.”
He pointed out that Article 226 of the Constitution states that “In the exercise of its functions a commission shall not be the subject to the direction or control of any other person our authority.” “Therefore, a minister nor the president can give the types of direction which are contained in that letter,” he concluded.
But Broomes said she asked the PSC to cease because of the irregularities that were taking place. It is her belief that the interviews that were scheduled were part of an attempt to put people in positions “for their own reason and then you find persons are not qualified.”
The minister said she called the PSC Secretary in good faith and later followed up with a letter as days after she assumed her new appointment numerous members of staff complained about the hiring process and described it as a “real corrupt” system.
Senior Minister Volda Lawrence noted that she is aware of Broome’s letter and the spirit in which it was written.
“We have been experiencing throughout the ministry where persons have been sent by the commission to take up positions and are being trained by the people who they are supposed to be supervising,” Lawrence further pointed out.
She said the PSC secretary was asked to put the interviews on hold and within a week or two the ministry would have had the discussion with him since the new administration wanted to have a holistic look at the ministry. She pointed out that it is not even clear if the positions are indeed needed in the ministry.
She added that it does not augur well that the letter was leaked and said she does not view the letter in any way being “disrespectful. I see it as being political. He [the PSC Secretary] did respond to Minister Broomes. I don’t think he pointed out that she did not have a mandate.”
