Decisions about public sector vacancies were made at the level of Cabinet under the former government, the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service heard yesterday.
This revelation was made by Principal Personnel Officer Andrew Grant, who was the first witness to appear before the three-member commission, which has been mandated by President David Granger to inquire into, report on, and make recommendations on the role, functions, recruitment process, remuneration and conditions of service for public servants.
The CoI, which is composed of Chairman Professor Harold Lutchman and fellow commissioners Samuel Goolsarran and Sandra Jones, was also told by Grant that interviews at the level of the Public Service Commission (PSC) have led to discussions of “the man who said he went to heaven,” rather than the requirement for a particular position.
“Sometimes positions were created just by somebody coming to say fill this position, create this position.
They might come with terms of reference and we are guided by the fact that the ministry will say that the government wants to create some programme or community intervention, such as the… citizens’ security programme. When it comes, it might be a decision taken primarily at the level of Cabinet, the [subject] minster will take it there and our minister will bring it to our attention to act upon,” Grant testified.
Goolsarran observed that these posts were often created without a job analysis, job description, rationale or justification for the position.
Grant was questioned about the scope of the powers of the Minister and senior functionaries within the former Ministry of Public Service, which has since become the Department of Public Service.
He was unable to identify any legislation which defines the function of these persons or the minister and he noted that while the scope of powers within other ministries may be guided by international conventions, within the former ministry it was “broad and fluid.”
Grant also said public servants have no recourse for breaches in public service rules occasioned by ministers or the permanent secretaries who exercise final authority on all matters.
According to him, what is required is a complete overhaul of the current recruitment system within the public sector along with training for ministers and permanent secretaries.
Grant, who testified for a little under an hour, told the commission that if he had the authority he would recruit individuals based on their academic qualifications and then subject them to a period of testing and training to see if they are able to accept what is required of them in the public service.
He explained that because ministers maybe be called upon to manage sectors about which they have limited knowledge, it may be necessary for training to be extended beyond public servants to include the subject ministers.
Grant also expressed disdain for the PSC, stating that the body which is tasked with hiring and firing public servants “is a disappointment.” He told the CoI that he believes the PSC commissioners should be carefully selected.
“If they are people who, like time past, were retired senior public servants, then they would be able to critically assess the people they are interviewing. It has been my experience that, of late, that has been the situation [where they are unable to critically assess the applicants],” Grant added.
He also noted that political appointments have led to permanent secretaries being less equipped to follow rules and regulations as they feel politically-obligated due to being handpicked for their positions by political leaders.
