Promotion and appointments in the public service, including to the post of Per-manent Secretary (PS), should be based on merit, the Public Service Commission of Inquiry (CoI) was told yesterday.
Derrick Cummings was among three permanent secretaries who testified when the public hearings being hosted by the CoI continued yesterday at the Depart-ment of Public Service Building, at Waterloo Street, Georgetown.
Cummings, who joined the public service in 1972, currently performs PS duties for two ministries, Tourism and Business, since a PS has not yet been appointed for the latter.
During his testimony before Commis-sioners Professor Harold Lutchman (Chairman), Sandra Jones and Samuel Goolsarran, Cummings was asked to share his thoughts on whether permanent secretaries should be subjected to political influences.
Cummings said he believes a PS is an extension of policies to be implemented by the ministers, who are politicians, and to that extent there would be the presence of political influences at the parliamentary and cabinet levels. Resultantly, he said, a PS is not totally devoid of political influences but he added that the politician should not have the kind of influence on the PS that causes a breach of integrity or unlawful acts.
Asked by the Chairman what should be the reaction of a PS to a minister who may be in breach of laws or rules and regulations governing a ministry, Cummings said there needs to be some sort of recourse in such matters. He said a PS should “point out, respectfully” through dialogue, what the particular breach may have been so that a resolution may be met. He noted that the minister’s position on an issue may have been influenced by other factors and so it is important to first engage in dialogue.
Cummings, however, added that if, after dialogue, the issue persists and the PS feels very strongly about his or