A senior St. Lucia government minister Tuesday said that leakages of government documents represent attempts to destabalize the ruling United Workers Party (UWP) administration that came to office in June last year.
![Image: Minister for Economic Development, Guy Joseph. [PHOTO: Stan Bishop]](https://www.thevoiceslu.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/guy-joseph.jpg)
“This is what happens when you have political appointees carrying out the work of public servants,” he said, accusing the previous St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) government of loading the public service with political appointees who have a loyalty to a party and not to a government.
“That is why I believe that all political appointees should go with the government who appointed them,” he said.
“You think Donald Trump came to be President of the US and inherited all the political persons that former President Obama appointed? No! He came in with his crew of people,” Joseph said.
He said the current administration continues to have problems with the independent Public Service Commission (PSC) which, when a recommendation is made, has its own political agenda.
He said the voters last June elected the current administration with an overwhelming mandate and people in the public service, on boards and committees are trying to frustrate the work of the government.
“When we take the appropriate steps to deal with them then other people come out and cry ‘victimisation.
“So who is the victim today? Isn’t it St. Lucia and the people of St. Lucia who will be paying the price for all of the leaks of what is happening?”
Joseph was responding to questions about the reported leakage of the St Jude Hospital audit report.
“For those persons who think that leaking documents is a problem of the elected ministers of government, I think that we now have a service that is distrusted by both the previous government and the present government,” Joseph stated.
He said there are whistle blowers who do not find employment after they are discovered because no one trusts them.
Joseph said he was hearing rumours about the leak but was not aware that any copies of the audit report had been made public. However the minister said nothing is going to change in terms of what the ministry is doing.
He said as far as he is aware, the government has not been in breach of anything in regard to the audit report.
“Everything relating to St Jude has been in the media – I have been very open in my discussions about St Jude,” Joseph said.
Sir Guy (were you the character in IVANHOE or one of the chief TEMPLARS at besieged Jerusalem ?)
One major error in your synopsis :
Prior to the Trump era The US even enacted laws to PROTECT WHISTLE BLOWERS.
Actually whistle blowing helps to pare down EXORBITANT runaway govt spending, thus saving the taxpayer.
Recall the folktale of the who boy who placed his thumb to plug a leak in the Dutch dam? That’s the traditional role of whistle blowers.
What if CHERNOBYL (USSR) had the liberty of whistle blowers, any of their brilliant scientists could have warned of the impending catastrophe.
According to your King James version, it is capital and sometimes mortal sin to WITNESS a very bad thing and not attempt to right it ………n’est pas?
SIEG HEIL, Oberlootenant !
Error # In the US the top tier of the departments are changed (senior administrators)
The rank and file remain . Some body has to do the real work besides shuffling papers and GLOBETROTTING at taxpayers expense…..OUI!
Therefore the sweeping draconian measures that you propose are not a USA derivative – rather they are neo Stalinist and neo nazi /fascist – at the very least .
You did read your copy of ANIMAL FARM and 1984 very well.
You gfellas should be gleaning from the likes of the late Hon MALLET & GIRAUDY instead of complaining and reacting like the Slapstick Stooges……..Sieg Heil, Oberlootenant Fuhrer!
Finally,
In this current GLOBAL UNCERTAINITY, spearheaded by the traditional captains of democracy and peacekeeping (ISOLATIONIST posturing of both US and Gt Britain and the flexing of both Russian Military might and reckless N korean threats)-
you who represents an immigration dependent nation uttered the sad refrain TRUMP