The Saint Lucia Civil Service Association (CSA) says it has been made aware of another round of transfers/promotions at the senior levels of the Public Service, which appears to be a continuation of the recent disturbing trend of interference by the political directorate in the operations of the Service.
According to the CSA, the Accountant General has been removed from that office on a lateral transfer to serve as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
“We recently heard of criticisms levelled at the Treasury Department by a Government Minister and now we are seeing retaliatory action being taken by Government, because of the stance taken by the former Accountant General to defend her staff,” noted the CSA.
The CSA said that the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Department of External Affairs was returned to her substantive post as a Deputy Permanent Secretary and transferred to the Department of Equity. Further that it has been made to understand this sudden move was related to the effort to bring closure to an outstanding matter with a vehicle belonging to a former diplomat, which presumably is not in sync with Government’s preference at this time.
“Finally, a new Acting Accountant General is in place for the next six months. The CSA offers congratulations to him on his temporary promotion and is hopeful that the individual continues to maintain the professional standard set by previous holders of the post and will not be dissuaded from his fiduciary duties by pressures exerted from above,” the CSA noted in a statement.
According to the CSA it has observed that the Government continues to play around with the Public Service, as if engaged in a game of musical chairs, stating that ”government as an employer must be held to a higher standard and should never manipulate the system in a manner that causes its employees to be treated unfairly and unjustly.”
The CSA stated it will continue to speak out against this disturbing trend, adding that if such a trend is not curtailed, it will only serve to further undermine the impartiality, neutrality and professional integrity of the Public Service.