A REGIONAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER IS A PUBLIC SERVICE POSITION
The government did promise a professional and impartial public service. It made it clear that persons who were on the list of candidates for elections would not be retained within the public service.
The position of Regional Executive Officer (REO) is akin to a public servant position. An REO is not a political appointee. That person is considered to be the accounting officer for the Region and therefore has to be a public service appointee even if that person opts for contract employment.
There is nothing in the law that prevents a public servant opting for contractual tenure. People may have good reasons for doing so.
The new government has gone ahead and appointed someone as a REO who was on the list of candidates for the APNU+AFC. This is not consistent with what the government had committed itself to.
Also, the positions of other REOs have been advertised. But the one which is now going to be filled by someone who was on the ruling coalitions’ list of candidates has not been advertised. This is a worrying development. The government is contradicting itself.
A number of REOs who served under the previous government have been sent packing. Their contracts were not renewed or they were sent off on leave and not allowed to return. Some of these persons have had long years of service within the public service. One of them was known to be on his party’s list and therefore ought not to have been retained. But there were others who were public servants and whose services ought to have been retained.
The former REO of Region Four was not a political appointee. He was a professional public servant even though he was a contract employee. He was not on any party’s list of candidates and was not known to be affiliated with any political party. Yet his contract was not renewed despite his considerable experience within the local government system.
The removal of so many REOs at one time will create problems for the government. A whole cadre of persons experienced in local government and more importantly in administering regions has been removed. The local government system has been decapitated of considerable experience.
When in opposition APNU+AC had stressed the importance of Local Government Elections. The party had called for Local Government Elections but now in power seems to forgetting that the local government system is also part of the public service and to remove so many experienced persons at one go will create major administrative problems.
The government needs to issue a list of the positions that it considers to be public service positions and those in which it is allowed to make political appointees. For example certain position such as Director of Sports, Director of Youth and Permanent Secretaries etc. should be public service positions and should be advertised. People should apply for those positions. It should be made clear that once you would have contested public office, you should not be eligible for those positions.
The government either has to keep its promise about a professional public service or admit that it has changed its mind. It cannot have it both ways.
An REO is supposed to a person without any political affiliation. The PPP did foist at least one such person on the regional system. APNU+AFC should not be making the same mistake.
By the way, who is the Head of the Public Service?
