Delinquent permanent secretaries, who have not been doing their jobs, came under heavy fire at a Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting of Parliament on Friday. The Public Service Commission (PSC) reported, after intense probing by JSC members, that for years permanent secretaries have not been submitting performance appraisal reports, which are critical for filling thousands of vacancies in the Public Service.
"This seems to be a critical problem in terms of affecting service to citizens," JSC chairman Subhas Ramkhelawan remarked. Permanent secretaries are usually paid upwards of $15,000 a month, in addition to perks. It was disclosed that there were some 8,000 vacancies in the Public Service and that some two-thirds of these posts are held by people who are acting in their positions.
So while the work is being done, permanent positions are not being filled. Prisons officers are among those who are not being promoted, the commission said. As a result, the PSC has been at its wits' end trying to avert the resulting stagnation in the Public Service, members disclosed. Commission member Prof Kenneth Ramchand, noting that he was very concerned about the issue, said: "Week after week, matters have been coming to us but we have no performance appraisals...We have to do all kinds of contortions."
Repeated pleas to the permanent secretaries have fallen on deaf ears, it was revealed. The commission's chairman, Ambassador Christopher Thomas, said they would hold discussions with the permanent secretaries, who would show some improvement right after, but then begin slacking off again.
"We have exhausted a lot of our approaches," he said, almost wearily. He said because of the situation, the commission was forced to grant the permanent secretaries an amnesty between 2005 and 2007 in order to get some promotions done. The commission did these promotions based on employees' seniority and a merit list alone, Thomas said.
This, however, frightened JSC member, Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma, who accused the PSC of doing something it was not allowed to do. Thomas explained that the commission sought legal advice and was told it had the power to grant such an amnesty. The meeting suddenly took a different turn when Ramkhelawan wanted to know who did performance appraisals for permanent secretaries.
"This is the question we would really like to get some assistance on," Thomas replied. "Our reports (to the JSC) do say that we are hoping to develop an accountability framework for permanent secretaries." Ramkhelawan asked, incredulously, "So, for the past 50 years, nobody has been assessing the performance of permanent secretaries?
"They are like lords and ladies unto themselves. Even politicians have to face the polls and are tested. Why not permanent secretaries?" Ramchand, intervening, suggested a method by which delinquent permanent secretaries can be reprimanded. "Perhaps the procedure might be to write them every year reminding them of Regulation Nine, which mandates that they are supposed to submit performance appraisal reports," he told the JSC.
He said the permanent secretaries could be warned about the need to comply within seven days. Ramchand said whenever the Director of Personnel Administration did that in the past, the permanent secretaries would usually comply forthwith.