Act case of ‘frustration’
St. Lucy MP Denis Kellman on Tuesday accused the former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration of attempting to frustrate and cause destruction in the Civil Service when it hastily passed the new Public Service Act, a month before the January 2008 general elections.
He charged that the act resulted in people who were not qualified and equipped for jobs getting them ahead of experienced civil servants.
Kellman made the remarks in the House of Assembly during the debate on an amendment to the Public Service Act 2007.
“After a careful analysis of what occurred in 2007, it is now clear to me that the BLP knew they were going to lose the Government and they passed this amendment to ensure that after losing the Government that they would have had their people in place and that for the first five years of the DLP (Democratic Labour Party) in office, that they would not be able to function in an effective way.”
Kellman charged that “people who were not capable of doing the job and who had no training with the Civil Service were placed in positions long before the act was amended so that by the time that the act was amended they were qualified to hold those positions”.
He added that the situation also led to experienced civil servants having to train those people “in their jobs” because they themselves could not get the job because they were not acting in the positions.
“Don’t care which department you pass in Government, you can hear bellyaching today that people have to work under people who they now have to train in the job.”
Kellman called it a “clear case of frustration and destruction of the Civil Service” and said any political party that could “sneak” an amendment into parliament and achieve that goal was not fit for office. (MB)