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Officers’ appointments invalid
By ZACHERY PER
THE Public Service Commission (PSC) has annulled selections and
appointment of 10 officers to senior public service positions within the
Eastern Highlands provincial administration after finding that proper
processes were not followed and Governor Mal Smith-Kela and Public
Service Minister Sinai Brown tried to influence the outcome.
The PSC advised Eastern Highlands provincial administrator Munare Uyassi
in a letter dated Dec 4 last year that officers who lost their jobs in
the changes be reverted back to their positions prior to the selections
and appointments.
The PSC also advised that the positions be re-advertised immediately
internally and a new selection committee be established by the
Department of Personnel Management (DPM) and chaired by the secretary
excluding those in the initial committee.
However, Mr Uyassi had warned officers displaced not to reclaim their
positions until consultations with the DPM was completed.
“Until a decision is made by the DPM secretary or the courts, whichever
is superior on the appointments, no appellant should claim positions on
PSC advice alone,” Mr Uyassi said.
“Any takeover of offices should be deemed as bypassing of the due
process and sabotaging state assets and properties will warrant
appropriate actions against officers concerned,” he warned.
The decision to nullify the appointments and reinstatement of aggrieved
officers was reached after a three-day PSC hearing in Goroka from Nov 21
to 23 last year.
Ten aggrieved officers who lost their positions after the selections and
appointments applied to PSC seeking for a review of the selection
decisions of the provincial administration that resulted in the PSC
hearing.
They contested the validity of the selection process alleging that
proper procedures and practices stipulated in the Public Service
Management Act and the Public Service General Orders were not followed.
They also argued the selection processes were politicised with the
involvement of Mr Smith-Kela and Mr Brown.
Evidence the aggrieved officers produced included a letter dated July 7,
2004, a Provincial Executive Council (PEC) decision No. 15/2004 dated
Dec 2, 2004.
“Upon a thorough consideration of above issues and contentions, the
commission found that the entire selection process is null and void as
it was politicised and conducted contrary to the Public Service
Management Act and the General Orders,” the PSC letter signed by
chairman Jerry Tetaga stated.
 
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