Clarification on appointments

THE Department of Personnel Management (DPM) would like to clarify a letter that appeared in The National on Sept 14.
The article shows a total lack of understanding of the processes that are in place for the selection process of appointments in respective departments in the absence of a head of the agency.
The letter claimed that DPM compromised the appointment process by chairing the selection committee for the permanent appointment of two Department of Commerce & Industry’s deputy secretaries in the absence of its secretary who is on suspension.
I would like to set the record straight that in the absence of an agency head, where the incumbent is suspended, or the position is vacant pending substantive appointment or the acting incumbent has a conflict of interest, DPM provides oversight in the interest of the state.
The devolution of all human resource powers to all agency heads was revoked in special general orders 11 effective as of Oct 1 last year, relinquishing all human resource powers back to the DPM secretary.
The special general orders 11 is on administrative cost savings in the public service and reinforcing existing policies directing DPM to commence its implementation.
It is by law that I as DPM secretary automatically assume the power of chair in the absence of the Department of Commerce secretary who is under suspension.
DPM chairs the selection process for all other public sector appointment processes and the Department of Commerce and Industry is no exception.

Taies Sansan
Secretary, DPM