O’Neill commended for ‘not interfering’ with PSC meeting

PUBLIC Service Minister Peter O’Neill has been commended for not
interfering in the public service’s appointment process.
Public Service Commission (PSC) chief Rigo Lua told more than 35 delegates at the
Public Employees Association Congress last week that he had never received a call from the minister for favours in short-listing of candidates for appointment as departmental head or provincial administrators.
Mr Lua said he frequently did so with other ministers in the past.
He spoke to those that gathered about organisation reform within the Public
Service Commission which was giving it more teeth.
He said he hoped the current minister would assist in bringing to Parliament legislations that would make PSC exist under an Organic Law making it independent like the Ombudsman Commission.
He said PSC would require legislations amended to give the PSC the power to penalised departmental heads, provincial administrators and CEOs who failed to implement PSC review decisions.
He also said the PSC would be making recommendations for an additional commissioner to be appointed to ease the current workload.
Mr Lua said the role and function of the PSC was to review personnel matters in the public
service, review organisational matters and recommends to the
National Executive Council on appointment, suspension and
revocation of departmental heads, provincial administrators and chief executive officers.