Political interference in hiring?

THE EDITOR: Mr PM: Do you have a new public service hiring procedure? Perhaps I am jaded or there is a new public service selection process but can someone tell me why a Minister of Government must personally interview prospective employees especially after they were already interviewed by a recruitment panel? My aunt has worked in the public and private sector for over 20 years. She is so fed up by the political system and refuses to comment on this issue but I know that a job she applied for she was so looking forward to so I have decided to raise her concerns publicly so that others will not be so unfortunate or will take up similar issues and challenge the system. Some months ago she went to an interview at a ministry for a career position and following her interview she felt that she personally had done extremely well given the line of questioning. At the interview she was told that interviewees will subsequently hear from the ministry about a possible outcome within two weeks.

After some time longer she eventually heard that she had to meet with the minister because he liked to meet prospective staff. When she eventually arrived, she learned that she was being interviewed by him and that he would make the decision based on the names of three candidates he received from the interview process by the panel. Well, needless to say when she first arrived, the look she got from him didn’t quite greet her with opened arms. It was almost as if he didn’t care to meet with her and asked some questions which in her opinion were unprofessional and unnecessary. So when she left his office she quite thought that she was not going to hear from them and she hasn’t since then. In fact she has since learned that no one has filled the post and that the ministry has had several concerns about having that vacancy filled for a very long time. I also learned from another former colleague that this was not the first time as in much the same way “this person” received the same treatment but learned that “he” was clearly the candidate of choice by the panel but not by the minister.

So I want to know if this is our 2020 Vision. People who are interested in careers in the public service are being subjected to this kind of political interference at the very highest levels and blatantly so. Does not the minister have some shame? After all, persons like my aunt who have been through this process would have no confidence in the system and the organisation and would certainly never want to work in such an environment. She is very qualified and experienced enough to move to another caricom country or international destination but she chooses to remain here for two reasons: one is her love of country and the ability to contribute to its development and the other is her family commitments. She is our mentor and a mother to many in her community. Mr Prime Minister, how could you as the head of your Government allow such things to take place by the persons you entrust with confidence in leading the country?

J A B SINGH
Port-of-Spain