MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon, has rubbished claims by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) that since assuming office, Government has dismissed some 3,000 public servants who were perceived to be supporters of that party.During the post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, Harmon declared that the figure does not amount to “thousands,” although a definitive figure was not provided on the amount of persons who have been dismissed or contracts not renewed since the new Administration took office.
In justifying Government’s move to dismiss the public servants, Harmon said, “Those persons were doing primarily political work for the PPP/C, and [were] being paid by Government.”
During the budget debates, PPP/C MP Indranie Chandarpal lamented the arbitrary firing of some 3,000 persons whom she said the Government perceived to be in favour of the PPP/C. She further alleged that these persons were replaced with persons loyal to the current Government, and added that those dismissed public servants were treated as though they had no right to a Government job.
Minister Harmon made it clear that the new Administration was not concerning itself with the public servants’ political affiliation, but rather their actions, given that most were aligned with performing duties of the main Opposition party, PPP/C.
“We are not concerned which political party you represent [and] what your political views are; but if you are doing Government work, then we have no problem with that; but if you’re being paid by Government to do purely [political] party work, then we have a problem with that, because the party must pay you if you are doing their work,” the minister declared.
While pointing directly at those public servants whose contracts were not renewed, but were being provided with “gratuity” approximately every three months, Harmon said the former Administration used that to “control” the public servants in order to make them carry out party political work.
Since assuming office in May, Government has dismissed several officials of State agencies for the reasons stated above.
(Shivanie Sugrim)
