GUYANA is one step closer to reconstituting the Public Service Commission now that the National Assembly has agreed on the nominees to be appointed to the Commission by President David Granger.

Minutes before midnight on Monday, the National Assembly adopted the Eight Report of the Standing Committee on Appointments paving the way for the nominees – Vincent Bowman and Mortimer Livan – to be recommended to President Granger.

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibilities for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton, who heads the Committee of Appointments, told the House that Bowman and Livan were nominated in accordance with Article 200 (1) (b) of the Constitution, to be appointed Members of the Public Service Commission.
The approval of the nominees comes close to one year after the life of the Public Service Commission came to an end in 2017.

In moving a motion for the adoption of the report, Minister Norton noted that the committee held 29 meetings and it was during the 26th meeting on December 15, 2017 that the Committee agreed that the Chief Labour Officer at the Ministry of Social Protection be asked to submit a list of the unions that represent classes of public officers in Guyana.

He reported that at the 27th meeting on January 31, 2018, the committee was furnished with a list of unions, and included the Guyana Public Service Union and the National Union of Public Service Employees. Those two unions were invited to submit nominees to sit on the Public Service Commission in accordance with the Constitution.

Nominations were submitted in February 2018 with the National Union of Public Service Employees nominating Bowman. The Guyana Public Service Union nominated Livan and Patricia Went.
At the 29th meeting the members of the committee, comprising both Government and Opposition Members of Parliament, unanimously adopted the 8th report. Livan and Bowman were selected based on the nominations for appointment by President David Granger.

Opposition Member of Parliament Gillian Burton said while she would want to embrace both Livan and Bowman, who are veteran trade unionists, she would have some reservations based on recent information garnered.

According to her, based on information received, Bowman’s union had its membership reduced significantly. On that basis, the PPP MP expressed the view that a third union should have been consulted for greater inclusion.

Raising the issue of “Gender Balance”, Burton noted that there were three nominees, one being a woman, and as such, in an effort to strike a balance, Went should have been nominated for appointment.

Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, in offering her contributions to the debate, also argued that a larger pool of unions should have been consulted with before the nominees were decided upon.

In his rebuttal, Dr. Norton stated that the committee consulted with the unions submitted by the Chief Labour Officer.