The following was sent to The Anguillian by the Governor’s Office.
24th January, 2017
To: All Permanent Secretaries
RE: Reassignment of Ministerial Responsibilities
Regarding the subject above, please note that Governor Scott has used the discretion afforded under the Constitution, not to act in accordance with the Chief Minister’s advice. Consequently, your policy areas of responsibility will remain as we planned and prepared for, and as they were assigned on January 1st 2017.
Both the Chair of the Public Service Commission and I, as head of the Anguilla Public Service, have encouraged the Governor to take this position, and support it. I believe it is incumbent on all of us as the leaders of the Anguilla Public Service to uphold the principle of a politically neutral, impartial public service that serves the elected Government of the day, whoever they are, loyally and effectively. To build on the firm foundations that already exist, we need to support the system laid out in the Constitution and laws. These require transfers and promotions within, and appointments to, the Anguilla Public Service to be made fairly and transparently, with the involvement of the Public Service Commission, but without the direct involvement of politicians.
Not everybody will be happy with the Governor’s decision, particularly, the Chief Minister, with whom I spoke with briefly, this afternoon. This is inevitably sometimes the case when opinions differ.
We all, however, have a responsibility to ensure that the Anguilla Public Service continues to function smoothly and efficiently, and I am confident that under your effective leadership you and your teams will stay true to our leadership statement.
Please feel free to share this information with your teams.
Regards,
Perin Bradley (Mr)
Hon. Deputy Governor
