Press Statement
By
The Progressive Liberal
Party
FNM Gov. passes over
qualified MOW Bahamian Engineers for Expats without due process
October 16th
2011
This past week the House of Assembly began a debate on a
number of Crime Bills.
Crime is described
as the breach of rules or Laws for which some governing authority governing
(via mechanisms such as legal systems) can ultimately prescribe a conviction. Outlined
hereunder is a creditable example of how the rules of natural justice were
denied long standing senior staff of the Ministry of Works and Transport?
This Ministry in February of this year advertised for five
senior positions (Chief Civil Engineer, Senior Engineer-Drainage, and Senior
Engineer- Structural) and the post of chief quantity surveyor, which attracted three applicants from within the Ministry.
The PLP is shocked and indeed deeply sadden to have received
incontrovertible evidence that qualified and long experienced Bahamian Engineers
(Senior Engineers Civil, Structural)
including Chief Quantity Surveyor who applied
for vacancies within the Ministry of Works (MOWT) were excluded from
consideration before they were interviewed by a MOWT internal Committee (as
confirmed in an intra MOW&T mail dated February 22nd 2011 (copy
attached) because in the view of the Director of Works John C Canton
an expatriate contract worker
who wrote “Of these (applicants) none on
paper, or on the basis of prior knowledge are ideal candidates”, who then
directed the positions be advertise regionally and internationally. We are also
advised that MOW&T applicants did not receive favorable consideration from the
Public Service Commission and expats are being recruited to fill the vacancies.
Director of Works John C Canton also said in the mentioned
intra memo before they were interviewed as mentioned above, “I suggest we write
to existing applicants and inform that depth of field for interview is insufficient,
so we are advertising more widely when results of shortlisting will be made as
soon as we are able to”.
The Progressive Liberal Party is very concern as to the
extent this serious breach of natural justice is being perpetrated in the Public
Service.
The Minister of Works & Transport Neko Grant failed to
support the promotion of long standing and fully qualified Bahamians who met
all the relevant requirements for the advertised posts, but instead lent his
support to the engagement of foreign engineers at salaries and benefits we
are advise are greater than Deputy Directors of Works and unashamedly continues the
policy of having no confidence in Bahamians Professionals. The FNM clearly pays
lip service to Bahamianization.
The
Progressive Liberal Party believes in Bahamians and will insure that all rights
for Bahamians are protected
.
