Dear Sir:
There must be a response to Ryan Garland and others, and their attempt to classify or spin the characters of the successful applicants for the position of permanent secretary. The detractors are going too far and making up things on the appointees, professional, powerful women, including a man in what now appears to be a woman’s world in government.
No country in the world can boast this kind of Amazonian leadership and persons like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton would marvel at this kind of soft revolution taking place in TCI society, with women taking the lead of our government bureaucracy.
The TCI must move beyond gossip, lies and made up stories. Appointment by tenure is ended; competition for the top job in government is now at international standards. Formerly permanent secretaries were used to political advantage and to the country’s disadvantage.
There are some things that their detractors cannot deal with: the education, experience and dedication of those persons selected and, despite the rumours, these persons really work hard on their jobs. Now it is time for the detractors to come out and say with proof that successful applicants are not deserving of these selections. The unfair and untrue allegations as to character should be supported with evidence and supplied to the Integrity Commission. If they were compromised, they would have been apprehended by now. Let us briefly look at these persons:
As budget director Anya Williams is diligent. There is no Commission, no British advisor, no made up story, no lie that can contradict the fact that Anya Williams was good at her job. The time for the TCI to be listening to lies should be over, especially rumours, ideas, notions that cannot be defended or proven. Governor and Interim Government, you are screwing up taxes and the handling of the closure of TCInvest but this appointment is a good one and because of the process of appointment. She will make the TCI proud.
Clara Gardiner, a trained teacher, very educated, and worked hard. As Permanent Secretary for Immigration she is cleaning up the immigration mess created by the former regime of Mike Misick in selling permanent residency certificates, work permits and belongerships. Leading on the immigration reform process, she is ensuring that belongers and more and more natives are working. There is now a freeze on work permits, reversing the sale of over 1,000 of permanent residency certificates, belongerships and work permits. It is unfair to blame Clara Gardiner for the botched scholarship policy program and the decision of PNP ministers to give public funds on scholarships to persons who cannot pass exams. This cannot be the fault of Clara Gardiner.
Susan Malcolm is the victim of the fact that many of her detractors do not admit or understand that the public service is run by a Public Service Commission and not by the permanent secretary. So she is blamed for decisions made by the Commission but she remains qualified for the job. As Permanent Secretary-OPSM she tried to upgrade the civil service, leading on Vision 2012, which is a project to re-develop the public service. Together, she and Mr Eugene Outounye had the public service on the right footing. As a leader she remains undaunted by the negative and unfounded attacks upon her.
Judith Campbell, like the others, is an achiever with projects like the National Environment Centre and the Children's Park in the Lower Bight Road, Providenciales. In Grand Turk she helped to improve the Land Registry and sped up the computerisation project. She is now desperately trying to clean up the hospital mess left by the former government. They spread many lies about her, such as imminent SIPT arrests and now they say that she is the British star witness. They overlook the facts, the power of the minister over the permanent secretary and how the ministers were free to do what they liked.
Wesley Clearveux, the one male in the mix, all you need to do is to look at the Environment Department’s Website, www.environment.tc, and see for yourself what major achievements he made there. Wesley works hard; he goes beyond the call of duty, he is educated, but the Post is blaming Wesley for what former ministers did in the Chalk Sound National Park. His record showed then and is showing now that he is doing a good job of policing the National Parks, coming up with fisheries policy, energy policy, dealing with global warming and climate change. He is efficient and just look at the man’s track record. He is now in a woman’s world because women are now “running things”. Determine for yourself what he is doing. With Wesley and the girls the country is in good hands. Each day he is achieving and if the writers to the Post want to overcome this, let them start achieving. Too many of them are sitting down, not working, collecting government salary and writing to the Post with lies and rumours
It is time for the detractors to stop the lies, rumours and gossip. It’s been three years since the commission in 2009, don’t you think that if they had any evidence on the permanent secretaries that it would have come out by now. If you have proof on these permanent secretaries, please bring the proof. Otherwise it is time you sit down.
David Forbes
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