Permanent secretaries asked to step down - timesofmalta.

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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/Permanent...

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 by Mark Micallef

Permanent secretaries asked to step down

The Office of the Prime Minister defended the request for the permanent secretaries to resign.

All serving permanent secretaries were yesterday asked to consider tendering their resignation in the first substantive move by the newly appointed head of the civil service. The request was made by the outgoing principal permanent secretary, Godwin Grima, on instructions from Mario Cutajar, the person designated to replace him. The permanent secretaries, who head the civil service within each ministry, serve on three-year contracts but, although they can be removed by the Prime Minister at will, they are not political appointees and unlike chairmen are not expected to step down with a change of government. The move, which has drawn a sharp reaction in the civil service, comes only a day after the announcement of Mr Cutajars appointment, which had itself created ripples on account of his former roles in the GWU and the Labour Party. The OPM said Mr Cutajar would replace Dr Grima both as head of the civil service and Cabinet secretary but there would be a transitional period in which the ex-GWU official would act as designate. While it is understandable for a new Labour government to want a person of its trust to head the civil service, Mr Cutajars former role in the party runs against the impartiality expected from this position, a civil service source told The Times. The Office of the Prime Minister defended both Mr Cutajars appointment and the request for the permanent secretaries to resign. Through his experience in different sectors, Mr Cutajar over the years forged good relations with trade unions and employers alike, a spokesman for the OPM said. Beyond this, in the different managerial roles he occupied within the civil service, he was never accused of mixing his political beliefs with his work. On the request for the permanent secretaries to step down, the spokesman said: This was a courtesy request for them to consider resigning to allow the Prime Minister serenity of knowing that the people in place will deliver the Governments agenda. He insisted that the Government was wary of giving a shock to the system. Some resignations may not be accepted and the Permanent Secretaries have already been told that the people whose resignation is accepted will be given the opportunity to indicate where they would like to work within the service. The new Labour government appears to be fearful of making the same mistakes of Labours 1996-1998 administration, which saw former Prime Minister Alfred Sant accuse elements of the civil service of sabotage. But civil service insiders still complained about the message sent by the changes. Putting a former Labour Party official at the helm of the civil service and asking for the permanent secretaries to resign so early into government simply jars with Labours electoral campaign slogan of Malta for all, a high ranking civil servant said. In an ideal world, permanent secretaries are meant to give government continuity when there is a change of political masters, be it the departure of a minister or a government as is the case now, he said.

This was a courtesy request to allow the Prime Minister serenity of knowing people will deliver the Governments agenda

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Permanent secretaries asked to step down - timesofmalta.com

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/Permanent...

However, this move flies in the face of this concept.

Copyright Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on - 31-03-2013 - This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed

Another civil service source, more sympathetic to Labours concerns, said that while he understood the Governments wish to change the PN-leaning line-up of civil service leaders it inherited after almost 25 years of uninterrupted Nationalist administrations, the haste could end up antagonising people and create the sort of problems Labour appears to be keen on tackling. Mr Cutajar first joined the civil service in 1976 but he was eventually seconded to the General Workers Union in 1992, where he served as deputy secretary general before he fell out with union chief Tony Zarb in 2002. He also worked in the secretariat of former MEP Glenn Beddingfield during his short stint in Brussels. He recently edited Dom Mintoffs biography for the Labour Partys publishing arm and curated an exhibition on Labours history at the party headquarters.

17 Comments

J. Borg
Mar 15th, 12:04 Malta Taghna Lkoll. Ha ha ha ha! Managed to pull the wool over the eyes of so many gullible people! "Tista ma taqbilx maghna, imma tahdem maghna". Yeah, right! This sure is evidence of that!

Nazzareno Cortis
Mar 14th, 16:50 Good decision Mr.Mario Cutajar.I fully agree. New PL government must be sure whom to trust. Those willing and truly wants to work genuinly with PL ,in the interest of Malta should be welcome---but if there are any who were appointed on political PN agenda,these should be replaced for obvious reasons!! One cannot forget what happened in 1996!!!

Joe Borg
Mar 16th, 19:15 Whom to trust? Any QUALIFIED MALTESE person of integrity who can serve faithfully regardless of political leaning. That's the stuff that builds nice, harmonious societies. Time to embrace - we're all Maltese and that's what counts, and it's up to BOTH sides to change attitudes. I vote for Malta.

Michael Camileri
Mar 14th, 13:29 Asking the secretaries to resign is wrong. They should be made to re-apply for their positions.

Peter Murray
Mar 14th, 12:41 The adjective permanent appears to be 2 letters short -as they left out the IM

Peter Murray
Mar 14th, 12:21 Can anyone please provide me with an accurate and apposite defintion of "permanent" ?

A Borg
Mar 14th, 08:05

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31/03/2013 19:36

Permanent secretaries asked to step down - timesofmalta.com

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/Permanent...

if i am not wrong permanent means permanent

Mr Tony Gatt
Mar 14th, 09:12 ..except when it's temporary.

Michael Camileri
Mar 14th, 13:28 Nothing is permanent A Borg. I am permanent staff at my employment, but have one months notice if my employer wishes to terminate my employment.

Peter Murray
Mar 14th, 18:19 FAO Michael Camilleri Then sir, your job description is wildly inaccurate and inappropriate( as is these secretary's)and to correct you on your nothing is permanent claim as death is permanent ,as are taxes and dishonest politican's and public officials

Ronnie Callus
Mar 14th, 07:21 Din mhiex xi haga ta' barra minnhawn li l-Permanent Segretaries jintalbu jirrizenjaw, anzi normali li jsir hekk biex ma'jkunx hemm xi hadd jahseb li xi haga marret hazin fl-agenda tal-Gvern minnhabba fihom.Kull Gvern irid iserrah rasu li ghandu nies tal-fiducja tieghu, kif dejjem hekk sar. Proset Dr.Muscat keep it up.

Francis Saliba M.D.

Mar 14th, 06:20 Asking Permanent Secretaries to declare whether they wish to remain at their post or not is not the same as "asking them to resign".

ANTHONY PAVIA
Mar 14th, 12:24 Any incoming administration should have the freedom to chose persons of its trust to manage its political portfolio. This is the norm in private business. Even more so in the Public Sector, where accountability is only a word found in the dictionary.

Rupert Grech
Mar 14th, 00:26 This is a dangerous precedent that should be opposed. The politicisation of the public service over the years has led to negative consequences in Australia where senior public servants are now simply "yes" men, telling ministers only what they want to hear. The lack of frank and fearles advice is dis-functional to efficient and effective government.

C Muscat
Mar 14th, 08:35 The dangerous situation was created by mistaken advice in 1996 which started the fall of the Sant government. The W & E bills were raised by a PN remaining top brass and Sant had to face the music.

Victor Vella
Mar 13th, 22:45 How can the LP government functions when the permanent secretaries were appointed by the PN prime minister? The word permanent is false. Who is permanent? They are government secretaries. The PN saints forgot when all permanent secretaries were called at tal-Pieta` to help the nationalists so that Gonzi will continue to grip to power? We are not cwiec.

Luke Borg
Mar 14th, 09:05

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31/03/2013 19:36

Permanent secretaries asked to step down - timesofmalta.com

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/Permanent...

well said :)....let's continue to dismantle this atomic bomb which has been built across the whole country for 25 years, with care..next please...

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