As part of the consultations with the trade union movement to amend the provisions of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Disciplined Forces Commission (DFSC), the State and Other Employees Federation sent a brief to the Ministry of the Civil Service. One of the salient points of this document concerns the request of this federation to remove the delegation of powers to the ministries and departments of the Service for the exercise of promotion and recruitment. This federation is of the opinion that this delegation of power very often opens the way to “nepotism” and “political interference.” All interviews with the PSC must be recorded, insists this union federation. ‘All videos should be recorded and made available in the event a dispute should arise, thereby yielding a reliable, objective record of the processes‘. supports the federation in the document.
Another request made by this federation concerns the section 113 section of the Constitution which would constitute a sword of Damocles on the heads of senior officials. This section states that a new government may at any time withdraw the framework of a ministry. It reads as follows: “where under any law other than this Constitution, an appointment is made to an office by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, or any other Minister or on his advice or after consultation with him, or with his approval, the holder of the office may, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Constitution, be required to vacate the office at any time after a general election held after the appointment ”.
This federation also requests that this section be repealed. SOEF calls on the government to move forward very quickly with the Public Service Bill, which draws a distinct line between civil servants and political leaders. It also stresses that several positions within the public service have become contractual and that the issue must be reviewed. The position of Financial Secretary was cited as an example. In the judiciary, SOEF chairman, Radhakrishna Sadien insists that the post of chairman of the Judicial and Service Commission should go to a retired judge in order to eliminate the perception that there is a conflict of interest somewhere.
“The PSC is an emanation of the Constitution of Mauritius, it should not allow its image to be tarnished by the wrongdoings of Ministries, either deliberately or through oversight, as this is a serious matter which constitutes a violation of the Constitution”, states the president of SOEF in the brief.
