Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the way is now clear for the Public Service Commission (PSC) to finally appoint an acting Chief Administrator in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
The PM received correspondence from the PSC advancing an officer for the post last Thursday.
But he took a turn at Chief Secretary Farley Augustine accusing him of “slander and insinuations” in a statement delivered to Parliament yesterday on issues surrounding the appointment of the Chief Administrator.
Rowley said, if it is shown that he mislead Parliament, he would resign and hand over the reins to another.
“So seriously, do I take the slander and insinuations of the irresponsible Chief Secretary that as I make this statement of clarification and rebuttal, I laid in this House as a paper, a comprehensive dossier of all the relevant correspondence in support of what I’ve said here today,” he added.
“If it can be truthfully shown by any of the authorities that I have mentioned or impacted here today that I have misled this House, I will immediately resign forthwith and hand over the reins to another, in the interest of peace, good order, and progress of the people.”
Rowley’s statement clarifying the issues was the latest round of the conflict with Augustine. It began earlier this month when THA’s deputy chief secretary Faith B Yisrael pointed fingers at the PM’s Office on the issue of the vacancy of the Chief Administrator’s post. Rowley clarified the matter and the retirement of the office holder.
But after Augustine’s fiery statements to the Assembly last week on the matter, Rowley told parliamentarians that Augustine “in a fit of, hopefully, genuine misunderstanding, made some very serious allegations” against him and the Government.
“It is the view of the Cabinet that such accusations and misinterpretations, if left unattended in the public mind and domain, could grossly mislead the citizenry, not only in Tobago but across the nation with grave consequences leading to the deterioration of the relationship between the people of Tobago and the rest of the nation,” Rowley added.
Rowley said it was common knowledge that until a designated officer is identified by the Public Service Commission (PSC) for appointment to the post of Chief Administrator, there was no role for the Prime Minister and this only comes in when the PSC identifies a designated officer and seeks to confirm from the PM whether he has an objection.
“This is the first time that the Prime Minister is to be involved in the process to be followed immediately, as per the law, by consultation between the Chief Secretary and the Prime Minister,” he noted.
But Rowley said it was clear from Augustine’s behaviour “ascribing his own skewed interpretation to the consultative process,” that Augustine did not have a proper understanding of various phrases.
“In thoroughly disregarding or misinterpreting these words and phrases, the Chief Secretary has been driven to operate in the realm of conspiracy theories which seek to implicate the Prime Minister in a fleet of wrongdoing or suspicion for which the record will show there is absolutely no basis, once a clear understanding of the law is invoked.”
No wilful disregard by PM
Rebutting Augustine’s allegations, Rowley cited the following points:
- He had no power to appoint Ethlyn John as acting Chief Administrator in 2022 since it’s the sole responsibility of the independent PSC.
- Augustine was deliberately silent on a March 3, 2022, letter that Rowley sent him where the consultative process was initiated. This was an immediate response following the notification on March 2, 2022, from the Public Service Commission of their selection of a designated officer.
- The fact that the designated officer at the time attempted to assume duty before the actual appointment was finalised, was unknown to him.
- That office had participated in an unauthorised handover before an actual appointment was made. This was rectified by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister by withdrawing the unauthorised officer.
- The situation was remedied by the “acceptance of the Chief Secretary” after a conversation with the Prime Minister and the issuance of the requisite appointment letter by the PSC.
- Contrary to what the Chief Secretary is now saying, no wilful disregard was initiated or supported by the Prime Minister or the OPM.
- Augustine continued to misrepresent the PM’s role with his accusation that a second instance of “no consultation, disregard and disrespect” was imminent along with the development of the absence of a Chief Administrator.
- A May 16, 2023, correspondence from the PSC was received by the Office of the Prime Minister on May 17, 2023, indicating that Ritchie Toppin, the Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister (Central Administrative Services Tobago -CAST) had been designated to act as Chief Administrator.
- This letter would have ordinarily triggered the consultation process between the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary before the appointment was formalised.
- However, this letter was never advanced to PM Rowley because the Permanent Secretary received a letter of the same date May 17, from the outgoing Chief Administrator informing that a number of allegations of misconduct have been made against Toppin.
- The PSC being so advised, immediately withdrew its May 16 letter which advanced Toppin for consideration to the position.
- He was not aware of the letters passing between public officers when he met with the Chief Secretary in Tobago.
- I sought no audit report–PM
- Rowley said a letter dated May 15 from the Chief Secretary on the matter of the appointment and consultation process was received at the OPM on May 16. Rowley and Augustine communicated “cordially by phone” and subsequently met on May 22, in Tobago.
- During this meeting the Chief Secretary raised the matter of his preference for the officer that was mentioned in his letter of May 15.
- Rowley added, “Not knowing about the public service issues surrounding the withdrawal of PSC’s letter I gave an undertaking to support the officer as advanced. That was the settled outcome. What I did not know then is that there was an interdiction of the PS at CAST arising out of the proceeds of an audit which was undertaken and spoken about quite frequently and passionately by the Chief Secretary himself.
- “I also subsequently found out that a series of correspondence between the Head of the Public Service, Chief Administrator, and the Permanent Secretary at CAST on this subject of the audit was taking place from as early as November 2022. (November 16, November 28, and December 1). These being routine Public Service matters the Prime Minister was in no way involved and therefore couldn’t influence the decisions in any persons favour, public officer or contractor, as recklessly stated by the Chief Secretary.
- “The outcome of these exchanges resulted in the suspension of the designated officer and the creation of the absence of a Chief Administrator because the Commission had to redo its selection process but was delayed in advancing this action due to being inquorate–a situation which was only rectified by June 12.”
- Rowley said, “I want to make it abundantly clear that contrary to statements, insults, accusations, and insinuations made by the Chief Secretary, that neither I nor my office has expressed any interest whatsoever in obtaining his audit report for pleasure or for nefarious purposes as he described, namely ‘to assist friends of the Prime Minister’ who the Chief Secretary accuses of criminal conduct.
- “At no time during any of our discussions, face-to-face or otherwise, did I ever discuss, or request any information from, or copy of, the audit to which the Chief Secretary frequently speaks. To the best of my knowledge, no person in any of my offices or any officer reporting to me has ever sought to obtain information from the Chief Secretary about his forensic audit.
- “Therefore, for the Chief Secretary to wantonly put on the record of the Tobago House of Assembly, that he will not give a copy or provide any information about his audit to the Prime Minister because he is satisfied that such information is to be used by the Prime Minister to assist persons whom the Chief Secretary wishes to see face criminal charges and put behind bars, is scandalous in the extreme.”
- According to the PM, “The Chief Secretary stating that he is satisfied that the Prime Minister wishes to have this audit to provide technical escape loopholes for his friends, is a slander most grave.”
- Rowley said Augustine was not prepared to accept that the Public Service matter of selecting a designated officer to become Chief Administrator is a matter that lies within the Public Service and for which the Prime Minister may have little knowledge and no involvement until a “no objection” is required.
- He said, “For the Chief Secretary to conflate these Public Service actions with his pet conspiracy theories in his battles against contractors and allow himself to put on the record in the THA that the Prime Minister has some sinister interest in the selection and promotion of Permanent Secretary Toppin who he accuses of wrongdoing on behalf of contractors, is yet another instance of the Chief Secretary using the Assembly chamber to spread propaganda and slander against persons who have no recourse in that Chamber.”
