FNM Chairman Dr Duane Sands.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
DR Duane Sands condemned the Davis administration yesterday for overlooking qualified civil servants to make former Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade permanent secretary in the Ministry of Immigration.
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told reporters yesterday that Mr Greenslade was recommended for the post because the government believes he would be a good fit for the role given his law enforcement background.
The position, he added, will take effect as soon as the Public Service Commission confirms it.
Dr Sands said the appointment would be another example of the Davis administration doing whatever it wants “without any regard to convention or the implications.”
He said such appointments, which come with various perks and allowances to people who already receive a pension, are costly.
“There is something called civil service, and the civil service is intended to be staffed by persons who are permanent, and they provide a counterbalance, a measure of sanity to the fiats of the politicians who come and go,” he said.
“Now this PLP administration has decided to do whatever they want to do, whatever buck up goes, and so they started by bringing back a whole number of retired civil servants and gave them consultancies.
“I don’t even know if you could call him a permanent secretary if he’s not permanent.”
“You have a permanent secretary on a contract, which is an oxymoron, a non sequitur, whatever you want to call it, but again, this is a PLP. The rules, the laws don’t apply to them.”
Dr Sands said hiring retirees for such senior roles deflates morale in the civil service.
“It horribly inflates the compensation packages of the pensioned retirees,” he said. “The greater drain on the public purse is the demoralizing impact across the hundreds of senior servants who see opportunities for advancement slip away. Many then reduce their productivity to a minimum.”
Mr Greenslade recently served as the High Commissioner of The Bahamas to The United Kingdom. Before that, he was the police commissioner for about eight years.
He joins other retirees whom the government rehired for permanent secretary roles, including Luther Smith in the Ministry of Works and Colin Higgs in the Ministry of Health.
Reacting to the impending appointment yesterday, President of the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union Deron Brooks said he is hoping for the best.
“I’m hoping that he brings some insight and him having a maybe 40 years experience in law enforcement, of course, he would have some compassion for the staff in immigration, and he would act on some things on our behalf, so I think that’s a plus,” he said.
Comments
birdiestrachan 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Blast doc you tell the Miami herald all about it in the mean time what happened to mr Richard Johnson out side the FNM Headquarters
Apostle 10 months, 2 weeks ago
All I would say is that it’s one thing for people to think you are a fool and another to open your mouth and confirm it.
Dr. Sands is ignorant of the laws even though he was in the ministry dishing out contracts himself. First off, the Public Service Act gives the government the authority to rehire a retiree if it so chooses up to the age of 70. As far as I am aware, Greenslade is only about 63.
The difference is that the FNM chose not to do it as he says, it places a drain on the public purse, yet the FNM government wasted money on other things. The FNM gave contracts to persons who were not qualified for the jobs they were hired to do. Why is the doctor focusing on Greenslade?
This seems like a personal attack by the good doctor and I think he needs to come clean. He has animosity against the former COP ever since Greenslade and him sparred over police statistics and he seems not able to let it go. They have a track record, but as a wannabee leader, I am so disappointed in Dr. Sands. He needs to go and heal and stop making a mockery of politics because he is a bad choice and not qualified to speak.
I saw the names of two permanent secretaries. He did not object to Luther Smith, nor Collin Higgs. There are at least seven others, not including the three already named, who were also appointed permanent secretaries. Did Dr. Sands not see a retiree appointed Director of Immigration and a retiree appointed as commissioner of police? Did he not see the lawful comptroller of customs placed on leave and another appointed to act in her space? Did he not see the commissioner of corrections paced on eave and another acting in his stead? Maybe Dr. Sands has on blinkers and all he sees is Greenslade or is just being a hypocrite. Make it make sense Dr. Sands.
If we don’t like the laws, change them. Dr. Sands should be advocating to make changes. He was there with the same law and did nothing with it. So doctor now tastes his own medicine.
So, Dr Sands I have one thing to say to you sir: “Medice, cura te ipsum “. ‘Physician heal thyself’.
birdiestrachan 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Those Fnm fellows have problems with mr Greenslade they did not allow him to be commissioner of police so no wonder the Sands is blasting vengeance is mine says the Lord I will repay thee so sands just blast away and see where that will get you I remember when Thompson wife was promoted
rosiepi 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Dr Sands is exactly right. What does the Bahamas gain from another political appointment. And why shouldn't the gov't encourage fresh faces and vigor? All we got was another double dipper!
BONEFISH 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Dr.Sands is not a credible person to speak on this matter. He only spoke pointedly on the appointment of Mr.Greenslade and he has kept mum on other appointments/ He has blood on his hands from his action as Minister of Health.This PLP like the Hubert Minnis's FNM is the flip side of the same varnished coin. People in the know spoke about the many dubious appointments in the civil service under the Minnis adminisrtation.
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