The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

QUESTIONS over whether a senior public officer breached political neutrality rules have been pushed to the Office of the Prime Minister, with Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle saying her ministry does not handle matters involving permanent secretaries.

“I think the matter was with a permanent secretary, and permanent secretaries report directly to the Prime Minister,” she said yesterday at the Progressive Liberal Party weekly campaign update press conference.

“The Office of the Prime Minister will, in that regard, handle any communications regarding that matter. But yes, my ministry has put out on several occasions, general orders that speak to the participation outwardly, front line public servants in political life or on the political front line. So the matter of that level of public servant is actually handled through the office of the Prime Minister, and I would direct any questions in that regard there.”

Mr Seymour, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was photographed wearing Progressive Liberal Party paraphernalia on Nomination Day at a political event on Cat Island linked to Prime Minister Philip Davis’s nomination, raising questions about whether he breached General Orders requiring public officers to maintain political impartiality and avoid overt participation in frontline political activity.

Scrutiny has intensified because Mr Seymour signed a 2024 letter warning a Foreign Affairs officer against engaging in political activities.

Communications Director Latre Rahming, who was present at the press conference, did not provide further comment.

Secretary to the Cabinet Nicole Campbell declined to address the matter directly, saying: “The Public Service has rules. It has regulations, and those procedures and rules are normally carried out. But in this instance, I don’t have any comments.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell has declined to comment when asked about the issue.

Former Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle took a critical stance, describing Mr Seymour’s actions as a clear breach of General Orders and warning that failure to act could undermine public confidence in the neutrality and integrity of the public service.

Mr Seymour, a retiree who was brought back into the public service, earns a total annual package of $221,316, including a base salary of $104,750, a pension of $49,766, a $43,200 rent allowance, a $20,000 responsibility allowance and a $3,600 distribution allowance.