Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Melvin Seymour (lefT)
By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
MELVIN Seymour, the permanent secretary at the centre of controversy after being photographed wearing Progressive Liberal Party paraphernalia on Nomination Day, is a retiree who was brought back into the public service and is now earning $221,316 annually, The Tribune understands.
That total includes 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.
This disclosure follows questions about whether Mr Seymour, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, breached General Orders, which require political neutrality in the public service, and whether any disciplinary action will follow.
Secretary to the Cabinet Nicole Campbell declined to comment on the case yesterday, 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 declined to comment on the matter yesterday.
The controversy stems from photographs showing Mr Seymour wearing a PLP “Choose Progress” shirt at a political event on Cat Island tied to Prime Minister Philip Davis’s nomination.
Public service rules limit demonstration of political partisanship and require officers to maintain a code of reserve to preserve impartiality, though they are not barred from belonging to political parties.
Controversy intensified after Foreign Affairs officer Ivan Thompson circulated a letter Mr Seymour signed in 2024, warning him against participating in “any political activities.”
Former Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle criticised Mr Seymour on Tuesday, describing his action as a clear breach of General Orders and warning that failure to act could undermine the integrity of the public service. He cautioned that uneven enforcement of the rules risks eroding public confidence in governance standards.
Comments
bahamarich 22 hours, 38 minutes ago
And we wonder why there are budget deficits and the treasury can't pay it's bill
pablojay 21 hours, 10 minutes ago
BirdieStrachan comments on everything, we are awaiting your comments on this one, please if you dare.
moncurcool 20 hours, 27 minutes ago
Flippin unbelievable
licks2 14 hours, 54 minutes ago
Easy nah. . .don't go off half-cocked and forget that this is common practice for all of our political parties. . .and the whole world for that matter!! For example, how much do you think that white woman who was running the FNM feeding program was paid each year!! Ma bouy. . .yoon want to know!! LOP did it, HI did it, PC did it and HM did it. . .they are called specialists and are paid for their expertise!! Yinna need to check out how much them over-seas companies does pay our local professionals when they manage big projects for them locally. . .more money than our government ever paid any one of them!!
licks2 14 hours, 10 minutes ago
Before ya jump off the deep end. . .THAT MAN EEN NO PUBLIC SERVANT. . .HE IS A CONTRACTED FREE AGENT. . .NOT A PUBLIC SERVANT!! Carry-on nah!!
birdiestrachan 15 hours, 35 minutes ago
Elementary some believe that videos can win elections..or votes should be cast to please the NBA or international countries. What people wear have nothing to do with my vote my vote goes much deeper. Shallow comments mean nothing. To me. It is my hope that there are more of us than those who are shallow
licks2 14 hours, 46 minutes ago
Yinna does go for some petty stuff nah!!! Yinna know that that man een working for government and he is on contract for expert services?? Yinna ninnies een have no problem with them local white peoples or them ones from over-seas coming over here and making millions from both governments for professional contracts services and then raise a bunch of foolishness when our own local professionals do the same!! Yinna minds done turn to mush fer real!!
Must professional Bahamians have to go over-seas to be paid their worth after retirements?? That's the kind of thinkings that make the Bahamians sound like one-horse-town hicks!!
joeblow 14 hours, 12 minutes ago
... how does one collect a salary, a pension, housing and responsibility allowances from government without anybody being fired?? And the problem is, both parties do the same thing!!
licks2 13 hours, 58 minutes ago
It is called a contract. . .their pensions are not government or anybody else business. . .it is a Constitutional right after serving 30+ years in Public Services!! All that other stuff is contracted benefits with government for expert and professional services rendered atter they have EARNED their pensions. . .Constitutionally!! So yinna think that only government have those kinds of persons working for it. . .private sectors institutions have plenty of them here too and paying them way more than government paying them!!!! Heck. . .them private sector hires does live out West and East. . .paying an average of $5,000 per month for their living accommodations!!
LastManStanding 9 hours, 10 minutes ago
I'm sorry but why is an individual with a six figure salary in a country with zero income tax (besides NIB which is fairly small) being given a rent allowance that is larger than the salary of the vast majority of working class Bahamians? Bahamians making the average wage don't get a rent allowance and have to pay rent or mortgage directly from their salary so it really is bad optincs for someone making six figures getting to take home nearly all of that to get this level of treatment. It's not like this is foreign where a good 35-40% of that is getting taken out.
tetelestai 3 hours, 10 minutes ago
If you can find a Bahamian with his qualifications and expertise, then I would argue that the individual should also receive a competitive financial package. Ya'll stop being so simple Simon.
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