COC Meets, Selects Nominees for Public Service Commission Board Members
The Constitutional Offices Commission (COC) convened on Friday to discuss the nomination of the Public Service Commission (PSC) board members.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Prime Minister and COC Chair Sitiveni Rabuka said they had made some selections which they would nominate to the President.
He confirmed that there were some sitting members who were put there by the previous commission who were nominated by the past government, were still on the board.
“It is a balanced list of nominees that we will be sending to His Excellency the President for appointment into the Public Service Commission,” Mr Rabuka said.
“We normally nominate one as the chair and five members. We have a full list.
“The main agenda today (Friday) was the selection or the nomination of the Public Service Commission chair and board members. “We have confirmed the names of those who have been nominated and the announcement of the names will be made after the President has made the appointment.”
COC Nominee Replacements
Replacing former SODELPA Member of Parliament and Government nominee Tanya Waqanika in the Constitutional Offices Commission is Cema Bolabola. Ms Bolabola is a social worker. She was the former president of the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS). She replaced the late Sitiveni Kunaika in 2021.
Ms Bolabola oversaw the review of the FCOSS constitution from 2019 to 2020 and was part of the National Executive Committee
that oversaw the revitalisation of FCOSS from 2019 – 2022.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) from the University of the South Pacific (USP) and a Masters of Professional Studies (Food & Nutrition Planning) from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
She was a Consultant Community Development Specialist in the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Asia Pacific Office, Jakarta, in 2019, a Consultant Sociologist, (IFAD) Asia Pacific Office, Rome in 2018, and a Consultant Training Co-coordinator, in 2017, at the UNDP, Suva.
Replacing former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as the Opposition nominee in the commission is Suva-based lawyer and former National Federation Party (NFP) president Roko Tupou Draunidalo.
Ms Draunidalo was at the COC meeting in Suva yesterday (Friday).
When questioned about her appointment, Ms Draunidalo said: “The appointment was made by the President, so you might want to check with the President’s Office.” “We all there to serve Fiji, I’m honoured that the President appointed me.”