Rabuka: PS appointment ‘disrespectful,’
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has labelled the appointments of 13 permanent secretaries by the FijiFirst government before the 2022 election as inappropriate and disrespectful.
The announcement of their appointment was made on November 12. The newly elected permanent secretaries are former civil servants Salaseini Daunabuna, Mere Siqila-Lakeba, Atish Kumar, Seema Sharma and former Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission director Ashwin Raj.
The reappointed permanent secretaries are Yogesh Karan, Susan Kiran, Shaheen Ali, Sanjeeva Perera, Taitusi Vakadravuyaca, Raijeli Taga, Manasa Lesuma and Penesio Baleinabuli.
Mr Rabuka said the appointments should have been left to the incoming Government. “We do not want to take the drastic step of terminating incumbents, we do that according to law,” Mr Rabuka said. He said no ordinary Government worker would lose his or her job, but those paid with exorbitant salaries.
“We will re-establish the cherished principle of localisation introduced when Fiji became independent in 1970,” he said.
“This means that Fiji citizens will be appointed to Government positions whenever possible and on the basis they have the right qualifications.
“Mr Bainimarama and Mr Sayed-Khaiyum reversed localisation.
They brought in a number of expatriates which naturally raised concerns.
“Some of these expatriate recruits have obtained citiz enship since their recruitment. We will look carefully at the circumstances involved in those cases,” he said. He said in the past 14 days, they had made progress in Ministers establishing themselves in their respective ministries.