VANDO PALMER, the intelligent and articulate communications manager of the National Works Agency (NWA), should not be waiting to be separated from his job. Mr. Palmer has entered representational politics. He was successful in his bid to replace John Junor as the People's National Party representative for Central Manchester in the next general election. He should have resigned forthwith.
There is a hallowed principle in the tradition of parliamentary democracy of separating representational politics from the neutral civil service; and of requiring that civil servants refrain from active, public political participation. The fact that the principle has been severely strained here and elsewhere through the appointment of known political activists to civil service positions as rewards handed out by victorious political parties does nothing to reduce its importance. If anything, the breaches serve to underscore the importance of vigilantly guarding the principle as an important part of our parliamentary democracy.
Since winning the election for constituency representative two Sundays ago, Mr. Palmer has not yet found it possible to tender his resignation as communications manager of the NWA. The political party which he has been elected to represent, and which now forms the Government pledging to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land, has deviously passed the buck to the employing agency to decide what to do about Mr. Palmer's employment status.
The NWA and the Public Service Commission have been in 'consultation' over the obvious which has been clearly specified in the Civil Service Staff Orders. It has taken the Jamaica Civil Service Association, more usually acting in the role of protector of the rights of the civil service worker, to most vigorously pursue the matter of the untenable situation with Mr. Palmer remaining in his job at the NWA while standing as political candidate.
Beyond the letter of any regulation that he is in breach of, what kind of parliamentary representative does Mr. Palmer expect to be and with what level of integrity? Does he expect the people of Central Manchester who are not already die-hard supporters to give him their votes when his actions at the very beginning of his political life are so disregardful of principles and regulations for good governance? And should he win the seat and his party wins the Government, whether he remains on the back bench or appointed to Cabinet, would he wish to see activists for opposing parties occupying positions in the civil service?
Mr. Palmer should be separated from his civil service job as NWA communications manager. Rising public pressure will see to that if his own integrity and good sense do not. It is a real pity though that, over the last several days, the party, the employing agency, and even the watchdog Public Service Commission have not moved with greater swiftness and resoluteness to extricate themselves from the compromised position in which the political activist/civil servant has placed them.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
