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Pinder: So-called smart politicians should try to bring government into the 21st century instead of worrying about me
NASSAU, BAHAMAS Director of Labor John Pinder yesterday defended his position in the civil service and objected to comments made about him by the Chairman of the Liberal Progressive Party (PLP) Senator Fred Mitchell, insisting on the makes the former Fox Hill MP afraid of him as an adversary.
Last week, during his presentation to the 2021/2022 Senate Budget debate, Mitchell questioned Pinder’s conduct as a public servant, given reports campaigning in the Fox Hill area, insisting that he is supposed to be neutral in the exercise of his responsibilities.
Pinder has previously said that if he is ratified for a political party in the Bahamas, he will step down as director.
Yesterday, in an interview with Eyewitness News, he maintained this position, stating that until then: “I will continue to function, I will continue to be a mailman, I will continue to be professional in my responsibility as director of work. . “
Director of Labor John Pinder.
Responding to criticism from the PLP senator, Pinder said: “Until Mr. Mitchell can produce evidence where I am not impartial, or where I am not acting professionally, or I am not performing my duties. at best in my country, it’s only hot air; that’s all it is.
He admitted that he was walking around Fox Hill constituency between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to get to know the residents, but insisted that he had not gained any advantage from his post in the public service.
Mitchell, as he criticized Pinder last week, pointed to the General Service Orders which govern the political activities of public servants, which state: “The first duty of a public officer is to pledge unchallenged allegiance to the state, c that is, the government of the day.
“By joining the public service, a public officer voluntarily engages in a profession in which his service to the public will take an apolitical form, and whatever his political inclination, his impartiality in the exercise of his function must be at- beyond all suspicion.
“It follows therefore that a public officer should not normally take an active part in questions of public or political controversy, and in particular if it is a matter of which he is officially concerned.
The Directed Work insisted, however, that these regulations are outdated and mature politicians should stop referring to them and instead seek to change them.
“If so, you should change that now. You can’t run a 19th century country doing business in the 21st century, ”he said.
Pinder added that it is “unfortunate that for any public servant to enter any level of politics, he is expected to resign from his post.”
“The best people to lead this country are the public servants who know the public service inside and out and know how governments should govern,” he said.
He asserted that officials should only have to resign at the time of candidacy and not ratification in a party, saying ratification does not necessarily mean the individual is going to run for office or succeed.
“I think these so-called smart politicians, rather than trying to worry about me as the director getting ratification at some point, they have to try to get Parliament and the government system to a more modern way of doing business, ”he said. said the director of labor.
Pinder said if the Free National Movement (FNM) is successful in its bid for re-election, it will campaign for the government to agree to senior officials being put on administrative leave, instead of resigning, if they wish to enter politics. frontline. , and it should be upon them to be appointed.
Fox Hill is one of the few seats that the FNM has not yet ratified.
Outgoing Shonel Ferguson, who beat Mitchell with 2,440 to 2,198 votes, is not seeking re-election.
The PLP completed its slate of candidates, Mitchell being ratified for the constituency of Fox Hill.
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