Government Officials worked until the early hours

Government Officials worked until the early hours

Government officials in the Ministry of Manpower worked until the early hours of the morning in the days leading up to the National Assembly elections in order to finalise the payment of gratuities and other financial rewards for the 11,000 or so government employees, it has come to light. Parastatal organisations and other government agencies were also ordered to do the same. The purpose of the exercise was to influence government employees and their families to vote for SPPF.

The Ministry of Manpower is the formal government organisation which is responsible for the hiring and firing of government employees and it is run by a Minister. This practice dates back to the one-party state. During the Constitutional Commission hearings in 1993, former President Albert Rene, leading the SPPF majority in the Commission, adamantly refused the creation of an independent civil service commission to hire and fire government employees. There are no set procedures for the hiring, firing and promotion of government employees – and this includes also the promotion or dismissal of nursing staff, teachers, police officers or army personnel.