The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has said the commission has not acted on the influence of any entity and that all of its decisions are based on laws and regulations. The commission made the statement while parliamentarians heavily criticized the commission in debating the amendments to the CSC Act on Wednesday.
During the debate, MP Adam Shareef from the opposing Peoples' National Congress (PNC) said the Civil Service Commission was a political nest. Alleging that CSC is controlled b the government, he said the commission is run per the government's wishes. He went on to state that CSC does not protect the rights of civil servants and that it was a matter of grave concern.
Responding to allegations, the President of the Commission, Mohamed Nasih, said he was not concerned that political figures were criticizing the commission. He said he had no concerns as he was perfectly aware of how the commission was operated and its activities. He added that he was confident that no present commission members made any decisions against the rules and regulations.
'Political figures may say one thing and change their tune later. The commission does not want to respond to every single statement politicians make in the spirit of the moment. If there is an issue with our commission, please lodge [your complaints]. If it is something that we can rectify at our level, we will correct it,' Nasih said.
Noting that the CSC assists the government in its work, the commission will take part in the work as much as the law allows it, said Nasih. However, he said that not every order given by the government would be followed by the commission. He assured that the commission would not take steps against employees just because the government wishes to take action against them. The commission makes its rules and regulations and policies such that it brings ease to civil servants, he added.
'If we dismiss an employee or take actions against them, we will do that according to the rules and regulations, after reviewing the issue at hand. Sometimes, we have decided against the government's stance on a matter. In cases where the dismissed employees go to the tribunal to challenge their dismissal, we correct issues if the tribunal identifies any wrong on our part,' Nasih said.
Acknowledging concerns raised over the appraisal system used to assess civil servants, Nasih agreed the system had its issues. He said several aspects of the system need changes and that he was confident that the required changes could be implemented within this year.
Nasih said although the actions of past commission members are criticized by politicians, he did not wish to speak regarding issues related to the commission members. He said he was not a person who had ever signed up for a political party and had never been active in politics. He added that he had complete confidence in commission members and their decisions.
'I do not believe we have significant issues of concern. If our work is not satisfactory, the Parliament has the power to remove us. Some people appointed to positions by this government have also been dismissed. In the same manner, if they are unhappy with us, they will remove us,' Nasih said.
