*Did Parmesh Chand as the A/PS for PSC have the powers and authority to make such amendments, in relation to mandating retirement for all the civil servants at 60, exempting the Permanent Secretary?
*The Peoples Alliance (and all Opposition Parties) had it in its election manifesto to do away with contractual appointments and revert to permanent appointments or a career service.
*Similarly, all parties wanted the retirement age increased to 60. Since the Coalition formed the new Government, it is obligatory upon the Minister of the Public Service to submit a paper to Cabinet seeking approval of Cabinet to effect these changes through appropriate amendments to the PSC Act and Regulations, General Orders, etc.
*Only after this process has been completed then the PSC (Commissioners) will sit to take note and endorse the Cabinet decision, with appropriate Gazette notice, prior to the issue of the PSC Circular by the PS, announcing the changes, etc.
PSC Circular signed by Parmesh Chand on the 23 Jan 2023, amending the retirement age from 55 to 60 but applying to all civil servants below 60, EXCEPT for the Permanent Secretary, which enables political appointments like him and Peter Wise, who are over 60, to be confirmed into their position.
*The obvious beneficiary, signs the circular, but it still does not address the apolitical factor. It is written in a way that gives the Minister for Civil Service (Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka), the powers to appoint any one over 60.
Fijileaks: Now that the late Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has revealed the identity of the current PAP Coalition Cabinet Minister in his book PRISONER 302, we will bring the story to you as soon as possible.
*For 16 years we had jealously guarded the Cabinet Minister's identity. Ironically, if Raju's claims are to be believed, how could Parmesh Chand be appointed PS for Civil Service and Public Enterprise?
