Fijian Civil Service

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CLARIFICATION ON RECENT MISINFORMATION REGARDING PSC EVENTS

August 2, 2024

The Public Service Commission (PSC) wishes to address and correct recent misinformation disseminated by former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry regarding the cost and nature of recent PSC events.

His statements are inaccurate and require clarification.

PSC Chairman Luke Rokovada stated that the one and a half day Permanent Secretaries Retreat at the Pearl Resort, Pacific Harbour was a capacity and team building exercise and not a picnic as suggested by Mr.Chaudhry.

Mr.Rokovada said the Permanent Secretaries spent one night at the resort.

They travelled to Pacific Harbour on Friday morning (19th July) and the seminars started at 9:30am and finished at 5:15pm.

On Saturday (20th July), the seminars commenced at 9am and finished at 1:15pm.

The sessions focused on leadership, innovation and navigating the future in which Permanent Secretaries were challenged to discuss their vision for Fiji for the next six years to 2030 and beyond.

“For Mr.Chaudhry to suggest that the 20 Permanent Secretaries were at the Retreat to enjoy themselves is ill-advised and irresponsible,” Rokovada stated.

The PSC Chairman stated this retreat is cost-effective compared to previous retreats under the previous administration.

“During the Fiji First Government, Permanent Secretaries were having Retreats at expensive Resorts in the Coral Coast and Denarau for two nights stay. And some years there were two consecutive retreats,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretaries at this year’s retreat discussed topics like diversity and inclusion, data collection and cybersecurity awareness.

Mr.Rokovada said the PS’s retreat is an annual event on the PSC calendar and is considered an investment aimed at enhancing effective collaboration among Permanent Secretaries.

“Effective governance requires investing in crucial areas, such as addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis and modernizing Fiji’s bureaucratic system. The PS Sub-committees are dedicated to these challenges, making these retreats vital for bringing the PSs together given the nature of their work and tight day-to-day schedules,” he adds.

The four sub-committees are Removing Red Tape Sub-committee; Future of Work Sub-committee; HIV/AIDS Sub-committee and the Removing Waste Sub-committee.

The PSC Chairman also clarified that the well-deserved Civil Service Day celebration, which was held on July 5th, was conducted without an allocated budget.

Although the day was specifically celebrated on July 5th, there were additional scheduled events throughout the week that aligned with the usual routine of the civil service.

“The event focused on community service activities such as the cleanup campaign and tree planting in the Nasinu area, the wellness Wednesday programme and the public lecture and information sessions,” the Chairman stated.

The public lecture and information session was an opportunity for all the Ministries to promote government programs and policies to the public. 

“The turnout from the general public was positive and the engagement was meaningful as it allowed the public to know what the civil service looks like from the inside out,” Mr.Rokovada said.

The Chairman adds that the Roc Market was a private-public partnership designed to support small and medium enterprises majority of which are women entrepreneurs.

This initiative was part of the government’s broader effort to engage with the community and promote economic development.

The Chairman adds that all these events were cost-effective and conducted efficiently and did not incur significant costs.

“We encourage the public to rely on verified information and understand that strategic investments in governance are crucial for addressing complex challenges and improving public administration,” Rokovada adds.

The PSC Chairman is also calling on the media to be responsible and feel free to reach out to the Commission and the Ministry of Civil Service to verify information to avoid misleading the public. 

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