Fijian Civil Service
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.