PUZZLING MOVE

Two former senior public servants have expressed surprise at the transfer of former Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison to a newly created ministry in the position of permanent secretary.

Former Cabinet Secretary Dr Carlton Davis and former Financial Secretary Shirley Tyndall said the move was a demotion for the senior public official, even if her pay package remains the same.

Davis, a respected former public servant who worked as Cabinet secretary across administrations, said he found Morrison’s transfer at this time to be “curious”.

He said the Government should disclose the reason for Morrison’s transfer.

“The economy is not growing and we don’t have a lot of room to manoeuvre. Already, I have seen critical commentaries about the cost of the public service relative to the gross domestic product. So you are dealing with a situation in which, in my mind, at any rate, you need the most experienced people to manage whatever the difficult situation is,” he reasoned.

Davis described Morrison as “a most reliable individual”, noting that she works quietly but effectively behind the scenes.

“I am not taking any sides because I don’t know the facts, but all I am saying is that it’s an extraordinary time to change the administrative leadership at the Ministry of Finance,” he said.

Morrison was transferred to the newly created Ministry of Mining and Geology, effective on Monday, with Lorris Jarrett named as her successor as financial secretary.

Davis and Tyndall told The Gleaner that the move was unprecedented. They indicated that no financial secretary in Jamaica who served since 1958 had been transferred to the role of permanent secretary.

“Shirley Tyndall was financial secretary; Colin Bullock was financial secretary; Wesley Hughes was financial secretary; Horace Barber was financial secretary; and I believe G. Arthur Brown and Edgerton Richardson. I am not aware of any [transfers],” Davis emphasised.

For her part, Tyndall, who disclosed that Morrison was recruited during her time as financial secretary, said she could not see any government relegating her predecessors, such as Brown or Barber, to the position of permanent secretary.

According to Tyndall, Morrison’s integrity as a public servant cannot be questioned.

“She protects her integrity, and she also protects the integrity of institutions,” she declared.

O’Neil Grant, industrial relations consultant, said heads of government entities are often reassigned, particularly at the start of a new administration.

However, he said the reassignment of a financial secretary during the tenure of the same administration understandably attracts attention.

“The office carries considerable responsibility, institutional knowledge and public confidence. However, the rarity of such a decision does not diminish the constitutional authority to make it. An uncommon administrative action can still be a legitimate exercise of government leadership,” he argued.

Grant said the Government’s strongest public explanation should rest on the purpose of the reassignment, the value of Morrison’s experience, and the continuity of her service to Jamaica.

“It should identify the leadership needs being addressed, explain the transition arrangements, and acknowledge her contribution to the Ministry of Finance,” he said.

The parliamentary Opposition has raised concern about Morrison’s transfer. The People’s National Party described the move as troubling as it came during the annual Budget call process, when continuity and stability at the finance ministry are considered critical.

The party also questioned whether Morrison’s reassignment was connected to recent utterances by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, who alleged that unnamed public servants were sabotaging the Government.

Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson wants the Government to disclose whether Morrison had been accused of wrongdoing, whether an investigation had been conducted into any accusations, and what evidence, if any, informed the decision to transfer her.

He said the former financial secretary had served at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for more than 37 years, including eight years as financial secretary, under successive administrations.

“She was at the ministry’s head during the touted economic and fiscal improvements, so what then explains this reassignment? What are the real reasons for this demotion?” he asked.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com