‘I am being made a scapegoat’

“I am being made a scapegoat, but I know I did my best.” These were the words of the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service Shirla Francis, as she responded to the unbridled onslaught of criticism that she has received regarding the public service reclassification process.{{more}}

Francis, who is now attached to the Ministry of Telecommunications, has been accused by union leaders, particularly the head of the Teachers’ Union Otto Sam of being arrogant, indifferent and guilty of frustrating the process.

“I didn’t do the exercise, I met it there, the final report was sitting there since August 2004, and I started working on it in January of this year,” Francis said.

She told SEARCHLIGHT that she was originally mandated to concentrate on the reclassification for the teachers, but made a “professional judgement call” that the reclassification had to be done in its entirety.

Francis said that the final report that was left by the Jamaica based consultants, Powell Consultants International Network (PCIN) was incomplete, and needed a lot of work.

“But its ok, I am getting all the blame, but God is my witness, I know I did my best,” Francis said.

While Prime Minister Gonsalves sought to distance himself from Sam’s criticism of Francis, the actions that were taken to “better manage the reclassification process” seem to give support to Sam’s position.

“I am not involved usually in a process of criticizing individual public servants in public,” Dr Gonsalves said when questioned about the accusations against Francis at a press conference last Monday.

“The Government analyzed, and I personally analyzed that what the unions were saying, that the process was too slow, that the unions had a point of merit,” the Prime Minister said.

“Certain administrative changes were made consequent upon that analysis by the government,” he added.

SEARCHLIGHT understands however, that in essence, only two changes were made: Francis was replaced by Nathaniel Williams, and an officer was brought in to assist the project officer in charge of reclassification.

Meanwhile teachers’ union president Sam has continued his attack on Francis. In a letter to the editor this week, Sam was critical of the current Permanent Secretary Williams for not laying blame on Francis.

Williams had told SEARCHLIGHT recently that in his estimation Francis had done her best and had good intentions, contrary to the unions’ view.

He again confirmed this view earlier this week, when he said that he believed that Francis had very good intentions.

“Sometimes however good our intentions, how we do something, may not be the best way,” Williams added, as he admitted that Francis may have been too inflexible in her approach to the reclassification process.

“Is it the same PS Williams who lamented that he wondered what was done on the project by the former boss? Is it the same Williams who told a meeting on 31st, July 2007 that he did not even get any minutes of the meeting held in April and he apologized for coming to the Steering Committee meeting empty handed, but he was provided with nothing,” Sam writes in his letter.

He wondered, sarcastically, if Williams had been misquoted.

Williams was not misquoted.

“Does Mr. Williams remember why he was whisked from a meeting in the Americas and promoted to (Ag) PS Public Service? Was it because the former PS was doing her ‘best’ and had ‘good intentions’? Indeed, the Prime Minister himself and several top public servants had a full dose of those good intentions and best doings,” Sam writes.