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Finance Ministry warns staff not to discuss Govt. business
– but circular ends up being leaked
It appears that nothing can be kept secret when it comes to government business, not even a circular warning staff about the need for confidentiality.
Not secret: Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph
According to a circular that was leaked to social media, and issued by Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph yesterday, there are strict rules against making public state business. That circular too, ended up being leaked.
“It has been brought to my attention that several staff members are involved in discussions and posting on social media and public fora, matters concerning the Government’s business and political affairs,” Joseph said in the purported circular sent to his staff.
He said that public servants should conduct themselves with regards to the tenets of confidentiality and objectivity when it comes to the “state of keeping or being kept secret or private of our knowledge of Government business, and a lack of bias, judgment, or prejudice while performing our duties competently.”
The Finance Secretary yesterday also pointed to the Public Service Rules in relation to public servants and the press: “…not at any time during his or her engagement make public or disclose to any person any information as to the practice or as to any other matters concerning the Government’s business, which may come to his knowledge in the course of his engagement and or involve in any political discussion whereby the operations of the government as a whole comes into the discourse.”
Joseph warned that anyone found in breach of this regulation shall be subjected to disciplinary action.
The warnings of the Finance Secretary come on the very day Kaieteur News published an article exposing a US$14.63M contract signed by Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, on the final day of the recount, with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for a hydropower project.
The article had exposed Government’s disregard for its caretaker status as stipulated by the Caribbean Court of Justice in its ruling on the No Confidence Motion which defeated the Government on December 21, 2018.
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