The Public Service Commission has advertised positions for 11 Permanent Secretaries that will only be available to Fijian citizens.
The Ministries include Agriculture and Waterways, Civil Service, Education, Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Foreign Affairs, Fisheries and Forestry, Home Affairs and Immigration, Housing, Office of the Prime Minister, Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management and Women Children and Poverty Alleviation.
PSC Chairman Luke Rokovada says under the previous Government the recruitment and selection process of the Permanent Secretaries was conducted for the Commission with the assistance of a recruitment company, awarded through a tender process.
He says at their last meeting on February 8th, the Commission made the decision to continue with the recruitment of the Permanent Secretaries using the services of the company.
Rokovada says this is in light of the existing contract with the company, which inter-alia has provisions for recruitment of additional Permanent Secretaries with an agreed budget.
He says the Commission plans to complete all appointments with the agreement of the Prime Minister as stipulated in Section 126(1) of the 2013 Constitution within the next 3 to 4 months.
Rokovada says selection and recommendation to the Prime Minister for appointments of these new Permanent Secretaries will follow an extensive open merit recruitment and selection process conducted by the Commission.
He adds the People’s Coalition Government is committed to empowering our own people.
