Forester Daniel Chi famously stood up to the Prime Minister back in April - when the PM tried to intervene on behalf of plant importer Diany Chan.
Well, now he may be facing dismissal for it. That's what the CEO in the Ministry of Sustainable Development said to the media last week. Now that is a far cry from the formal charge of insubordination he was sent on administrative leave for. In fact, insubordination is so minor that - by the book - it only merits a verbal warning.
So now how is it that his CEO wants him dismissed? That's what we asked the Minister of the Public Service today - he deflected to the Public Service Commission:
Reporter
"Apparently, it's been recommended for him to be dismissed from the public service."
Henry Charles Usher - Minister of Public Service
"I have to say, I have not seen the actual submission to the Public Service Commission. That's not handled by the Ministry. It's handled by the Commission. And the Commission is meeting again on Friday, I believe. I'm not sure if that is on the agenda. What I can see is that the disciplinary procedures are in the public service regulations. There's a procedure that has to be followed. And as far as I know, that procedure has been followed by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, in terms of what has been done with the leave and then the suspension and so on. And then the application is made to the Public Service Commission proffered to discipline, but I don't know what has been requested."
Reporter
"Sir, CEO, Dr. Williams, told us last week in an interview that the recommendation is for him to be terminated."
Henry Charles Usher
"Okay, well, he would know more than me if that's the recommendation that that ministry has sent to the Public Service Commission."
Reporter
"Is it okay though that they have gone all the way to the top, the highest, the highest? What would it be a penalty that's on the list? Dismissal is the highest for what is considered minor misconduct."
Henry Charles Usher
"Well, it is a still alive matter. So I wouldn't want to comment on what decision could or should be made. What I can say is, as you rightly said, there are two different types of infractions in public service. There are minor infractions on major infractions. Now, if the determination is made by the Commission that this is an infraction that warrants such a disciplinary measure, then they will make that decision."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, are you bracing for a quarrel with the Public Service Union should the even stiff penalty be implemented and they disagree? As far as I understand, the Public Service Union president has made it clear that in his opinion, after reviewing certain information and details that haven't been published, he believes that a verbal reprimand is the highest that should be made against this officer."
Henry Charles
"Well, the Public Service Union wouldn't be doing its job if they didn't get out there and stand up for their public officers. So I certainly would never say anything negative about the work being done by the union in terms of their advocacy and defense of their public officers in the ministry. We have a very good relationship with the union. We meet on a regular basis. We have also set up the grievance procedure so that in these types of situations, they don't really always have to come to the ministry or to the Public Service Commission."
And while we suspect the Minister was being diplomatic, we know that his Ministry is the Secretariat for the Public Service Commission so he should know if the recommendation for dismissal was sent.
The PSU president has told us that his union will vigorously defend Forester Chi at the Public Service Commission.
