Remarks Are ‘Unfortunate And Inappropriate’

January 18, 2018

Recent “remarks and insinuations” about senior Public Officers are “unfortunate and inappropriate,” Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Dr. Derrick Binns said, adding that “in the face of this unfortunate commentary, Public Officers will continue to provide impartial support to the Government of the day.”

Bermuda Crest TC Jan 18 2018

In a statement which aimed to “address disparaging comments made recently about senior executives of the Public Service,” Dr. Binns said, “The role of a Public Officer is to serve the elected Government of the day, provide sound technical advice and implement policy decisions. This guidance is based on many years of knowledge, skill and expertise and is carried out with professionalism and integrity.

“The rules under which Public Officers are required to work prohibit them from speaking publicly, and as a result, they are voiceless in the face of public, often unsubstantiated and unwarranted, attacks. This does not give anyone the right to malign the personal or professional reputation of any Public Officer.

“Recent remarks and insinuations made about senior Public Officers in response to the Governor and Premier’s decision to separate the posts of Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service, and comments made about the Permanent Secretary of Health as reported by the local media, are unfortunate and inappropriate. These attacks undermine the hard work of Public Officers and impugn their integrity.

“In the face of this unfortunate commentary, Public Officers will continue to provide impartial support to the Government of the day. I publicly thank the hardworking and dedicated men and women of the Public Service for their unwavering commitment to the people of Bermuda.”

Read More About

Category: All, News, Politics

Comments (47)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Yeah Whatever says:

    K

  2. George says:

    So what is the Premier going to do to “address disparaging comments made recently about senior executives of the Public Service”? It was Dr. Brown, supported by one of his own Cabinet colleagues and another MP from his own Party, who questioned the integrity and impartiality of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health. How are they going to be held accountable?

    • Joe Bloggs says:

      How are politicians (and a former politician) going to be held accountable? Really?

    • Full Stop says:

      What time is the March and Where!

  3. Triangle Drifter says:

    Denial. Playing the Victim card in the face of overwhelming evidence that says otherwise. Out in the real world a CEO would resign in shame.

  4. somuchless says:

    Truth must hurt

  5. categories says:

    When the PLP won that election, and during the election, there were civil servants dancing around in green in the offices above the post office. Not exactly impartial.

    • Onion Juice says:

      And when OBA won in 2012 the buisness men were celebrating and walking around town in red Bermuda shorts.

      • Double S says:

        Are you comparing businessmen to civil servants and the need to be apolitical and impartial?

        You truly are dopey.

        • Onion Juice says:

          Civil servants are tax payers.

          • Reuben says:

            But their jobs still require them to remain apolitical and impartial, if they can’t manage it then they need to find a different job.

            • Onion Juice says:

              Did you have those same sentiments when certain people didnt have access to become senior Public Officers and everything was scewed in UBP’s favor?
              Dont feel good does it?

          • nerema says:

            Civil servants are paid using tax dollars. Unless people with proper businesses made money and paid tax in the first place, there would be no civil servants.

          • Double S says:

            You really are clueless aren’t you.

            Go do some research before spouting off ignorant nonsense.

            I dare you.

    • Politricks says:

      I heard the same thing. The majority of the civil service in BDA is far from impartial.

  6. Your Ancestors Did Worse says:

    So many tears.

    • this is now says:

      How would you know and stop with the deflection.

  7. Imjustsaying says:

    Whatever…

  8. I and I says:

    In defensive mode before revelation time!

  9. bdaboy says:

    ” I publicly thank the hardworking and dedicated men and women of the Public Service for their unwavering commitment to the people of Bermuda.”

    Comedy gold

  10. Zevon says:

    If the cap fits….

  11. Warwick West says:

    Lie to us the public if you must but don’t lie to yourself.

    And frankly you are wasting your breath as most of the public see, hear, and know better.

  12. Rockfish#1and#2 says:

    Binns is singing for his supper. His appearance before the SAGE commission clearly revealed how ineffective and unproductive he and other senior civil servants are.

  13. Oh,I see now says:

    Bins stop with the boo hoo please.

  14. facts of the rock says:

    yeah rite ,we all KNOW how impartial they arnt.

  15. Bill says:

    What’s unfortunate is how some people are unemployed and some others are getting over $200000 a year. Also the blue collar gov workers are paid around 50k gross and they are the ones doing all the hard manual labour and their bosses mostly who sit back and make desisions get double to tripple. How is that justified??

    • Really says:

      I couldn’t agree more, the civil service WORKERS are fabulous! The big ones in the offfices are over paid and way under worked! Same goes for Belco!

  16. Truth is killin' me... says:

    One word…accountability!

  17. Rada Gast says:

    Methinks the laddie doth protest too much.

  18. Seascape says:

    Oh please….cry me a river…..14 years all over again…

  19. comfortably numb says:

    In the real world these senior managers would have been long gone but in the Civil Service it appears that poor performance is never punished. The same situation occurs in the public education system: poor performance will result in a transfer to another school at worse. Underperform in the private education system and you are gone. Of course, private businesses and private schools are not affected by the overly protective unions.

  20. Ladeej says:

    I agree with Dr. Binns, the few comments that I read were disparaging, insulting, and far too personal. People should restrict their comments to the person’s performance on the job (if necessary) and stop with the personal insults!

    • Chronically Cynical says:

      “A person who has made a defamatory statement may claim privilege for it if he can show that he made it without malice and in pursuit of a public duty.” Charles Arnold-Baker.

  21. Opinion Matter says:

    Let’s call this what it really is. This is a senior civil servant in government reminding his co-workers that they have no freedom or rights to speak out against injustice without fear of reprisal.

    That is a very eye opening message that we are Bermudians need to speak out against. Our rights are slowly being stripped away in the name of free speech, btw Bermuda does not have laws similar tot he 5th amendment. All the calls to remove pen names and not allow anonymous poster or bloggers, have malicious intent.

    We all know that this island is small and you can be fired for speaking your mind so many use a pen name. Imagine a world were your not allowed to speak an opinion that might not be liked or believe by many. That opinion, or fact, could not cost you your lively hood and cause your family to suffer.

    1984 was not an instruction manual but many groups are pushing for is inclusion in laws. Orwell would be ashamed that his warnings were not followed but taken as examples.

    Wake up people…

  22. Rocky5 says:

    Why is he defending the PLP? Civil Service was criticised during the OBA Govt term and we heard “tree frogs”! This does not bode well for good governance. Suggest all Civil Servants quickly read the Commission of Inquiry Report

  23. Positive Pessimist says:

    Dr. Binns-what is your view on sham redundancies? Just wondering.

  24. Chronically Cynical says:

    I have a hypothetical question. Let’s just say a public servant planned to go overseas on a business trip, let’s just say to the U.K., to travel in business class with the ticket costing, let’s just say, over $5,000, and planned to take his wife (also hypothetically a public servant) and planned to stay at a classy hotel and right before the trip the reason for the trip was cancelled but the public servant and his wife (who had no reason to go to start with) went anyway because they wanted to visit a relative who lived in the U.K., what would the repercussions be, even if they reimbursed the Government later on? This is all strictly hypothetical, of course, but wouldn’t the Ombudsman be obliged to look into it and these public servants possibly both be terminated? I’m not talking specifics, just asking in case this far-flung scenario were to EVER come up. How would it be dealt with? Anyone?

  25. Just Askin' says:

    What are Dr. Binns qualifications to head the Civil Service? The public wants to know. Also, why is he being such a crybaby?

  26. Y-Gurl says:

    Voiceless and unproductive

  27. Gabriel says:

    Get a thick skin.

  28. Alvin Williams says:

    This criticism is from the same elements that want to down size the civil service as a whole and I suspect some were around when Bermuda’s civil service was dominated by English expatriates; but we head not a peep.
    Now that it is predominate Bermudian; there is nothing to hold back their distaste and their resentment. All the more reason that the current government should stand firm in support of Bermuda’s civil service.

    • Zevon says:

      Just as long as they get their 70 days sick leave and 33 days vacation every year.

  29. Imjustsaying says:

    The truth is the hardest pill to swallow.