The Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, has committed to begin conducting major reviews aimed at stomping out political biases among civil servants if the Holness Administration is reelected for a third term.

Malahoo Forte made these statements during a speech at the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Area Council Four meeting at the Anchovy High School in St James, on July 20.

The minister admitted to receiving reports about public sector workers being negligent or uncooperative with others due to their political affiliations, and described such acts as shameful and tragic.

“We find that at the head of the stream, we have two sets of people. One set says, ‘Boy, it’s not my party in power, so mi nah really do nothing to make them look good,’…But then we have another set, and in that set, they say, ‘Well, my party is in power, I don’t have to do nothing, because nobody can fire me,” Malahoo Fore declared.

Concerns regarding the output of public sector workers due to their political backgrounds are not new. In 2015, several members of parliament alleged that garbage collectors were avoiding certain communities due to the political parties their residents supported.

To combat political influence in the civil services, the Jamaican Constitution has made provisions for the Public Service Commission (PSC), an independent and neutral body set to report directly to the Governor General. The PSC is empowered to both appoint, promote, and remove public sector workers, but many have questioned its effectiveness, including former Opposition Leader Peter Phillips.

Malahoo Forte indicated that if the Jamaica Labour Party remained in power, the issue of enforcing political neutrality in the civil service was set to become a leading priority, by both the wider Government and her ministry in particular.

“When we go into the next term, I want to put everyone on notice, all of you, that we are going to be working to ensure that the internal clients of government are well served, and the public and civil servants will better serve the people,” the minister continued.