Ambassador Douglas Saunders will forfeit his retirement to remain as Cabinet Secretary after the recent controversy around efforts to appoint Lieutenant General Rocky Meade to the post.

Saunders was slated to leave his post on October 1, 2022 after 14 years of service.

He will now, however, remain in the position as there has been no decision made about who will replace him.

“The current Cabinet Secretary is at work. He obviously was planning his post Cabinet Secretary life, but I suspect he will be with us a little bit longer,” shared Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for information, during today’s (September 28) post-Cabinet Press Briefing.

Meade had been announced as the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary on September 13, but would later decline the offer after concerns were raised about whether he satisfied the constitutional requirements for taking up the post as he was not at the time of appointment a member of the public service.

According to Section 92 (1) of the Constitution, the person appointed Cabinet Secretary must come from the public service from a list of public officers submitted by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Since Meade walked away, the Government has been working to find a replacement but a decision has yet to be made.

The appointment of a new Cabinet Secretary is the responsibility of the Public Service Commission.

Whenever the Commission has made its decision, it will then be approved by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen before it becomes public knowledge.