It’s time civil servants were given a voice in the Cayman
Islands.
Far too long have they been forced to keep silent on all
matters pertaining to the government.
New guidelines released earlier this week mean the large
majority of Cayman Islands government workers would not be prevented from
signing political petitions addressed to the governor, Cabinet members or other
public officials.
The new policy breaks petitions into two classes.
Class 1 petitions are those addressed to any public official
seeking to change or amend any action or proposed action by a government
ministry or portfolio. These can include any matters for which a minister or
senior civil servant within a portfolio has direct responsibility.
Class 2 petitions are efforts by the public to generate a
voter-initiated referendum, which must be addressed to Cabinet members. Class 2
petitions are also any petitions sent to the governor concerning matters
directly within his constitutional responsibility.
The freedom does come with some rules, though.
Those holding key positions such as chief officers, deputy
chief officers, policy advisers, agency heads or deputy heads, clerk of the
Legislative Assembly or clerk of the Cabinet are not allowed to sign Class 1
petitions.
And there are other rules and regulations that apply to
those who hold sensitive positions within government and for those who can and
cannot sign Class 2 petitions.
The civil servant workforce is large, encompassing a big
chunk of registered voters.
They, like the rest of us, have opinions about what does and
does not work within government. Their voice should be heard. Unlike most of
the rest of us, they know the ins and outs of exactly how government does and
does not work.
The cloak of secrecy needs to be whittled away.
We began it several years ago when we instituted a policy of
not running Letters to the Editor that were anonymous or unsigned. Civil
servants should have a voice when they are offering solutions to ongoing
problems; just like the rest of us.
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