GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands; Thursday, November 13, 2008 - In a post induction press conference held on Friday, November 7, four newly appointed Commissioners to the Public Service Commission (PSC) were introduced to the public. Their appointment comes after the two year terms completed by the former Commissioners.
The newly appointed Commissioners include businessmen Mr. Holton L. Williams and Mr. Deveraux Malcolm, along with Rev. Dr. Samuel G. Williams and Mrs. Loleta E. Taylor, a local entrepreneur. They join PSC Chair, Mr. Eugene Otuonye Q.C., who was appointed in July.
In his keynote to the commissioners at the press conference, His Excellency the Governor, Gordon Wetherell, spoke of the special role of the PSC. "This is a crucial time for the public service in TCI, as it is undergoing a process of transformation. This transformation is as high a priority for me as Constitutional Head of the Public Service, as it is for the PSC," said the Governor. "I am therefore glad that the new Commissioners have had an opportunity to be briefed about the Vision Statement for 2012 as well as the Mission Statement and Core Value of public servants."
Mr. Otuonye, in remarks, spoke of his own experience and, his expectations of the new appointees, having himself served on the PSC board for nearly five months. "I accepted my responsibility with fear and trembling that comes from the enormity of the job and the high expectations of the public," he said. "I must commend the members of the previous board who have been instrumental in allowing the public service to make critical strides in the period of one year. " He thanked them for their courage, perseverance and strength of character.
The Chairman cautioned the appointees that 2012 was just a few years away, and that this new board would also have a critical role to play in the achievement of those goals for the public service.
As a former Deputy Attorney General in TCI, Mr. Otuonye outlined that under the new constitution, the PSC is a different organization altogether, and with that comes great responsibility. "Every appointment to the public service can only be acted upon our advice. Judgment ought to be unassailable and fair. We must act with integrity, probity, transparency, justice and fairness."
Executive Permanent Secretary to the OSPM, Dr. Hubert Fulford, congratulated the Commissioners on their appointment and expressed the commitment of the Office of Public Service Management to working with the PSC to ensure that the successes to date will continue and that the overarching Vision and Mission will be achieved across the entire public sector.
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