Both the Government and the Ministry of Education are staying out of the case of two teachers who are facing disciplinary action for contesting the January 19 general elections.
Attorney General Dale Marshall and Minister of Education Kay McConney made that clear, even as the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), on whose ticket Pedro Shepherd and Alwyn Babb ran, accused the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration of “political hounding” and insisted that Government go after all public servants who participated in the polls.
Marshall insisted on Friday that the Constitution of Barbados places the matter of discipline of public officers “squarely in the hands of the relevant service commission, in this instance the Administrative General And Professional Service Commission”.
“The disciplinary procedures are set out in the Public Service Act and provide a transparent and fair process for bringing disciplinary proceedings and also for the determination of such proceedings,” he said.
“From what I can tell, this is just the beginning of a process and it would be wrong, of course, and unwise for me to comment further on any matter which is sub judice, for fear of prejudicing either side.”
McConney also declined to be drawn into discussion on the issue.
“As you know, it is already moving forward in our court system and I prefer at this time not to make any comment,” the Education Minister said.
Shepherd and Babb were on Monday advised via correspondence from the Ministry of Public Service that disciplinary charges were laid against them and they would be sent on leave with half pay, for six months.
They are accused of breaching the General Order 3.18.1 of the General Orders for the Public Service 1970 and being in contravention of Paragraph 2 (h) of the Code of Discipline in the Public Service, Third Schedule, Public Service Act, Cap. 29.
General Order 3.18.1 states that officers and employees are expressly forbidden to participate actively in politics, including being adopted as a parliamentary candidate; canvassing on behalf of any party or candidate; acting as agents or sub-agents for any candidate for election; holding office in party political organisations; and speaking at political meetings.
Interim DLP president Steve Blackett has suggested that Shepherd, who ran in the St Michael South East constituency and Babb, who contested the St Peter seat, are victims of a political witch-hunt. He also accused the administration of victimizing teachers.
He said while the two DLP candidates were facing disciplinary action, other public servants who were involved in the BLP election campaign have not faced any sanctions.
“There is a clear indication that what our comrades are being accused of, several members of the Barbados Labour Party have been practising this very same thing all during the last general elections,” Blackett charged.
“They have been speaking on platforms, they have been chairing public meetings, they have been canvassing for their individual candidates and working in the constituency offices of the candidates. They participated in motorcades and they were polling agents for some of the candidates; and in one case in particular, in a St Michael riding, one of them was actually an election agent for the candidate. These are the same charges that they are levelling at our two comrades.
“But all we are asking for is fair play. If you are going to level these charges at our two candidates, then what about these other public officers? And don’t tell me that these other public officers were not candidates, because all of the regulations that you are saying that are in breach include canvassing, chairing of meetings, participating in motorcades, being polling agents, and being election agents,” Blackett insisted.
He said that while the DLP is yet to hold a formal meeting to discuss the charges against Babb and Shepherd, he has been in contact with them consistently over the past few days and the party’s executives are standing in solidarity with them.
“We are locked hand in hand with them. At least under my leadership, if you hit one you hit all, and we are going to bring our combined strength, our anger, and our resistance to this partiality, this victimization, and this hounding down, this political hounding down, of our two candidates and that is all it is.
“This is plain, unvarnished hounding down of our two candidates because they dared to participate in the last general elections. While on the other hand, you have people in their red shirts, working for the Barbados Labour Party doing exactly the same thing and nothing was said about them,” Blackett argued.
The two unsuccessful candidates were advised that they had 14 working days from receipt of their correspondence to reply to the charges of misconduct laid against them and that they could choose a trade union representative, attorney-at-law, or a friend to accompany them to any scheduled disciplinary hearing.
Reliable sources have informed Barbados TODAY that Shepherd has approached the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) which he led before resigning from the top position on January 3 to contest the polls.
Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) leader Caswell Franklyn, who is representing Babb, has already sent an official response to the Ministry of Public Service, challenging the disciplinary action and demanding that the charges against the educator be withdrawn and his pay restored.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb
