“This is not a witch hunt,” Deputy Governor Inez Archibald told about 40 government employees today during an “HR Talk” about how public employees should behave at election time.
Public employees have the same constitutional rights to free expression as everyone else, but those rights are limited in the interests of maintaining public confidence in the government — no matter which party is in power — Ms. Archibald told the group.
After hearing a presentation from Lillian Andama, parliamentary counsel in the attorney general’s office, the public employees were invited to ask questions about the recently issued election guidelines notes.
Some asked whether they could attend campaign events or rallies, something that both presenters said would be acceptable, provided the public officer “maintains a low profile,” as directed in the guidelines.
Overall, public employees were advised to use their good judgement. They were reminded that public officers are trusted to be informed of the rules in the Elections Guidance Notes, the General Orders and the Constitution, and trusted not to conduct themselves “on the basis of rumour.”
See the Sept. 29 edition for further coverage.