Edmond Campbell, Staff Reporter

An appeal yesterday by Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, for Prime Minister Bruce Golding to delay the appointment of new members to the Public Service Commission (PSC), came a week too late.

This as the Prime Minister has already submitted the names of those persons to be appointed to Governor-General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed that Mr. Golding has written to the Governor-General, asking him to appoint the new members to the PSC.

Mrs. Simpson Miller urged the Prime Minister to await the Supreme Court's hearing on the dismissal of the former PSC members before appointing a new commission.

"The matter of whether the members of the commission had been validly removed as of December 12, 2007 is to be heard in the Supreme Court, next Thursday, January 10, less than a week away," Mrs. Simpson Miller said in a statement.

Negotiated consensus

She said she also wished to remind the Prime Minister that the membership of the Public Service Commission and of the Police Service Commission was arrived at by negotiated consensus between then Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and then Leader of the Opposition, Edward Seaga.

"The Joint Select Committee of Parliament concerned with constitutional reform has also recommended a process for the appointment of these commissions that reflects the requirements for such consensus," she added.

"I would expect that whenever the occasion properly arises in the future for the appointment of the membership of these commissions, the same approach will be followed."

Vale Royal talks

The Opposition Leader's appeal came a day after she agreed to resume Vale Royal talks with the Bruce Golding-led administration. She was previously unwilling to have dialogue with the Government until Mr. Golding apologised for remarks he made about the leadership of the People's National Party at a Jamaica Labour Party conference in November.

However, Mr. Golding had refused to withdraw the statement and, to date, no public apology has been made.

In response to Mrs. Simpson Miller's decision to now engage the Government in bi-partisan talks, Mr. Golding has requested that a fixed schedule be established for the Vale Royal meetings.

The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Investment, Karl Samuda, has been given the task to liaise with the designated person from the Opposition to set a date and agenda for the first meeting.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com