The chairman of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), Ian Moore, has become the latest official to be fired since the Bruce Golding administration took office.

Already the 13-month-old Govern-ment has replaced the entire board of the Urban Development Corpo-ration, revamped the board of Air Jamaica, sacked the head of the National Health Fund and the Jamaica Information Service.

Moore joined that growing list yesterday after he was fired by Energy Minister Clive Mullings one year after being appointed to head the 10-member PCJ board.

Refused to provide reasons

Yesterday, Mullings refused to provide information on the reasons for his decision, but promised that the details would be released following a board meeting this afternoon.

"I can't speak about it today because I haven't spoken to the members of the board about it yet, as at least two of the members are off the island," Mullings told The Gleaner.

But the energy minister made it clear that he was less than satisfied with the performance of Moore.

"Whatever happens has to be consistent with one's responsibilities as a member of a board. It is a question of how you discharge your responsibilities and under the Public Bodies Act, there are some things you have to do and you have to be consistent with that," Mullings added.

However, he scoffed at claims that there was acrimony between him and Moore.

"That is not how I operate and any claim that my decision was based on personal issues is rubbish," the energy minister said.

Not on speaking terms

Mullings was responding to Opposition Spokesman on Energy, Phillip Paulwell, who claimed that the minister and the former chairman were not on speaking terms.

"It has been known in industry circles that Mr Mullings did not enjoy the best of relationships with Mr Moore," Paulwell said, as he queried whether this led to Moore's firing.

Efforts to reach Moore for a comment were unsuccessful, but he has received the backing of at least one board member.

Surprise, disappointment

The board member who asked not to be named expressed surprise and disappointment at the minister's decision.

"He (Moore) has really been putting his all into it and treating it like a full-time job. It is very unfair to him," the board member said.

But other sources close to the PCJ claimed that Moore's very intimate involvement could have influenced the minister's decision.

According to the sources, Moore was operating like an executive chairman although he was appointed to perform in a non-executive role.

This is believed to have ruffled feathers at the PCJ and the energy ministry with persons expressing concern about his mode of operation.