October 10, 2026
The IR Conservancy has been watching with interest the repeating issue as it relates to Public Sector Boards and their appointees. We recognise that most public bodies have in their legislative arrangements, the reporting relationship between the Minister and the Board and the general board’s responsibilities.
We also take note of the continuing work being done by the Office of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and to a lesser extent the Office of the Services Commissions to guide Boards of their responsibilities for the human and other resources of the Public Body.
Whilst there are clear, well-defined rules in the public sector, we have seen where Public Bodies and their responsible Ministers have sought to navigate those rules which have caused some civil society organisations to question the matter of professionalism and ethics that define good corporate governance, oftentimes hinting that Ministers do not take the advice of the Permanent Secretary or the senior technocrats in the Portfolio Ministry as that influence is only persuasive.
To advance its mandate, any government wants to ensure that those people in public bodies at the board and executive management levels are in sync with the program of the Administration; anything else will be anarchic and tumultuous. However, when obscure processes are used to select and appoint people to Boards and Executive Management positions it causes problems of mistrust, allegations of political patronage, cronyism and nepotism will infiltrate the discussion and the skill and competence of the individuals and their ability to produce is a secondary thought or often overlooked in the ensuing public or political debate.
The IR Conservancy is strongly supports, as part of GoJ’s advancement of good governance practices as put forward by former Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke in the reformation of Board Appointments under the Public Bodies Management and Accountability (Nomination, Selection and Appointment to Boards) Regulations, 2021, that GoJ considers a “cooling off’ period for political actors who want to become Public Officers and board members and also, board members who have served on related entity boards and want to come into executive management. This is the best practice of corporate governance to avoid the perception of political patronage, nepotism and cronyism. We would suggest a cooling off period of at least 12 months. This aligns with the provision for final statutory filing requirements under the Integrity Commission Act (2017).
O’Neil W. Grant, MBA
Principal Consultant and CEO
IR Conservancy