Glacial Justice

The saga over Government IT education officer Abdallah Ahad, accused of lying about his qualifications on his CV, drags on.

The Ministry of Education gave Mr. Ahad ten days after the publication of the original allegations in the Bermuda Sun to prove his credentials. On Friday last week he submitted his evidence. The Ministry now intend to spend the rest of the month checking it, before passing a report on the matter to the Public Service Commission, who will decide what action to take.

This is the kind of bureaucracy that gives government a bad name. Over here in the private sector, if it emerges that someone might have lied on their CV, I'd be surprised if the matter took more than a couple of days to resolve. Their boss wouldn't mess around asking the employee to produce his certificates. He'd check directly with the educational establishments the employee claimed to have got them from. If they didn't corroborate his claims, he'd be fired without further ado.

I'm all for due process, but in this sort of situation does due process really take four weeks? If this is the kind of speed Government operates at, it's no wonder it takes them aeons to get anything done.

Comments

[Tiger Bay on 19.05.04 at 10:06]

It'll take them longer to review the file than it took Mr. Ahad to get both his "Masters" and "PhD"!!

Probably cost a lot more too!!

That's because most civil servants have an advanced degree in "CYA".

[Somers on 19.05.04 at 13:47]

But really - when was the last time any civil servants were fired... Has there ever been a decline in the size of the government workforce?

$5 he keeps his job...

[Eric on 19.05.04 at 14:26]

If it does come out that his credentials were/are falsified, would that then spawn an investigation into the backgrounds of (all) other official positions?

Or perhaps I should say "should" instead of "will" since I'm pretty sure the answer to a "will that happen" question is going to be a resounding "no".

[John on 20.05.04 at 08:35]

I seem to remember that when I applied to work in Bermuda I had to supply all my educational documents and certificates. I even had to get
some copies signed by a notary public. If this gentleman's first job was with Bermuda College surely they, being an educational establishment, would have validated them.

[Tiger Bay on 31.05.04 at 18:57]

Tomorrow is June 1. So, the Ministry of Education should finally have gathered their report on Mr Ahad's credentials for the Public Service Commission.

I understand that due process must be taken, but neither the Ministry nor the Civil Service seem to appreciate the damage that this episode is doing to public perceptions of Governmental efficiency or qualifications.

[Tiger Bay on 21.06.04 at 10:15]

It has emerged that an accountant at the Bermuda College has been terminated for raising doubts regarding inappropriate use of college funds by several administrators. Sounds to me that she was doing her job and deserves praise.

(And what's the deal with the admission that they can charge up to $1000 on their government credit cards without supplying documentation? Holy cow! Someone in government does not appreciate how long it takes us mere citizens to earn $1000.)

Meanwhile, several months after revelations that his credentials were fake, Mr. Abdallah Ahad is still on Government's payroll.

Both events show the lack of accountability and controls within the Government -- and its prediliction to cover up and let slide rather than face up to problems and mistakes.

[Tiger Bay on 26.07.04 at 09:16]

"IT Education officer Abdallah Ahad could remain in his $81,000-a-year post despite having questionable credentials — if he is doing a good job. Education Minister Terry Lister made that surprise disclosure to the Bermuda Sun on Wednesday at a reception for recipients of awards issued by the National Training Board at Camden."

[George Brown on 23.04.05 at 00:22]

I was wondering if you could tell me if this fellow did finally get to keep his job?

Cheers,

George

[big bad wolf on 23.04.05 at 00:43]

No George he did not keep his job..cheers ^..^