It is happening at SINU, Our Telekom and …
By Alfred Sasako
THEY were once seen as “saviour” of institutions they were recruited to administer. These institutions are national icons, but none is headed by a local Solomon Islander – Solomon Islanders who possess the equivalent in qualifications, exposure and experience foreign nationals hold.
Now it seems the tide is slowly but surely turning against the experts recruited from overseas. And as the level of undercurrent rises, no one seems to know which institution will be next.
At least two national institutions – Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and Our Telekom – are reportedly feeling the heat as most, if not all, staff turn against their boss.
At SINU, staff are turning against their new Vice Chancellor (VC), Dr Ganesh Chand for alleged “abuse of recruitment process, speedy appointment and hand-picked TA from Fiji to work for SINU” while turning ignoring local TA and qualified academic staff.
“(The) VC abused the recruitment process and appointed his friends and former colleagues of Fiji National University,” staff said.
They gave an example of the recent appointment of an Internal Auditor from Fiji. He used to work as Manager Audit for Fiji National University and was terminated in 2015 for alleged abuse of process related to tender.
“The VC forced HR (Human Resources) to give an offer to (a) Fijian National for the post of Executive Officer without follow(ing) the due process of recruitment, and this is very clear conflict of interest,” according to information obtained by Island Sun last night.
The staff also accused the Vice Chancellor of “bullying and intimidation of local staff.”
Now the staff association is said to be planning a protest march to have the VC removed, they said.
The association is understood to be seeking the views of the SINU Council before making a final decision on the proposed protest march.
At Our Telekom similar undercurrents are brewing over the recruitment of its Chief Executive Officer from Fiji. Staff are reportedly unhappy and may be pushing for his exit.
There is one other State-Owned Enterprise whose Chief Executive Officer has been accused of recruiting his “wantoks”. It is not clear whether staff are doing anything about this
Island Sun was unable to get comments from individuals featured in this story.
