Paul A. Hewlett in! Patrick O. Harrigan out!
This time it’s the Acting Director of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Patrick O. Harrigan. It’s this news site’s understanding from its many sources inside the Administration that a meeting was hastily called yesterday March 5, 2013 by the Human Resources Manager of the Ministry of Education and Culture to announced to staff that their Acting Director Mr Harrigan will be proceeding on vacation leave effective immediately.
This was allegedly hours before Mr Harrigan received a telephone call from the Ministry of Education and Culture on the same day to advise him that he is to proceed on leave using up his many vacation days and “he must come to the Ministry to pick up his letter.”
In the meeting of yesterday, it was announced that new comer Paul A. Hewlett aka ‘Paul on the Ball’, the Assistant Director of Sports, will be in charge of the Department until further notice.
Mr Harrigan, who has racked up well over 150 vacation days, had asked from last year to go on vacation to reduce his days but was not allowed allegedly because of staffing issues. This is according to a Ministry source close to the situation.
The Government has a policy for staff to take vacation or lose them; however there are many other senior civil servants with much more days than Harrigan who have not been forced to take leave.
Will Harrgian return to his post?
During the staff meeting called by the Ministry of Education and Culture, a staff reportedly asked if Mr Harrigan will be back to which the Human Resources Manager of the Ministry reported “she don’t know”.
Last year controversy erupted when an attempt was made to send the Commissioner of Customs, Wade Smith on a long vacation leave. He reported hearing it on the streets before he was officially advised. The government then pulled back on their actions with Premier Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, who is the Minister for Her Majesty’s Customs, claiming that he was not aware.
The same Ministry source told this news site that Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Myron V. Walwyn is well aware of Harrigan’s vacation leave and approved Mr Hewlett to be in charge of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports until further notice.
There is also confusion over posts, as Mr Hewlett, who was appointed Assistant Director of Sports in January of this year, is in the substantive post of Mr Harrigan. However, Mr Hewlett was not given an acting appointment but an appointment and has resulted in technically having two persons in one post, according to a Ministry official.
Mr Harrigan has been acting in the Director of Youth Affairs and Sports post from 2006 and it was claimed that a recommendation was made for him to be confirmed to the post, however, the officer has never appeared before the powerful Public Service Commission.
It remains unclear whether Mr Hewlett, having now been assigned to head the Department upon the pending vacation leave of Mr Harrigan, will give up his other public committee roles. Mr Hewlett is the Public Relations Officer for the Virgin Islands Horse Owners' Association and the BVI Athletics Association. He is also a co-host of 'Sports Desk', a TV sports programme on JTV and often appears on ‘Sports Talk’ on a local am radio station.
Last week this news site accurately broke the news that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Culture, another indigenous Virgin Islander, Mrs Carolyn O’Neal-Morton has been forced out and is expected to retire in April 2013. She was placed on special assignment from the Ministry in 2011.
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85 Responses to “Paul A. Hewlett in! Patrick O. Harrigan out!”
Pelt the first stone.
it will be interesting to see what happens with paul in charge and dean working in the same office. btw what is dean's job in that department? another waste of money i say! paul as i was made to understand, is no longer the PRO of the bviathletic association. dean allegedly did not want to give up the work for paul to do and so dean is doing 2 jobs in the athletic association. that is why the bvi is in a mess and why the athletic association will always be a 1 man show. ignorance!
Whatever ever external opinion is staff should be tightly performance managed with a supporting paper work trail. I do have to ask as to why this amount of annual leave was allowed to build up in the first place. Sounds like like the situation should not have been allowed to happen in the first place. What ever happened to HR confidentiality.......My advice.... Mr Hewlett stick to the day job until they get their house in order. I hope that it has a positive outcome
2nd Chronicles 7 : 14 ~ "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and WILL forgive their SIN, and WILL HEAL their LAND."
It's NOT too Late to REPENT, and turn from our wicked ways and evil practices Minister! Peace!
TO GoonSquad; you breathing real brimstone and fire these days with your normal NDP fart and piss.
All the move that was made since the NDP got in, all the elected politicians had a DIRECT hand in it…and I mean ALL.
Myron the communist dictator knew about Harrigan vacation and Paul coming in. It was the same Myron who supported Paul for the post.
So go hush your paid blogger r@$$ as nobody studying this $h1t you keep writing full of lies and NDP propaganda on all online sites. . You are so misguided and must stop posting things on here just because they are the reality and against your party.
You have to realise God made the rain to fall on the good and the bad days and he will bring deliverance to those now being oppress by this Government because the NDP is in power….
He must remember he has children and business and the world spins.
You are one of the very few people on this site with common sense. The thought process of these people is simply dumbfounding...
DeCas... need to go as well. She is too curry favor and only look out for her friend.
This government is too DAM insensitive that is their problem. Mr. Harrigan was the holder of the position Paul was confirmed to so how could he be put in that position and not act. People wake up and smell the coffee, these double standards has got to stop. Myron remember what goes around comes around. Myron remember you have a wife, a woman and children. God don't like ugly.
Where is Inezzz in all this? Hiding behind the NDP and doing dem dirty work
Now NDP back the fool got the kick in the rear yet again this time with Paul...boy come out from among them
walwyn need their head examined
nuff said.