advise and serve in on its boards.

Premier Jennifer Smith rightly asked for the resignations of all Government board members when the Progressive Labour Party won the General Election last November.

This was correct because the Government had to have a free hand in making its own appointments, without being hamstrung by previous appointments made by the former Government.

For the most part, the Government's board appointments have been good ones and in many cases, the Government's new Ministers retained some of the old members of the boards. This was wise because people, regardless of their political beliefs, want to serve their Country and often have good advice to give.

But the Government was also right to appoint its own supporters to the boards, both as a reward for their long years of service and because their supporters would have similar views on policy to those of the elected Government.

Retaining boards made up of United Bermuda Party supporters would have led to endless problems.

But there are certain boards, most notably the Public Service Commission, which are not appointed by the Government but by the Governor. The PSC is supposed to be independent of politics and is the board responsible for approving appointments in the Civil Service, which is also supposed to be above politics.

This is a very necessary arrangement, because civil servants are appointed to execute the policies of whatever Government is in power. This is a quite different system from the American one, where most top executive appointments are political.

PSC chairman Stephen Kendell has stated that the members were asked to resign and refused, noting that they were appointed by the Governor and served fixed terms.

That means that as their terms run out, the members will be replaced and it is at that time that the Premier and the Opposition Leader have the right to recommend new members.

In the past, the PLP has argued that the members of the PSC were Government supporters and that past Governors ignored the PLP's recommendations. But the PSC has demonstrated in the past that it is quite independent: On one occasion the Commission, then under the chairmanship of Jeanette Cannonier, who is now an Independent Senator, refused to follow the policy of the then-Government to consider spouses of Bermudians on the same basis as Bermudians when being considered for public service jobs.

In other instances, civil servants were appointed who may have been thought to be sympathetic to the PLP. But they were also the best candidates for the job, and provided they executed the policies of the Government in power, no politician could have grounds for complaint.

That is as it should be. The PSC has the job of selecting the best person for a job, regardless of politics, and of protecting those it appoints from political pressure. It cannot do that if its own members are fearful for their jobs.