Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa was under heavy fire in Parliament last week as Opposition MPs demanded to know the criteria used to select special administrators in municipal councils earlier this year.
Opposition MPs said the appointments reeked of political preference and more meritorious candidates were not chosen.
While explaining the process, Mr Nalumisa said the concept of special administrators was introduced in 2009 by the previous administration under Section 9A of the Local Government Act 1972 to suspend election of councillors and reduce the independence of the municipal councils.
He said with the reorganisation of municipalities — bringing two councils into clusters — was for the purpose of administration, sharing of resources and ease of management.
However, he said this reorganisation created more problems than benefits as special administrators working for two councils had lost touch with the ratepayers and residents for some municipalities.
“Why? Because they did not reside within those municipalities,” he said.
“The above has created issues like lack of town rates collection initiatives and even not attending to issues and complaints by ratepayers and residents in a timely manner.
“The needs and interests of the councils differ, therefore, the special administrators were not able to focus time and resources to both councils, which was detrimental to the councils.”
He said the Coalition Government’s appointment of special administrators marked the beginning of a transformative phase for local governance, which was the phase of elections.
Mr Nalumisa said a review carried out by Government had indicated that special administrators were not active in attending to the matters of councils or the issues of interest of the residents.
He also said there was poor monitoring of basic essential services such as waste collection and management and outdated Standard Operating Procedures that needed urgent attention.
The new appointments, Mr Nalumisa said, had also borne fruit such as in the case of Nasinu Town Counil which resolved an outstanding issue and signed off longstanding union claims on Monday.
As far as the selection criteria was concerned, Mr Nalumisa said they selected candidates based on competence, diverse experiences, business entrepreneurial skills and former decorated civil servants, lawyers, architects, and doctors.
He said they must have the passion to serve their municipalities and be committed to serve the residents of their respective towns and cities.
“Another one on diversity and inclusivity. Most of the special administrators appointed, there is a good mix of gender in the appointment of the new special administrators.
“There is one female special administrator. One is currently the chairperson of the Nausori Town Council.
“The special administrators are expected to prioritise the interests of the ratepayers first, then themselves later. The other one is leadership and communication. They must have the potential and qualities to lead, while serving their municipalities.
“They must have the skills and competence to engage with their communities, so community engagement is very important.”
He also said the candidates must be strategic and have the skills to be strategic thinkers.
“Following an expression of interest through an advertisement in the local newspapers, applicants meeting the criteria were shortlisted.
“The final special administrators were appointed in December 2023 by the Minister of Local Government with the endorsement of the honourable Prime Minister.”
Mr Nalumisa said four special administrators were appointed for the larger councils and three for medium and small councils.
He said the ministry had developed various documents, including appointment letters, a code of conduct, the duration of confidentiality and interest and resource manuals, which were all reviewed by legal authorities.
“The special administrators also signed the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Declarations and adhered to a Code of Conduct to maintain integrity and public trust.
“Since the Local Government elections is being prioritised by the Coalition Government, it is vital that special administrators are committed to the cause and will support the Government’s efforts to reinstate the councils.”
He also said that everyone was given the chance to apply, and 166 applications were received in total.
Responding to accusations of political interference, Mr Nalumisa said he had already explained the criteria and process the ministry took prior to the appointment.
“I also want to mention, they were asking whether they were political appointees, I need to tell them that two of the newly appointed administrators were part of the previous administration.”
