‘Political coercion will not be tolerated’

The Civil Service Commission emphasizes in its recent bulletin to all government employees that the CNMI government will not tolerate the use of official authority or influence to coerce government employees for political purposes.

Both Commonwealth laws and Civil Service regulations protect government employees from being intimidated or harassed by threats to their employment security through political pressure relative to public elections.

Herman Deleon Guerrero, chairman of the CNMI Civil Service Commission, said that all government officials must enforce these protections and ensure that employees are not being coerced into attending and supporting or not attending and supporting political events as the current election season progresses.

“In the past employees have been threatened that they will lose their jobs if they either don’t support or do support certain candidates. Often these actions also involve contributions or the purchase of event tickets. The Civil Service Commission cannot and will not allow this to happen to government employees. One of the major responsibilities of the commission is to provide guidance and protection to civil service employees through the development of regulations. The Civil Service regulations prohibit such abuses of authority. The commission will enforce its regulation and will take action to protect its employees. The statutes, on which this regulation is based, also protect employees outside the Civil Service. All government officials in all activities must enforce these statutes and regulations to ensure that their employees have their right to freely make their political decisions.”

The chairman continued, “Employees must be able to exercise their right to participate in political activities of their choosing without being pressured or threatened. Section 8152 of the Commonwealth Code provides criminal penalties, up to six months imprisonment, a fine up to $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine, to any government official who uses his or her position, authority or influence to threaten an employee’s employment, pay, benefits, tenure or other aspects of government employment.

The Civil Service Commission will act with the authority provided to it by law to protect employees from such abuse and fully expects all departments and activities to also protect their employees. All enforcement agencies are likewise expected to take appropriate investigative action when political coercion is reported or referred to them.”

According to Guerrero, “The commission is fully prepared to protect government employees and take the appropriate administrative and legal action. I encourage employees to report violations to their department or agency heads or directly to the commission. Due to the limited time the commission is convened as a body, please address a written statement to the commission and deliver it to the director of the Office of Personnel Management.”

“There is no place for political coercion in today’s Commonwealth. I encourage all government employers to ensure that all employees enjoy their right to freely make their own political decisions.” (PR)