President Anthony Carmona has described the new chairman of the Salaries Review Commission (SRC), Kyle Rudden, as “a diamond in the haystack.”
Carmona was speaking at President’s House, St Ann’s, during the swearing-in ceremony for Rudden and retired justice of appeal Humphrey Stollmeyer, who was appointed as a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC).
Rudden replaces Edward Collier as chairman of the SRC while Stollmeyer replaces attorney David Patrick on the JLSC.
Rudden is a former national scholarship and President’s Gold Medal winner.
The President said Rudden was assuming office at a time when “the challenge is enormous (as) every person in T&T believes that he deserves a better salary.”
Carmona told the new appointees that they should always seek to be fair, independent and maintain their integrity in discharging their responsibilities.
According to Carmona, “having strong officers in these offices lends itself to a better democracy and a better dispensation of justice.”
Carmona said Stollmeyer’s credentials were “well known and I dare say well merited and his is a fierce intellect.”
He advised Rudden “to look at remuneration packages to ensure there is proper pay for very competent workers.”
Carmona said he was not trying to influence the SRC head but making a small observation.
Rudden told reporters he was committed to leading a team that consulted with all stakeholders to realise appropriate results.
He served previously as a member on the Central Bank and T&T Stock Exchange boards.
Asked to comment on calls for higher salaries for public officials, expecially parliamentarians in the past two years, he said the SRC was a team and he was just one member.
Rudden said the SRC was “going to have to look at many things.”