Sanctus – It is understood by Sanctarian National Times sources that Secretary for Finance, Deputy Jason Reid, is to later today announce that the Government has chosen current Ambassador to the World Assembly, Dr. Christian Ferguson, as its nominee to fill the recently vacated post of Ombudsman. Ferguson, who has served as Sanctaria’s representative in the international body since January 2011, will face an up/down vote in both chambers of parliament before succeeding Alexandra Maye as Ombudsman; Maye was recently appointed as the new Director of the Sanctarian Intelligence Services.
The choice of Dr. Ferguson as Ombudsman, where if confirmed he will be responsible for investigating complaints of maladministration by the public against government services and bodies, will come as a surprise to many as the diplomat and former civil servant has only ever work in the area of foreign affairs with little to no qualifications in domestic affairs, a sphere he will need to become quickly associated with. It is believed, however, that the nomination comes on the tails of the recent World Assembly Commendation of Sanctaria, awarded in part due to the mammoth efforts of Dr. Ferguson in the past number of years.
It’s also understood that Ferguson’s nomination will be fast-tracked through the House of Deputies where the government has a majority in both the chamber and in associated committees; opposition party, the Democratic Left Party, controls the Senate and its committees, but in an accord at the beginning of this parliament, the DLP agreed not to hold up or deny any government nominee. Ferguson does not have to be vetted by a Senate committee, as is the practice with most other government appointments, but Secretary Reid had previously confirmed that the nominee, whoever it may be, would be paying courtesy visits to both the House and Senate Finance Committees.
If confirmed, Dr. Ferguson will be leaving a successful career in the diplomatic service, and in the World Assembly, and it’s likely one of the first questions he’ll be asked at his official unveiling later is why exactly he accepted the nomination. At 35, Ferguson will be the youngest Ombudsman to date, following on from being the youngest Sanctarian Ambassador to the World Assembly in the nation’s history.
JOEY SESSIONS, Political Correspondent
