New Island Secretary wants to take civil service to the next level

The Public Entity Saba welcomed newly appointed Island Secretary, Mr. Tim Muller to the island. Mr. Muller, the highest ranking civil servant, arrived on the island last week and took up his post immediately. For the past week he has been introducing himself within the organization.

Mr. Muller comes to Saba with a wealth of experience having worked as a civil servant for municipalities in The Netherlands. His most recent post was the Director of Public Affairs for the city of The Hague, where his management of such a large department came with a vast array of responsibilities. He has also worked with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations where he played a key role in reorganization of the police force at the time. He has also worked for the cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam and at one point joined the private sector as management consultant.

During the rigorous selection process for the position of Island Secretary, Mr. Muller was interviewed by members of the Executive Council during their trip to The Netherlands. He was then invited for a final interview on Saba, during which time he was offered the position. Mr. Muller confessed that after only three days on the island, the decision to live and work on Saba was a relatively easy one.

“Saba has a lot to be proud about. The island has good press in The Netherlands and this should be seen as a golden opportunity. I look forward to working together with the entire civil servant apparatus on finding ways to get to the next level.”

He has three main goals: the people, the process, and the results. “I would like to bring more structure to the organization and in a way that best suits the island. I believe in transparency and communication. Tell me and tell each other when something is not going good so we can work on it together. And also compliment each other when things are going well.”

On speaking about the work done by his predecessor Wim van Twuijver, Mr. Muller explained that “Wim worked hard with the people to know what they want and I will pick up where he left off. I am interested in meeting and working with all partners of Government.”

Mr. Muller is native of Suriname and is familiar with the Caribbean. He is joined by his wife of 19 years, Yvonne, and teenage daughter, Jessye who will be attending the Saba Comprehensive School. “We made a decision as a family to come to the island. Family life is very important in order for me to give my best at work. We like the island and we feel very welcome here.”

Government Information Services.