Source: GNA
The Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), Mr Isaac Bampoe has expressed dissatisfaction with the replacement of its members by political appointees.
He stated that positions previously reserved exclusively for CLOGSAG members had been substituted with political appointees. Mr Bampoe said this at the association’s May Day celebration in Accra on Wednesday. He stressed that the involvement of political appointees in civil service affairs frequently resulted in unprofessionalism, disregard for established procedures, and poor decision-making.
“Since 2017, CLOGSAG has continued to draw attention to the inimical impact of replacing active staff of the Civil and Local Government Services with political appointees in positions which are then exclusive preserve of staff of the Civil and Local Government Service”.
“The observation is that the unprofessional performance of these political appointees coupled with blatant disregard for laid down procedures have contributed immensely to the poor state of the economy.
“Considering the large number of political appointees at the Ministry of Finance, for example, who have taken over the functions of active Civil Servants, it is no wonder that their bad decisions have culminated in the economic chaos of the country,” he said.
Mr Bampoe also chastised the government for allowing party activists to interfere with the work of civil and local government employees.
“An extreme case is the harassment of a District Coordinating Director, who was literally dragged out of the office by party activists. There are also instances of lockouts and assault of staff of District Assemblies across the country by party functionaries,” he said.
Mr. Bampoe stated that the “irresponsible acts” were the result of a disregard for the values of neutrality, permanence, and anonymity, all of which are hallmarks of good civil service delivery. He reiterated that Supreme Court rulings had prohibited all forms of politics in the civil service.
Mr Bampoe advised the government to refrain from pushing that agenda because it could undermine the perception of neutrality and public trust in the civil service.
Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, the Greater Accra Regional Minister Designate urged the CLOGSAG to work with the government to develop the country. He assured the members of his commitment to continue working with them for the benefit of the region.
