Why The Head Of Local Government Service, Dr. Callistus Mahama Must Be Sacked-Part I

In my press conference on the 14^th October, 2015, I was asked a specific question as to whether I will like Dr. Callistus Mahama removed as Head of Local Government Service and I answered in the affirmative adding that he was incompetent. When Dr. Callistus Mahama was contacted, he said my allegation that he was incompetent had no basis since I could not justify that claim. Dr. Callistus Mahama went further to state that he had held a series of meetings with me and that my complaints were about promotions and appointment of Coordinating Directors (Read at https://www.modernghana.com/news/649517/1/public-servant-predicts-bleak-future-for-ghana.html ). This I find to be disingenuous of a leader who is to assist the Local Government Service Council (LGSC) and the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to ensure the efficient running of 216 MMDAs and I find it necessary to react to these palpable falsehood and also justify my claim of his incompetence as Head of Local Government Service. TRUTH, as I have always said, will overcome no matter what!

But before I proceed, a word to my numerous readers and secret supporters of the cause. There are a lot of complains that have come that I have overly personalised the issues. To be honest with you, I am at a lost now as to what is and isn’t personal. What is very clear to me is that if we are serious about correcting the wrongs in our society today, then each and every one of us must take things that affect us and the performance of our various organisations personal instead of sitting on the fence and complaining. I stand to be corrected but that is what I believe patriotism is all about and the 1992 Constitution can be quoted copiously in support of this.

I have come to the conclusion that, one of the biggest problems of the Local Government Service today is Dr. Callistus Mahama and his gross incompetence and when you have a cut on your knee, you don’t go treating your elbow hoping your cut will heal. You treat the cut on your knee. I hope and pray you bear with me. Now to the issues that are the subject of this article.

First of all, the petition we submitted (but which Dr. Callistus Mahama now disingenuously says I submitted) which is now a public document raised five (5) issues under the following headings:

1. Composition of Local Government Service Council (LGSC)
2. Scheme of Service/Condition of Service
3. Appointment of Heads of Departments
4. Professional Administrative Class in the Local Government Service (LGS)
5. Positions and Grades in the Service

These issues as you can see are far bigger than promotions and appointment of Coordinating Directors as Dr. Callistus Mahama wants people to believe. The petition is available and if anyone is interested just email me. Recognising that the group petitioning consisted of only Administrative officers and what we say may be misconstrued, this is what we said under the heading “Professional Administrative Class in the LGS”: “First of all, we will like to clear the air by saying that we are not against the current administrative reforms the service is taking but seeking to make a case for fair treatment in designing and implementing such reforms. One of such is the opening up of the positions of DCDs, RCDs and Chief Directors to all professional classes in the service which used to be the exclusive preserve of the Administrative class. We welcome the challenge and are ready to compete with all for those positions when they become vacant as contained in the Foreword of the revised scheme of service...”.

Unfortunately, instead of looking at the issues Dr. Callistus Mahama resorted to “Pick N Choose” and propaganda as you can see from the above news item. Unfortunately too, some people in other classes fell for this propaganda as Dr. Callistus Mahama sought to paint a picture as if we (Administrative Officers) are against other classes. This is a false impression created by Dr. Callistus Mahama to suit his personal interest.

The second Propaganda is that he (Dr. Callistus Mahama) had held “a series of meetings with me”. This is another falsehood. Truth is, I met him as an individual on the petition only once on 1^st September, 2015 and all he sought to do was to explain the issues away and when I tried to let him meet the leadership of the group, he refused until we petitioned the council. The second meeting was on the 7^th October, 2015 with leadership of the group (11 in number including myself) and some executives of CLOGSAG. In this meeting too, I heard nothing new except Dr. Callistus Mahama referring to a certain “Blue Book” which I will come back to later. As I said in an earlier write up this meeting was purposively planned to intimidate me.

At the meeting on the 1^st September, 2015, Dr. Callistus Mahama asked me a question which till date beats my imagination. He asked me whether I knew that there was no member of the Local Government Workers Union (LGWU) on the Civil Service Council and this was part of his answer to item 1 on the petition. I was actually taking aback by that question. LGWU has no member who is a ‘Civil Servant’ as we know it today so why should I expect LGWU to be represented on Civil Service Council? CLOGSAG on the other hand draws over ninety percent of its members from Local Government Service. I must say that this marked the beginning of my doubts on Dr. Callistus Mahama’s experience and competence as Head of Service for Local Government Service.

To the issue of incompetence, I have already touched on a few of them in my two write ups on public systems failure ( http://www.modernghana.com/news/654653/1/my-thoughts-on-system-failures-in-the-public-secto.html and http://www.modernghana.com/news/652629/1/my-thoughts-on-system-failures-in-the-public-secto.html ). Today, my attention is on the Human Resource Operational Manual (HROM) for MMDAs produced in 2013 and happily signed off by Dr. Callistus mahama, printed and distributed to all MMDAs. In the Foreword of this document Dr. Callistus Mahama (though not in his place to put a foreword, I am convinced – Read Sections 6(c) and 32 of the LGS Act 656) said “The manual is not supposed to substitute the protocols of the Service; it’s to be used alongside these protocols and legislations of the Service”. So the least one would have expected is that, whatever is in this manual should be consistent with the protocols and legislations of the service. This is not the case. And even here, restricting it to the service alone is even wrong.

It should be consistent with that of the public service in Ghana because the Public Services Commission is responsible for providing policy guidance for human resource management in the public service organisations listed under Article 190 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of which LGS is part. And so anything that goes contrary to the regulations of the Public Services commission in the LGS is null and void in my opinion (Read Article 196 and 197 of the 1992 constitution for further information). If Dr. Callistus Mahama didn’t know this before setting off to write and sign off the HROM, then there is no other description than incompetence. In fact, gross incompetence which is leading to financial loss to the state.

When Dr. Callistus Mahama took over on 22^nd March, 2012 as Head of Service, I remember vividly one of his first encounters with CLOGSAG was on whom to manage some portions of our (staff of LGS) contributions under National Pensions Act of 2008, Act 766 meaning he was fully aware that the Act 766 existed. Then in September, 2013 this is what Dr. Callistus Mahama puts in our HROM; section 16.6.1(ii) states: “All employees entering the Service are required to register for pension under the Social Security Law 1991, PNDCL 247 and the Pensions Act”. Yes, we can pardon him for this because maybe by then he didn’t know the National Pensions Act, Act 766 repealed (Section 212) Social Security Law of 1991, PNDCL 247.

I have in my possession a letter of appointment dated 4^th February, 2014 signed by Dr. Callistus Mahama and in paragraph 5 of that letter it says “You will be required under the Social Security Law of 1991, PNDCL 247, to contribute five percent of your salary to your retiring benefits”. What is this? And I thought after our 2012 single spin salary problems, we put a freeze on employment in the public sector in what we christened “Home gown policies”? Anyway, let me stay focus.

Again, a look at section 6.6.3 (g)(ii) of HROM says “The employee who is interdicted shall receive two-thirds of his salary for the period of interdiction...” Section 46(b) of the conditions of service for LGS produced in 2007 says “During the period of interdiction...the interdicted officer shall be paid one-half of his/her salary provided...”. The condition of service is consistent with rules and regulations of the public service commission.

Also, section 6.6.11 of the HROM under right of appeal, “Any worker who is given disciplinary warning or any sanction or notice of dismissal, has a right to appeal and this appeal must be written and submitted to the Human Resource Unit, 10 working days after receiving sanction”. Conditions of service under section 68 says “Any officer against whom an action, ruling or decision such as dismissal, suspension, interdiction, removal or termination has been taken, whether initially or in subsequent appeals, shall have a right to lodge an appeal with the appropriate authority within sixty (60) days after the action, decision or ruling has been communicated to him/her”. If these few instances are not cases of incompetence, then I am at a lost what they are. I believe it is now becoming clear that this HROM cannot stand the test of time and must be reviewed immediately as I said earlier. I will continue in part two.

I will end with this popular saying that when a blind person says I will hit you with a stone, then it means s/he is standing on a stone. I have heard that some people are saying I am being deceived and pushed by people. They can believe whatever but I want to tell them that no one is behind me except GOD! HE is my strength and source of Wisdom.

“Silence is not an option when things are ill done” – Lord Denning

I shall be back!
Charles Ayuune Akurugu
[email protected]