'Partisan public service threatens Ghana's democracy'
The gradual politicisation of the country's public service can spell doom for Ghana's fledgling and fragile democratic process, the Chairman of the Public Services Commission (PSC), Mrs Bridget Katsriku, has cautioned.
She said the development agenda of the country could also stall if public servants did not continue to abide by the values of the service, which included loyalty, neutrality, professionalism, non-partisanship and continuity.
Mrs Katsriku was speaking at the opening of the Fourth Biennial African Union (AU) Africa Public Service Day conference in Accra yesterday.
The one-week international workshop is being attended by participants from all AU countries.
The declaration of June 23 as the AU Day for the Public Service has been given United Nations backing, following the world body's declaration of the same day as the UN Day for Public Service.
Mrs Katsriku, who described public servants as engineers of public policy, condemned public servants who, instead of being apolitical, rather hid behind the veil of their political affiliations to undermine governments in power and the development process.
She advised governments to build a well-trained, competent Civil Service imbibed with the values of professionalism, impartiality and accountability, emphasising that governments should not encourage the politicisation of the public service.
Mrs Katsriku said it was incumbent on public servants who were non-political professionals to assist governments of the day to deliver their policies and programmes based on impartial support through their professional expertise.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, President John Dramani Mahama said Ghana's democratic credentials could be seen in how it had handled issues, including the use of legitimate means in settling the 2012 electoral dispute at the Supreme Court.
Story: Donald Ato Dapatem / Daily Graphic