Akwasi Opong-Fosu
Akwasi Opong-Fosu

‘Political influence making public service ineffective’

A former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, has urged the Public Services Commission (PSC) to wean the public service off political influence.

He said the unbridled political influence and manipulations were making the public service ineffective.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra last Saturday, he questioned for instance why people who had attained the age of 60 and above were being recruited into the public service.

He stated that the recruitment of such persons into the public service was a violation of the Constitution.

“It is important for the PSC to assert its independence from governmental control and stop the rot in the system, “ he posited.
He said although the President had the power to make appointments into the public service, he could do so only in consultation with the PSC.

Constitution

The former minister said the Constitution had clothed the PSC as the body responsible for recruitment into the public service.
However, politicians were usurping those powers, with governments appointing their favourites into key positions without going through the laid-down process.

“You see people occupying key positions in the public service without going through interviews at the Public Services Commission. This is wrong and must not be encouraged ,” he said.

Mr Opong-Fosu who served in the Mills and Mahama administrations said the public service owed it a duty to the people of Ghana to protect the integrity of the public service at all times.

Extension of contract

Touching on the extension of contract in the public service, he said extension of contracts of officers who had attained the retiring age of 60 was not provided for in the Constitution. “It has been so only by practice,” he explained.

He explained that the extension of service applied to only people already in the service and not those who had retired from the service.

“Now we have people who are above 60 years, have either retired from the public service or had never worked with the public service being recruited into the public service because of partisan political manipulations.

“This is wrong. Did they go through interviews by the Public Services Commission?” he asked .

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |