Minister Gags "Okro Mouths"

There is a growing culture of silence creeping into the Public Service, particularly at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation, housed at the Flagstaff House.

All the staff at the ministry and those at Flagstaff House have been gagged from speaking their minds in this era of freedom of expression. They have been made to swear an oath of secrecy. The reason is that they have been giving out or leaking information especially to the media.

Sources close to the Ministry which confirmed the story, but pleaded anonymity said the Minister of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, made them (the staff) to swear the oath of secrecy, this year.

It said letters to that effect were given out to all the staff. A copy of the letter was sighted by The Evening News, but could not obtain a copy. Staff at the Flagstaff House were to swear an oath of secrecy not to leak or give any information especially to the press.

When The Evening News visited the Flagstaff House to find out more on the issue, some of the staff approached were tight-lipped, but others who spoke in confidence said they were made to swear an oath of secrecy by the minister.

Efforts to get the minister for his comments on the issue proved futile, as the minister was said to have travelled out of the country.