‘Public Service values replaced by political consideration’

The enviable traditions, values and cultural expectations that shaped the Public Service in Africa was gradually been eroded, and being replaced by political consideration and paternalistic tendencies.

“This rather unfortunate and dangerous development, which if not curbed poses numerous challenges to the fledging and fragile African democracies,” Mrs Bridget Katsriku, Chairperson of the Public Services Commission (PSC) said Monday at the opening of the Africa Union Public Service Day in Accra.

It was on the theme:"Africa Public Service in the Age of Open Government: Giving voice to Citizens".

The day is celebrated every June 23 to recognize and celebrate the importance of the public service, commemorate the values and virtues of service delivery to the citizens they serve and to promote professionalism in public administration.

Delegates from Sierra Leone, Senegal, Burundi, Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa, DR Congo Kenya, Benin, Liberia and Egypt among others are attending the week long programme.

Mrs Katsriku said public servants, by their functions were the engineers of public policy management and have to ensure that all components of the policy cycle were carefully considered, critically analyzed to guarantee that appropriate alternatives were developed in full consultation with all stakeholders, particularly the primary beneficiaries of government and projects.

According to her, African Governments need to build and encourage the development of strong professional public services, staffed with ethical men and women, who are well trained and innovative.

She added that there was also the need for a competent public service, which was “adequately resourced and imbibed with the values of neutrality, non-partisan and accountability to deliver high quality service to the citizens instead of encouraging the politicization of the public service”.

“Admittedly, today some public servants cannot be absolved from the decaying values and traditions of the service. We tend to hide behind politicians and do what we consider to be wrong to either undermine the credibility and popularity of the Government in power, or win undeserving favors”, she added.

“Needless to state that such behavior not only result in the mistrust and erosion of public confidence in the public service, but also challenge our development agenda and that, there was an urgent need to halt the developing phenomenon.”

She charged Ministers of African Ministries of Public Service to ensure that the African Public Service Charter on Values and Principles of Public Services and Administration, is ratified and strictly implemented by all African countries.

"This, I believe, will improve the governance system of Public Services all over Africa,” she said.

She said in the age of open Government, compatriots were yearning for better living conditions and were questioning the way services were delivered to them.

They were also demanding from governments a larger space to contribute their quota to the development of their respective countries, she added.

She urged public servants to redouble their efforts to exploit new technologies to improve performance in policy advice to Ministers, political leaders, and service delivery to citizens and be more professional and resolute in their behavior and actions.

“It is only by maintaining and adhering to the traditions and values of the African Public Service, that we can succeed in contributing to changing the lives of our people, positively,” he added.