Sacked Kaminta, Callistus were 'partisan' – Hamid

The Head of Local Government Service, Dr Callistus Mahama, and the Head of the State Enterprises Commission, Dr Kaminta Baizie, although civil servants, were sacked by the new government because they were “clearly partisan”, presidential spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid, has said.

Mr Hamid explained that government will not sack any civil servant because they are perceived to be members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He cautioned, however, that if their attitude towards work is to serve a partisan interest instead of the interest of the nation, then such fellows would be sacked.

Reacting to calls from a section of NPP supporters for government to sack some civil servants perceived to be NDC supporters on Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show (EBS), Mr Hamid said people cannot be fired just because they voted for the NDC in the previous election.

But citing the case of Dr Kaminta and Dr Callistus Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo’s spokesperson said the two civil servants turned their office into “an NDC strategy centre”.

He told show host, Moro Awudu, on Wednesday, 6 September 2017 that: “These people were appointed because of politics. It was President Kufuor who set up the Local Government Service. Hitherto, Local Government Service was part of the civil service structure. President Kufuor fleshed it out and set it up and appointed somebody. When the NDC came in 2009, they booted the fellow out so they were the ones who politicised it initially and brought in Dr Callistus Mahama purely on political grounds although the fellows tenure had not expired.

“The NDC had defacto politicised it. Dr Callitus Mahama himself didn’t help matters by being on NDC platforms, literally turning the place into NDC strategy centre and dishing out party paraphernalia. Sometimes your conduct also will determine even if it’s a political post, and you occupy it and you serve the Ghanaian project rather than a partisan project, if another party comes it will be very difficult for them to behave towards you in a partisan manner. So as for Kaminta and Calistus, I mean really they were clearly partisan.”