The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana, CLOGSAG, has called on the Government to take immediate steps to nullify the Presidential Office Act 1993, Act 463, to trim the number of appointments a president can make.
According to the Association, the Act, in its current form, gives the President the unlimited power to appoint all categories of Presidential Staffers without recourse to the financial situation of the country.
The Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo, made the call at a news conference in Accra.
Article 195 (1) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the power to appoint persons to hold or act in an office in the public services shall vest in the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the governing council if the service concerned given in consultation with the Public Services Commission.
Mr. Addo said, over the years, CLOGSAG has noted with dismay the abuse of Executive power in the appointment of numerous presidential staffers and special assistants to perform jobs of public servants.
This, he said, has tainted the credibility of the Public Services and belittled its relevance.
Mr. Addo said the Presidential Office Act is unwarranted and only serves as a conduit to employ party apparatchiks and “goro boys” who only undermine the work of Public Servants.
He indicated that the Act duplicated the work of the appointing authorities of the Civil Service and the Local Government Councils, describing it as a bad law being used by the Executive to its advantage.
Mr. Addo explained that the country would benefit greatly if the Act is immediately nullified.
SOURCE: GNA
