27 January, 2009
UNITED STATES
New President tough on PS
Newly sworn-in US President, Barack Obama, has outlined tough new measures to freeze Government wages and keep his administration accountable, saying “transparency and the rule of law” would be the touchstones of his presidency.
   At a swearing-in ceremony for senior White House staff, Mr Obama said staff who made over US$100,000 (A$150,000) would have their salaries frozen at their current levels.
   “During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington,” he said.
   “That's why I'm instituting a pay freeze on the salaries of my senior White House staff.”
   During his address, Mr Obama said he would also implement new restrictions on lobbying to show Public Servants held the interests of the public at the forefront of their duties.
   “As of today, lobbyists will be subject to stricter limits than under any other administration in history,” he said.
   “If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on, or in the agencies you lobbied, during the previous two years.”
   He said if a lobbyist left Government employment, he or she would be unable to lobby his administration for the duration of the Obama presidency.
   “And there will be a ban on gifts by lobbyists to anyone serving in the administration as well,” he said.
   Mr Obama extended the restrictions further, saying all new Public Service recruits would have to commit to not being involved professionally with people they used to work with for two years, and barring them from trying to influence former Government colleagues for two years after they left the Service.
   “But the way to make a Government responsible is not simply to enlist the services of responsible men and women, or to sign laws that ensure that they never stray,” he said.
   “The way to make Government responsible is to hold it accountable.”
   Mr Obama said his administration would improve transparency and accountability by welcoming requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act with open arms.
   “For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city,” he said.
   “Starting today, every Agency and Department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but those who seek to make it known.”
   Mr Obama said issues such as personal privacy and national security would be treated with care, while requests for other information would not be denied without legitimate cause.
   “The Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent, and of holding it accountable,” he said.
   “I expect members of my administration not simply to live up to the letter but also the spirit of this law.
   “Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.”
   Mr Obama said he wanted to make the Government “trustworthy in the eyes of the American people.”
   “They deserve a government that is truly of, by, and for the people,” he said.


27 January, 2009
CHINA
1,000 caught cheating in PS exams
Over 1,000 candidates in the Chinese Civil Service entrance examination have been caught cheating.
   The candidates were caught cheating the system in a number of ways, including using micro-earpieces, copying and using wireless transmitters.
   Over 300 cheaters were caught on the spot by exam supervisors, while around 700 others were later caught out as their papers “shared much conformity.”
   The State Bureau of Civil Servants said the papers were almost identical.
   An editorialist in the English language version of the China Daily said if people were willing to cheat on an exam, there was no telling what other dishonest actions they would take.
   “What if they cheat in the exercise of public power once they are put in a public position?” he said.
   “Such dishonesty in exams raises suspicions about their motivations to get access to public power.”
   The editorialist said the exam’s designers knew how dangerous it could be to put power in the hands of corrupt, immoral people.
   The majority of participants were caught cheating for positions in Beijing and the northeastern province of Liaoning.
   Experts on social behavior said the main reason the candidates cheated was because in Communist China being a part of the State was synonymous with being powerful.


27 January, 2009
NIGERIA
National Budget declareda failure
The Nigerian Government’s 2008 Budget has been declared a “failure” with up to 30 per cent of programs unable to be implemented and Ministries forced to return unspent money to Treasury.
   The revelations were made to the Nigerian House of Representatives Finance Committee by Finance Minister, Mansur Muhtar.
   According to commentators, the fiasco is reminiscent of the former Government of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who allowed budgetary allocations to be routinely diverted into private bank accounts or embezzled outright.
   The current Government of President Umaru Yar'Adua has been accused of “gross underperformance” for failing to improve basic infrastructure and service delivery.
   The President has been blamed for leaving the Public Service lacking in work ethics, internal controls and standard procedures for policy and project implementation, while Public Servants have been labelled uninterested in efficiency and service delivery.
   Commentators have called for decisive action to ensure the leadership of a productive government.
   They wanted to see all Departments and Agencies and their accounting officials forced to return unspent funds to the treasury with the perpetrators identified and disciplined accordingly.
   The National Assembly has also been accused of adding to the fiasco by failing to implement Appropriation Acts and carry out its oversight functions.
   Commentators have urged Public Service staff to change their attitudes to governance and to concentrate on providing improved electricity, roads, railways, water supplies, education and health services and service delivery.


27 January, 2009
MALAYSIA
PS salary cuts to be deeper
The salaries of senior Public Servants and their Ministers in Malaysia are set to be cut by more than originally expected.
   Responding to the shrinking economy, the Minister for the Public Service, Teo Chee Hean, said the cuts were now likely to be between 12 and 20 per cent.
   Mr Teo said there could be further cuts depending on the state of the economy in future.
   He said senior permanent secretaries and entry-grade ministers would receive a 20 per cent cut, compared to the 18 per cent cut they were informed of in November last year.
   Mr Teo said younger Administrative Service officers at the superscale entry grade would see their annual pay shrink by 12 per cent.
   He said the decline came as Malaysia’s Trade and Industry Ministry estimated growth for 2008 at 1.5 per cent.
   Mr Teo cautioned the cuts were simply projected pay figures.
   “As the salaries are linked to economic performance, the 2009 salaries may be subject to further adjustments given the volatility of the economy,” he said.
   The 2009 annual salaries for the President, S R Nathan and the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong are to fall by 19 per cent compared with last year.
   Mr Teo’s announcement was in line with the guidelines from the National Wages Council that advised employers to freeze or cut pay over firing staff.
   Economist, Song Seng Wun, said the declines did not come as a surprise as they were in line with where the private sector was heading.
   Mr Song said he anticipated overall pay cuts of 10 to 25 per cent in the private sector to become the norm as the economic crisis got worse.
   “So Civil Service pay which has increased significantly in the past few years in alignment with private sector could also see cuts of that magnitude,” he said.
   Mr Teo said a significant part of the annual pay for Senior Public Servants or ministers took the form of a bonus linked to growth in the gross domestic product and a performance bonus.
   He said in 2008 the GDP Bonus had comprised of almost 25 per cent of total pay packages.


27 January, 2009
INDONESIA
Call for PS reform before election
The Government of Indonesia has been urged to pass a Bill modernising its Public Service before a looming election forces it to be postponed again.
   The Bill has been on the table for three years.
   A coalition of civil society groups has pressured legislators to pass the Bill and to resolve any “contentious issues” among themselves.
   The Community Concerned about Public Services (MP3), which includes the Indonesia Corruption Watch, the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation, the Urban Poor Consortium and the Jakarta Legal Aid Council, said the latest draft would “likely fail to protect the public should it be issued without being revised” on dispute settlements.
   Group coordinator, Mr Sulistio, said the dispute settlement sanctions offered by the Bill were too weak.
   “Sanctions are still too weak because the draft proposed by the State Ministry for Administrative Reforms still refers to administrative sanctions,” Mr Sulistio said.
   “The heaviest punishment is nothing more than a dismissal.”
   Mr Sulistio said dismissal was often not harsh enough, as was evidenced in a recent case where a “reckless port manager” allowed an overcrowded ship without safety standards to sail.
   The ship sank and the passengers drowned, but the harshest punishment was dismissal.
    Spokesperson for the Community Concerned about Public Services, Ermi Ramayani, said the articles on sanctions could not be discussed before the House of Representatives finished with the articles on the dispute settlement mechanism.
   Ms Ramayani said the Government and lawmakers had not yet agreed upon how the mechanism should work.
   She said the latest draft suggested that if there was a dispute between a customer and a Public Servant, it was the Department’s responsibility to settle the dispute internally.
   “We believe the mechanism to be detrimental to customers as most institutions in the country are still dubbed as unnecessarily protective of their staff,” Ms Ramayani said.
   “So we suggest either the ombudsman committee be given additional authority, which could allow it to have executorial functions, or the establishment of an independent watchdog body.”
   Legislator for the United Development Party, Hadi Mulyo, slammed the idea of establishing a new body, saying Indonesia had too many bodies already.
   “I prefer empowering the existing ones, such as the ombudsman committee,” he said.
   Mr Sulistio said a series of surveys had shown the quality of the Public Service had been deteriorating in recent years, with officials being accused of only getting things done after receiving bribes.
   He said the recent series of transportation accidents that have claimed hundreds of lives were blamed on poor performance.
   The public services Bill could be passed before the House enters its next recess on March 7, after which legislators will intensify their campaigning for the April 9 elections.


27 January, 2009
UNITED KINGDOM
Broadcast shake-up threatens BBC
An official review of the United Kingdom’s Public Service broadcasting system has recommended a number of measures to provide an alternative to the BBC.
   The review, conducted by the UK’s independent broadcasting regulator Ofcom, recommended Channel 4 be at the “heart” of the alternative PS broadcaster.
   Ofcom said the channel could form a new organisation through partnerships, joint ventures or mergers to provide the alternative.
   The watchdog warned unless radical action was taken Channel 4 would face “managed decline” due to increased competition and economic problems.
   The review, entitled Putting Viewers First, emphasised the need to establish a sustainable model for public service broadcasting to maintain plurality in news provision and to secure services for children.
   The UK’s largest private terrestrial broadcaster, ITV, said the free-to-air PSB sector was facing “unprecedented structural changes.”
   “The status quo is not an option for any of us and it is gratifying that both the Government and Ofcom have grasped the urgency of the need for change,” an ITV spokesperson said.
   “So far as ITV is concerned, Ofcom has concluded that ITV regional news is unsustainable in its current form after 2010 and we will now be studying the detail of their progressive proposals for the delivery of a sustainable regional news service from 2011.”
   The BBC offered to share news gathering resources with ITV, however Ofcom suggested the Government create an alternative plan to secure the long term future of local news across the UK.
   Chief Executive Officer of Ofcom, Ed Richards, said a merger between Channels 4 and Five or a collaboration with Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide were most likely.
   Mr Richards warned a merger between Channel 4 and Five would be “challenging and not without risks.”  
   He said Ofcom’s report suggested caution be taken when considering the merger because of their very different and distinct cultures.
   “A key concern is that the combination of a public not-for-profit organisation with public purposes, and a private profit maximising one with commercial objectives is highly complex,” Ofcom’s report said.
   “A fundamental tension may always remain, which would be likely to complicate the allocation of assets and investment to public service content, particularly at points where the organisation faced financial pressure.”
   Ofcom also announced ITV and Five would be largely freed of their public service commitments.
   It said ITV would still have to invest heavily in U.K. programs and provide international and national news coverage, but Five would be allowed to spend less money on British shows.
   Ofcam recommended keeping the BBC, funded by the licence fee of £139.50, at the heat of public broadcasting to pioneer the implementation of digital content.


27 January, 2009
RWANDA
Restructure committee widens outlook
A committee of top Government officials overseeing the ongoing restructuring of the Rwandan Public Service and its delivery system has begun looking at proposed reforms to the central Government and other institutions.
   Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service and Labour (MIFOTRA), Barnabe Sebagabo, said members of the National Reform Steering Committee would revise a proposal MIFOTRA had submitted to them.
   Mr Sebagabo said the Ministry had developed the proposal in collaboration with respective institutions to restructure the activities of the offices of the Presidency, Prime Minister, Supreme Court, Public Prosecution and Parliament.
   “The steering committee will make some modifications on the proposals that were handed in,” Mr Sebagabo said.
   “It is the last draft that is going to be discussed and the next step will be sending it to the Cabinet.” Sebagabo revealed.
   He said the committee was made up of three Ministers; Labour (MIFOTRA), Local Government (MINALOC) and Finance (MINECOFIN).
   Mr Sebagabo said it also included the Minister in charge of Cabinet Affairs and Directors from the President and the Prime Minister's offices.
   Rwandan newspaper, The New Times, said sources at MIFOTRA said the reform was expected to make major changes, leaving some Ministries to focus on designing policies rather than delivering services that could be handled by Government institutions at lower levels.
   Mr Sebagabo said the reform would decentralise power, giving more authority to local leaders.
   He said MIFOTRA had not yet provided the draft proposal on attributions of local government institutions in particular.


27 January, 2009
BRUNEI
PS image in need of improvement
The Public Service of Brunei is seen to be rigid, bureaucratic, and an “iron rice bowl” with Civil Servants who were simply yes men, tone deaf and did not engage or take feedback seriously.
   That’s the view of the Permanent Secretary at the Brunei Prime Minister's Office, Awang Sa Bali Abas, delivered at the opening of an Executive Development Program for Senior Government Officers at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam recently.
   Awang Sa Bali said they were misconceptions that needed to be addressed to improve the nation's confidence in its PS.
   At the opening ceremony for the 13th Executive Development Program for Senior Government Officers, Awang Sa Bali reminded participants that service beyond the ordinary should be the norm.
   He said the program would help equip them with skills to address the misconceptions, focusing on contemporary approaches and practices in the areas of public policy, public management and governance.
   Awang Sa Bali said the course would enhance understanding and increase know-how regarding performance management, strategic and change management and e-governance.
   He said high calibre leaders were needed to “transform our Civil Service into an organisation of excellence, capable of providing services beyond expectation.”
   Awang Sa Bali said the leaders would transform the PS while maintaining awareness of new governance ideas and change.
   He asked participants that they be committed to learning and change and be capable of seeing the bigger picture.
   “Failure to do these things will cripple the Civil Service and dismantle the efforts of His Majesty's Government in improving the nation's competitiveness,” he said.
   Conducted by the University Brunei Darussalam, the one-week program was organised by the Public Service Department under the Prime Minister's Office.


27 January, 2009
CANADA
Reshuffle in readiness for economic crisis
The Government of the Canadian Province of British Columbia has been remodelled to face the new economic order with a Public Service reshuffle and cuts to the number of cabinet positions.
   A new Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development has been developed and new staffing appointments have been made.
   Premier, Gordon Campbell, said previous functions under the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue such as tax collection, natural resource revenues and collection and loan management, would be managed by the Ministry of Finance.
   Mr Campbell said the Small Business Roundtable and smart regulation would now fall under the new ministry while property assessments and homeowner grants would move to the Ministry of Community Development.
“We are going through a period of unprecedented economic change, and government is not immune to that change,” he said.
“Today is another part of our ongoing response to those shifts – both by ensuring we continue to have strong leadership in our economic ministries, and also by reducing the size of cabinet.”
   Mr Campbell announced a number of new appointments, saying Blair Lekstrom was now Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Kevin Krueger was the new minister of Community Development and Ida Chong had been appointed to lead the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development.
He thanked Ms Chong, Mr Krueger and Mr Lekstrom for accepting their new roles and “helping to lead British Columbia forward.”
Mr Campbell said climate change action had been moved from the Office of the Premier to the Ministry of Environment and that there were a number of changes to the senior executive of the Public Service.


27 January, 2009
HONG KONG
Emergency staff rejectpay cuts
Emergency services personnel in Hong Kong have reacted angrily to a salary review prompted by the global economic crisis.
   At least one politician has expressed concerns that the Government could use the crisis to ‘take advantage of’ Public Servants.
   Pan-democrat unionist lawmaker, Lee Cheuk-yan, said he saw “a labor movement coming into the disciplined services.”
   “I hope the Government will not use the financial tsunami as an excuse to take advantage of the civil servants,” he said.
   Over 200 off duty ambulance officers staged a protest outside the Legislative Council, warning the Government they would take industrial action if the nature of their work was not recognised.
   During a review meeting, representatives from other emergency services’ unions also expressed their disappointment at the pay review, saying the recommended standardised increase of one point up from the pay scale would not help address their problems.
   Representative of immigration officers’ staff unions, Lee Hok-lim, said the starting point for immigration assistants was the lowest among the services.
   Mr Lee said immigration staff felt they were regarded as inferior to others despite their work being highly praised by the public.
   A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Fire Services Department union, Chiu Sin-chung, said the review overlooked firefighters who faced dangerous working conditions.
   A representative for the Correctional Services Officers' Association, Chan Ba-tak, said the review ignored the long-standing issue that its officers had to spend hours commuting to remote institutions for inmates and were thus unable to lead a normal life outside of work.
   While lawmakers expressed concern over negative feedback to the review, Secretary for the Civil Service, Denise Yue Chung-yee, said the Government would not take a position before the end of the consultation period.


20 January, 2009
THAILAND
Secretary faces sack over illegal appointments
The Secretary and four senior officers of Thailand’s Finance Department have been found guilty of criminal conduct following the appointment of a number of Deputy Directors-General.
   An investigation by the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) also found the head of the Civil Service Commission guilty of a ‘grave disciplinary offence.”
   The decisions of the NCCC carry the requiremernt of punishment by mandatory dismissal within 30 days.
   NCCC spokesperson,    Klanarong Chantik, said the Commission would inform the Minister of Finance of its decision regarding the Finance Secretary, Suparat Kawatkul, to ensure he received punishment.
   “We will also forward the case to the Attorney General for criminal prosecution,” Mr Klanarong said.
   Minister for Finance, Korn Chatikavanij, said he would look into all the details before taking disciplinary action against Mr Suparat.
   Of all the officials found guilty, only Mr Suparat has remained in the Public Service.
   Former Permanent Secretary for Finance, Somchainuk Engtrakul; former Deputy Permanent Secretary for Finance, Sommai Pasi; former advisor, Veera Chaiyatham; and Methee Pamaranont were all dismissed.
   Mr Klanarong said the head of the Civil Service, Khunying Tipawadee Meksawan had introduced extra measures for selecting officials in 2001, despite the already approved Cabinet guidelines.
   He said these measures later allowed Somchainuk, Sommai, Veera and Suparat to appoint favoured officials as Deputy Directors General of the Revenue Department.
   Mr Klanarong said Methee played a role in supporting the officials.
   “The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the appointment of the Deputy Directors General was illegitimate because there were grounds to believe the selection panel intended to appoint their favoured people from the very beginning,” he said.
   The newly-appointed Deputy Directors General were returned to their old positions or equivalent posts.


20 January, 2009
FIJI
New era for PS unveiled
A new era for the Fijian Public Service has been unveiled with the launch of ‘Public Service For The 21st Century’ by interim Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama.
   To be known as PS21, the new vision was described by Mr Bainimarama as ‘Good Governance Through Visionary Leadership In The Civil Service’.
   He said as a reform initiative, PS21 would aim to nurture an attitude of excellence in public service and to foster an environment of change and increased efficiency and effectiveness within the Service.
   Mr Bainimarama said the initiative would employ modern management tools and techniques and pay attention to the morale and welfare of Public Servants.
   He said he was pleased with PS21 as it complemented parts of the People’s Charter, which stated the need for effective, enlightened and accountable leadership and enhanced efficiency, effectiveness and service delivery.
   “PS21 is clearly a reform initiative to promote a capable, innovative, and forward looking Public Sector and is intended to be an internal initiative of the Permanent Secretaries as a self improving program to face external uncertainties and public expectations,” Mr Bainimarama said.
   He said PS21 focused on applying the management approaches, customer service and productivity standards of successful private sector corporations to the Public Sector.


20 January, 2009
BOTSWANA
PS to hire HIV sufferers
A new Public Service Act passed by the Parliament of Botswana makes it illegal for human resource managers in the PS to discriminate against applicants for jobs on the grounds of their HIV status.
   The breakthrough has been welcomed by AIDS workers and human rights activists.
   Media and Advocacy Officer for the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), Doris Kumbawa, said she was glad to see The Public Service Act of 2008 deal with anti-discrimination.
   Ms Kumbawa said s7 of the Act said when appointments were being made no one could be discriminated against on the basis of “sex, race, tribe, place of origin, national extraction, social origin, colour, creed, political opinion, marital status, health status, disability, pregnancy or any other ground.”
   She said this meant no employee or job seeker could be overlooked for promotion or employment or education opportunities because of their HIV status.
   BONELA’s Acting Director, Uyapo Ndadi, said the Act extended its protection to non-citizens who were subjected to pre-employment HIV testing as a pre-condition for hire.
   Mr Ndadi said HIV positive foreigners were denied employment in the Public Service.
   “It cannot be denied that this practice is discriminatory and BONELA is happy that the Government has acknowledged it,” he said.
   “This provision of the Act is a move in the right direction and will certainly improve Botswana's human rights standing.”
   However, Mr Ndadi said despite the Act’s advantages, it did not apply to the private sector.
   He said in the majority of cases, private sector employees were “victims of wanton abuse, prejudice and discrimination in the workplace because of their actual or presumed HIV positive status.”
   “This gap therefore needs to be plugged by amending our Employment Act to be consistent with the new Public Service Act,” Mr Ndadi said.
   “In this regard, BONELA shall therefore continue steadfastly with its HIV Employment Law Campaign.”
   The Bill was presented to Parliament by the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel Kwelagobe, and merged the Public Service Act, the Teaching Service Act, parts of the Tribal Land Act and the Unified Local Government Service Act.
   As well as dealing with discrimination, the Act sets out the structure, composition and functions of a new Public Service and the principles and standards that would apply to it.
   It gives every Public Servant the right to belong to a trade union and to participate in some strike action without breaching their contracts.


20 January, 2009
PHILIPPINES
Mass leave used as a protest
Public Servants in the Philippines have been reminded that taking mass leave and going on strike are illegal.
   Senator Miriam Santiago, known for her efforts to wipe out corruption in the Public Service, issued the warning as a group of prosecutors planned to take leave en masse as a protest against the forced leave of some their colleagues.
   President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, ordered the prosecutors of the ‘Alabang Boys’, three men accused of peddling drugs, to take indefinite leave after accusations they received bribe money to dismiss the case.
   President Arroyo said investigations into the bribery allegations would be conducted while the prosecutors were on leave.
   Senator Santiago said the plan to take mass leave was illegal as it was the same as going on strike.  
   “The law prohibits strikes in the Public Sector because they prejudice public services,” she said.
   “It would be illegal for prosecutors to go on strike, because it is prohibited by a 2002 resolution of the Civil Service Commission.”
   Senator Santiago said section four of the Civil Service Commission Resolution prohibited Public Servants from engaging in “any form of prohibited concerted activity or mass action causing or intending to cause work stoppage or service disruption.”
   The Senator said the National Prosecutors’ League of the Philippines, the Chief Prosecutors’ Association and the State Prosecutors’ Association were all considering going on mass leave in response to the President’s order.
   “Since there are laws that prohibit mass leaves by Government employees, any mass leave is illegal, and does not fall under the protection of the Constitution,” she said.
   Senator Santiago suggested the prosecutors exhaust all administrative remedies or wait for a Bill pending in Congress allowing Public Servants to go on strike to become a law before taking mass leave.
   The prosecutors who were forced to take leave were Chief State Prosecutor, Jovencito Zuño; Justice Undersecretary, Ricardo Blancaflor; Senior State Prosecutor, Phillip Kimpo; and State Prosecutors Misael Ladaga and John Resado.
   Mr Resado was the prosecutor who submitted the controversial resolution dismissing the case against the Alabang Boys in December 2008.


20 January, 2009
BHUTAN
Senior staff warned to be loyal
Senior personnel of the Bhutan Public Service have been warned that going against the Government’s political or policy directions could cost them their jobs.
   Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley told a meeting with senior Public servants, including Secretaries, that the PS was “intelligent machinery at the disposal of politicians to realise their goals” but that job security had led to “lethargy and complacency.”
   “Decisions must be left to politicians and, even if that decision is not what the Civil Servant wants, he’ll still have to implement it faithfully and loyally as long as it’s within the laws,” Lyonchhoen Thinley said.
    The meeting, which focused on a clearer working relationship between the Public Service and politicians, came after an unclear and uneasy relationship between the two in the newly voted-upon democracy.
   Mr Thinley said Secretaries to the Government had to provide initial policy conception before listing alternatives and consequences, providing technical input and implementing the decision.
   He said Civil Servants also had the right to make policies, but the politicians would decide on the final outcome.
   “It is the privilege and responsibility of political leaders to decide policies and dreams, but it’s the responsibility of civil servants to realise those visions and implement those policies,” the Prime Minister said.
   Mr Thinley said the low morale in the Public Service was due to the uncertainties surrounding the new changes and new leadership.
   He said bureaucrats could no longer be distant, rude or arrogant and had to change their outlook to become more accessible, hardworking, courteous and transparent.


20 January, 2009
GHANA
Foreign Service jobs in doubt
A Government sub-committee in Ghana has found a number of appointments to the nation’s Foreign Service were ‘unfair and inequitable’ and has suspended them until they can be remade properly.
   According to the Transition sub-committee on Foreign Affairs, up to 40 positions were affected when the rules and regulations governing the appointments of officers into the Public Service and Foreign Service in particular were not followed.
   Chairman of the sub-committee, J.V Gbeho, examined all records relating to the appointments to decide if the concerns were legitimate.
   The Committee found that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received approval and financial cover from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Head of the Civil Service, to recruit 30 new staff members.
   However, the number of people recommended for appointment increased to 40 without extra approval.
   The Committee also found only 20 per cent of the new staff were in the first 30 on the interview list of 150, which was ordered by merit and another 20 per cent did not appear on the interview list at all.
   According to rules and regulations governing appointments, those in the top 30 on the interview list must be appointed or recruited, and were recommended for appointment by the interview panel established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
      The Committee said it was concerned the appointments had been discriminatory and unfair as they passed over many of the applicants in the top 30.
   It said it was “taking steps to ensure the anomaly is corrected and the appointments made in accordance with the rules and regulations.”


20 January, 2009
BRUNEI
PS accused of complacency
A “lackadaisical’ attitude towards the enforcement of discipline has been identified as the cause of complacency and low morale in the Public Service of Brunei.
   In his working paper on the Public Service, retired senior officer from the Civil Service Institute in the Prime Minister’s Office, Hj Duraman Tuah, highlighted the problems facing the Service.
   Mr Duraman said although his paper, The Achievement of the Civil Service after Independence, focused mainly on how the Civil Service Institute supported the Government’s development programs, it also looked at issues facing the Service.
   In an interview with the Brunei Times, Mr Duraman said before he retired he conducted courses and gave speeches to Government Departments with the aim of improving the Public Service.
   He said the main problem facing the Service was poor enforcement of Government regulations and believed that if they were properly enforced, Public Servants would be less complacent.
   “They think that the Government would not take any action against them even if they come to work late,” Mr Duraman said.
   “There is also the question of morale. Morale in the civil service has fallen — no matter how well or bad they do their work, nobody cares.”
   He called for disciplinary action to be applied equally to all staff, regardless of their rank.
   “It is our culture in Brunei that the subordinates would follow the example of the top people but they do not think that this involves issues of job responsibility or commitment on their part,” Mr Duraman said.
   “If comprehensive training were to accompany enforcement, with emphasis on character and work ethics, it will greatly benefit the country's development.
   “But we have not seen this.”
   He said since retiring two years ago he felt the situation had deteriorated.
   Mr Duraman expressed his disappointment that his efforts towards improving morale and complacency had not seen positive results.
   “Don't put the blame on the system, the system is fine,” he said.
   “The problem is in the way we implement it.”
   Mr Duraman said regulations were in place but had no effect if they were not enforced.
   “Brunei cannot afford such complacency, not with the total number of Civil Servants in the country,” he said.
   “However, it appears that this will continue to happen.”
   Mr Duraman said his paper was a reminder to all Public Servants to adhere to regulations and to learn from their mistakes to avoid duplicating them.


20 January, 2009
CANADA
Warning on health funding
Unions have warned the Canadian Government that thousands of health care jobs were at risk, and patients threatened if necessary funding wasn’t allocated to the sector.
   President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, Michael Hurley, said the unions had predicted 4,000 jobs would be lost through attrition and 1,000 through involuntary layoffs.
   Mr Hurley said financial cuts would mean longer waiting times and a “general deterioration” of service quality.
    “You are going to see an ongoing and aggressive downsizing of the system that we haven't experienced for some time,” he said.
   Mr Hurley said in 2008 hospitals received a funding increase of 2.4 per cent from the provincial government, while the health-care inflation rate was 3.5 per cent.
   National President of the Canadian Auto Workers Union, Ken Lewenza, said the province of Ontario needed increased provincial hospital funding to keep pace with inflation rates, population growth and an aging society.
   Mr Lewenza and representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, the Service Employees International Union and the Ontario Federation of Labour said along with the 5,000 jobs, nine million hours of patient care could be lost if additional funding was not forthcoming.
   He said the Government needed to invest in the health sector to provide jobs during the economic slowdown.
   “A progressive government would not only significantly increase funding to health care, but go over and beyond to eliminate wait times in multiple services in Ontario as an opportunity to create jobs and opportunities,” Mr Lewenza said.
   The Unions, which represent over 80,000 hospital staff , said as unemployment figures grew, more people would turn to diminishing public health care services for help.
   Minister for Health, David Caplan, said last year the March budget had provided a 2.1 per cent increase in funding for hospitals in 2009-10.
   “Since 2003, Ontario's hospitals have received a nearly 32 per cent increase in annual funding – an unprecedented level of investment,” Mr Caplan said.
   He said the Government was “committed to ensuring continued investment in our health-care sector” and had taken on a deficit in the current fiscal year to protect services.


20 January, 2009
NORTHERN IRELAND
Reform plans in doubt
Doubts have been cast over the feasibility of plans to overhaul the Northern Ireland Public Service and save £3 billion.
   The NI Public Accounts Committee expressed concern that the Department for Finance and Personnel would not have the capacity to implement the reforms once they were identified.
   Following an internal inquiry into the matter, Committee Chairperson, Paul Maskey, said the Department faced an “enormous challenge ahead” if it was to complete the implementation phases of the reform successfully.
   “In the committee's view, the Department's capacity to do this is still unproven,” Mr Maskey said.
   “In addition, whether value for money has been achieved is still to be demonstrated.”
   He said the Reform Agenda would seek to restructure the Public Service to make it run more efficiently and cost-effectively and allow for a reallocation of jobs.
   HR Connect was among the projects devised under the reforms to provide Public Servants with access to a shared service centre with centralised transaction processing services.
   HR Connect would also include Network NI, a high-speed network service connecting all Public Service locations that would centrally deliver voice, video and data communication.
   The Public Accounts Committee found HR Connect, the shared service centre and Network NI faced specification and procurement problems which could have been avoided by better planning.The Committee said the difficulties led to delays and avoidable costs.


20 January, 2009
CAMEROON
Recruitment drive targets 2,970
The Cameroon Government has embarked on a recruitment drive to attract 2,970 new staff into its Public Health Ministry.
The positions include doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses as well as technicians, engineers and statisticians.
Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Emmanuel Bonde, launched the drive, saying 173 state employees would be selected as support staff for the Health Ministry while 2,797 positions would be directly recruited for.
Mr Bonde said a selection test for support staff positions would be open to all Cameroonians between 18 and 40 provided they had sufficient education.
   He said the examinations would be conducted on different days beginning in March, and would be split up into categories and support staff preferences.
   He said 60 specialist doctors, 150 general medical practitioners, 12 dentists, 12 pharmacists, 40 sanitary medical engineers, 200 sanitary medical technicians and 300 sanitary medical technical agents would be recruited.
   Mr Bonde said the service was also looking to attract five biomedical engineers, 15 biomedical technicians and over 1,600 nurses, midwives and nurses attendants.
   He said demographers, statistical engineers, statistical technicians, civil engineers and industrial technical engineers were also being targeted in the drive.