|
Under new charter public now has means
to report on abusive public officers
Accra, June 10, Ghanadot/GNA – Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse,
Chief Advisor to the President on Tuesday stated that the
general public now have the opportunity to report public
officers who mishandle them in the course of doing their
work.
She announced this during the launch of a new charter, code
named “Citizens Charter” an agreement between organization
and the public through which trust and confidence in the
public service would be sustained.
The public should report offending public officers by
calling the following telephone numbers: 021 684006, 671359
or 672333 or fax their complaint to 021 671358.
The Citizen’s Charter which is a brain child of President
John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to help create an efficient
and public/citizens centred public service.
Mrs. Chinery Hesse said organizations that had so far signed
unto the charter had no room for broken promises and no
excuses for non-performance.
“We need the assistance of the general public. The ordinary
man and woman should know channels to seek redress when
he/she is not handled well in a public office,” she said and
urged recalcitrant organizations who had not yet sign the
charter to do so or face consequences.
She said as part of monitoring and evaluating the process
the office of the President would ultimately publish a
performance ranking and would reward high performers while
sanctioning non-performers.
Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reforms,
said the new charter had gained public acceptance and urged
organizations to undertake periodic reviews of the charter
as time goes on to ensure effectiveness in their work.
“The new charter could be used to achieve good governance in
the country,” he said and announced that copies of a
standard customers feedback forms would be made available to
the organizations that have signed onto the charter as part
of monitoring.
Mr. Joe Baidoo-Ansah, outgoing Minister of Trade, Industry,
PSD/PSI said the sector took the directive of the President
seriously and had established a client services unit to deal
with people venturing in trade and business.
Mr. Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, Justice of the Supreme
Court who represented the Chief Justice commended the idea
of a citizens’ charter, but said to ensure effectiveness,
there was the need for attitudinal change within the public.
Mr. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Information and
National Orientation in an address repeated government’s
commitment to improve quality of service in the public
sector, hence the introduction of the charter.
“It is an important tool to use when we talk about
corruption,” he said and explained that the citizens’
charter would remove misconceptions that one had to see a
“big man” before he got things done for him.
He pledged government’s support to follow-up on the project
to ensure that the public service improved in performance.
About 24 organizations which include Ministry of Trade,
Industry, PSI/PSD, National Board for Small Scale
Industries, Ghana Trade Fair Company, Immigration Services,
Narcotics Control Board, VAT Service, Bureau of Ghana
Languages, Meteorological Agency, National Communications
Authority, Ghana Employers Association, Department of
Cooperatives signed onto the charter.
The rest are Ghana Export Promotion Council, Gratis
Foundation, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural
Engineering Services Directorate, Veterinary Services
Directorate, Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, Women
in Agricultural Development Directorate, Plant Protection
and Regulatory Services, Animal Production Directorate and
the Agricultural Extension Services.
GNA
|
