K. B Asante: ‘Administrative chaos,” cause of judgment debt saga

A former diplomat and senior civil servant has diagnosed the cause of the rash of judgment debt cases as arising from a breakdown in civil service procedures and the country’s governance system.

In the opinion of Dr K. B Asante, “administrative chaos” was the main cause for the spate of court orders to government to settle debts arising from the actions and inactions of politicians and civil servants, although the large number of “hangers-on and special advisers” especially at the Presidency come a close second.

“You don’t allow Ministers to use their influence to start projects for which there is no money” Dr Asante declared on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem Morning Show on Thursday July 12, while contributing to discussions on the latest reports of looming gargantuan judgment debts against government.

“If you (civil servants) succumb to the directives of Ministers and the rest you are creating problems for the country, and this is what has happened.

Mr. K B Asante, who served in Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s government, also challenged politicians to demand answers from the mandarins in the Civil Service, especially when they assume the reins of power.

“It is the duty of politicians that we don’t get this kind of chaos. Public officers speak a kind of financial language which is bizarre, and it is the duty of politicians that they lay everything bare.”

Analyzing governance over the years, Mr. Asante said in the First Republic under Kwame Nkrumah there were “no hangers-on or special advisers;” the President was advised by his Ministers. “Even in the military days things were streamlined” he added. But now, due to political patronage and the growth of democracy, Ministries, departments, agents and even the presidency is overran by political lackeys, creating opportunities for administrative chaos.

Meanwhile, the flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party, Dr Abu Sakara Foster also contributing, called for institutional measures to be put in place to curb the spate of judgment debts. A key element of the measures, he said, is to ensure that persons whose actions and inactions lead to such debts are publicly seen to lose any benefits arising from such deeds.

“Ensure that we put a moratorium that within any two consecutive presidential terms should be cleared. We should not see any administration after 12 yrs still carrying and paying debts”, Dr. Sakara Foster stressed.

He criticized the concentration of the powers of appointment at the Presidency. A better option would be to ensure only the highest appointments are made by the president; the head of the Civil Service should be empowered to recruit qualified professionals to fill other positions.

Source: Adom News Ghana

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Category: Politics