In The Matter Of ‘Spineless’ Single Spine Salary Structure

: MR. PRESIDENT, SANITIZE CONTROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT. OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA. March 6, 2011

Dear Mr. President,

Permit me once again to address you in the interest of MOTHER GHANA. I know, as everyone else does, that the past week was not good a week for you. You may not have slept for the past few days, due to the legitimate noise that teachers across the country made to what I term, ‘MONETORY ADJUSTMENT WAHALA’.

The felt-heat that emanated from their demonstration was evident in your address to the nation in the occasion of Ghana’s 54th Independence anniversary. In your speech, you assured the nation’s EDUCATERS that you were going to fix their problem as early as possible.

I do not have a problem with the open promise. I, however, have a problem as to how you are to solve that problem. My fear is based on the fact that it is not the first time the SSSS has found itself in a state of confusion.

The first one concerned the Ghana Prison Service. You remember the development made the Service’s staff to embark on an unprecedented in-premise demonstration? What has happened thereafter? Has their problem been solved? If YES, may I know what was the course, and how soon was the problem mitigated. If NO, then may I know the source of this ‘courageous’ assurance?

When our teachers went to the banks and were greeted with the problem at hand, the Minister of Education, organized a press conference throwing assurances as to how the crises could be managed within the shortest time possible. As well, the officer-in-charge of the FAIR WAGES and SALARIES COMMISSION was running over electronic broadcast networks, yelling his position on the odd development.

But! Is it a strange development, Mr. President? NO! Because, I think we are only good at solving problems instead of preventing them from occurring.

Unfortunately, Your Excellency, I must state that you are far from addressing and even finding a solution to it. I am saying this because all you those who have intervened in the SSSS problem, have may be ‘INTENTIONALLY’ refused to hit the nail on the spot it should be.

Much as I agree, that sector ministers must be held responsible for mishaps within their ministries, I also think sometimes we ought to go beyond certain limits in order to appreciate the situation properly.

This problem, as fore stated, started with the Prison Service. Teachers of the Ghana Education Service, is the first and one of the biggest Government of Ghana employees to have suffered under the structure.

Ghana Medical Association, not wanting to be over-taken by events of the ‘devil’, has already posted a strong warning to your government, that the ‘virus’ should never be made to affect them. The Association has been that magnanimous, has it not?

Mr. President, one of the reasons why I have reasoned to address you, is that the very key area that must be looked up to; looked into, and looked out to, is the almighty ‘UNCONTROLLED’ CONROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT.

Your Excellency, there are too many NON PROFESSIONALS who are occupying PROFESSIONAL positions there. It would surprise you to know, that what is now called ‘PROTOCOL’ employment, has ended up loading the whole entity with staff that have no accounting background.

Last year alone, I know of a Parliamentarian who was given a ‘protocol’ slot of ten and were employed at the Department. The question is how many of them had accounting background.

I know this for a fact, that there are employees of the Department who have university degrees, but have, not even Senior High School accounting knowledge. Now, what business has such elements, doing at the Accountant General’s Department?

What has a degree holder in INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, or POLITICAL SCIENCE got to do at the Department? Do such workers of the Department know how to, as the professional terminology has it INPUT / OUTPUT? If they cannot understand these terminologies, how can they exact the graduation of the old system to the new system that is generating the crises?

Your Excellency, the best advice I can give you, is that you, as a matter of urgency, stop the exercise. Following that, is to order the CIVIL SERVICE COUNCIL to audit staff qualification, considering the professional merit that befits the Department.

The Council must equally find out how the Department recruits its staff. Does it go public by advatizing. If the answer is yes, they should show records of newspaper placements.

Your Excellency, if you do not stand firm to sanitize the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, forget of the success of the SSSS. Be told, however, that this SSSS confusing is capable of bringing your government down. It must be noted that if any other party is in government, and have that Department as it stands now; and with the current developing crises, can be voted out.

You must act now, and decisively.

I am done, Your Excellency. You can choose to take this one serious, or you can treat it with the contempt you are used to anytime I engage your attention. Thank you.

Yours, in the Service of MOTHER GHANA.

Camillus Maalneriba-Tia Sakzeesi

P.O. Box SC 487, Tema

E-Mail: [email protected]

Tel: 0266223333 / 0249488120