Barely months into President John Mahama’s return to office, his administration is already facing heavy criticism over its handling of public sector employment.
Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has publicly condemned what he describes as a “targeted purge” of government workers employed under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. His remarks highlight growing concerns over job security and political interference in public service appointments.
In a strongly worded statement, Dr. Bawumia expressed disappointment over the dismissals, arguing that Mahama’s government was contradicting its own campaign promise to create jobs for Ghanaians.
“Since assuming office, however, the government of President Mahama has pursued a series of actions targeting Ghanaians who were legitimately employed during the previous administration,” he stated. “It is ironic that a party which campaigned on the wings of jobs for all Ghanaians is arbitrarily dismissing the same Ghanaians, rendering them jobless.”
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The former Vice President pointed out the hardship these dismissals would bring to affected individuals and their families, emphasizing that a government committed to solving unemployment should be focusing on job creation, not terminations.
“The least a party that campaigned on jobs could do under conditions of unemployment is to also innovate and create jobs rather than dismiss people,” he remarked.
Beyond the political appointees, Bawumia noted with concern that the dismissals extended to career civil servants, many of whom have no direct political affiliations but were simply employed during the NPP’s tenure.
“Regrettably, these dismissals have been extended to directors who are public servants and not politicians,” he said. “In some of the cases, the only reason for dismissal was that the persons whose livelihoods have been destroyed are known to or related to politicians, as if to suggest that they cannot live independent professional lives, however qualified they are.”
Adding to the controversy, there are reports that Mahama’s government is considering terminating the appointments of essential service workers, including security personnel, nurses, and teachers, simply because they were hired under the previous administration. Bawumia warned that such a move would have dire consequences for the country’s workforce and essential services. “That will be most unfortunate,” he cautioned.
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