Workers Say Democracy Is The Bedrock Of Development

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association Ghana (CLOGSAG) on Tuesday described democracy as the bedrock of development which thrives in an enabling environment that includes effective and good governance. It however expressed regret about the discriminatory practice of the multi-party democratic system that paid little attention to those who are deemed not to belong to the ruling party. The Association in a May Day message signed by the Executive Secretary, Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo and copied to the GNA in Accra, explained that politicization which, draws a line between those who support the ruling party and those who do not, created tension and made public office polarized. The statement said some staff members were ignored and were not given enough room to participate in activities at the work place with documented situations where some staff took advantage to seek recognition and favours from political heads. It said political expediency overrode technical competence and best practices in the management of the institutions which bred corruption. The Association said politicization intimidated and divided the ranks of workers in Civil and Local Government Services and denied sections of society the opportunity to participate fully in national development. It appealed to staff of the Civil and Local Government Services to remain politically neutral and any member of the services who publicly associated himself or herself with a political party could be expelled from the services. This year�s celebration will be marked with the theme, �Politicization of the civil and Local Government Services � a contributory factor in the downturn of the economy�. The Association said lack of support for the Civil and Local Government services at both central and local levels was grinding the service to a halt preventing its support for the growth of the economy. CLOGSAG noted that for a lasting solution to the nation�s economic problem, greater attention should be given to improving the performance of the Civil and Local Government Service.