No Law Bars Gov�t From Employing People � NDC Replies NPP

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as misleading claims by New Patriotic Party (NPP) that government is giving out last minute appointments and contracts to cronies.

“The law that governs the Transition [Presidential Transition Act 845, 2012] does not state that a government which is about to leave power should not continue giving jobs to others,” Member of NDC legal team, Abraham Amaliba has said.

Yaw Osafo Marfo a representative of President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the Transition Team hinted of reports that government was selling state lands and issuing contracts few days to the official handing over in January.

He claimed the status of some temporary staff and assistants of NDC functionaries are being changed to permanent employees while others are being sent to the public service.

"We do not want to believe that these allegations are true," Mr Osafo Maafo said charging government to be cautious and transparent in its dealing.

Spokesperson of government's Transition Team, Hannah Tetteh said there was nothing dubious about what government is doing.

She said the recruitment exercises being carried out by the military and police service are a continuation of what were started at the beginning of the year.

Hannah Tetteh who also doubles as the Foreign Affairs Minister said the incoming government could call for an end to those exercises if it is not comfortable with them.

But speaking to Evans Mensah, host of Joy FM's Top Story programme Wednesday, Mr Amaliba said the incoming NPP government has no business questioning the duties of government when it did same in 2008.

He cited the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) which the erstwhile Kufuor administration signed before handing over in 2009 to stress his point.

The SSSS places all public service employees on a single vertical salary structure which consists of incremental pay points from a base pay to highest pay.

"This government as at now is not jointly managing the country with the incoming government," he said, adding until power is officially transferred, the NDC government has the right to transact business in the name of the country.

"For now we still need to go on with what is being done [and] it is not appropriate" for the NPP to be interfering, he added.