By Zakari Musah

A Chinese proverb said that a journey of a  thousand mile start with one step.  Eventually, the weekly meet – the – press series, which is held at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, has become a critical programme where Ministers, heads of department and government officials use to explain programmes and policies of their respective sectors to media personnel to be  disseminated  to the general public.
    
There is no gainsaying that the media, the fourth realm of the state, are vibrant for their pivotal role  played in disseminating information to the general public in this democratic dispensation.
    
An influential American Publisher, Palmer – Hyot, declared immediately after the Second World War that he believed the world could not stand another war, but that the world nonetheless would head for war, unless immediate steps were taken to promote free media and remarked “A civilianization that is not free cannot endure.”

At one of the recent meet – the – press programmes, five public services institutions namely, the Driver and Licensing Authority (DVLA), Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Registrar General’s Department (AGD), and Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) signed a new charter to ensure good service delivery to the public.

As Ghana strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), it is a laudable idea to launch the charter to ensure that the attainment of the MDG, comes to reality.  This is because these five institutions play major roles in the development of the country.

The revelation by the Public Sector Minister, Mr Samuel Owusu Agyei, that the charter is to assure clients that public sector could do better than they are currently doing and also the delay in processing documents which hampers business in the country would be a thing of the past, is  good news.

A country like Ghana which is touted as the gateway to Africa, should open her doors for businesses and this would go a long way in alleviating the problem of unemployment in the system as well as improving  living condition in the country.

Undoubtedly, no country can be poised for serious business without peace in that country.  It is for this reason that the Minister for National Security, Mr. Francis Poku, has put security measures in place for any eventualities.

He noted that the way forward is for good governance which is based on sound and reasonable complaints.  

During question time, a journalist asked the Minister for National Security that how his outfit was going to ensure that the criminals who infiltrated into the country are apprehended and sanctioned.

In response, Mr. Francis Poku assured the nation that the security agencies will not relent in their effort, saying they are on alert and anybody who would be caught in any criminal act will be dealt with in accordance with the Laws of Ghana.

Another journalist who wanted to know why RGD collects US Dollars as registration fees instead of the cedi.

In response, a representative from the RGD said it was mandated by the constitution and therefore legal.

Another journalist also asked whether there was a committee to oversee the affairs of the charter.

Mr.Francis Poku, said at the end of every year, there would be an assessment and those who would not meet the target would be sanctioned.

Another journalist also complained about the attitude of some secretaries at the offices.

Mr. Owusu Agyei said the public sector is under going  restructuring and would take care of these anomalies.

Are there measures instituted at the DVLA to serve as watch dog?  Asked by a journalist.  In response, the Executive Director of the DVLA said now their services are one stop and there is no cause for alarm.

In view of this, it is expected that the five public service institutions that signed the charter, will live up to expectation and do away with barriers that could hamper businesses in the country.

Source: ISD

• Email this page
• Printer friendly version