‘Public Service Workers Are Serving the Nation, Not Politics’ – Lawyer Francis Opoku Warns Against Revocation
"The same power used to appoint is the same power used to revoke, but merit and qualification should always come first," says legal expert
- He questions the revocation of merit-based Public Service appointments
- Lawyer Francis Opoku argues that outgoing governments are legally allowed to appoint
- Political appointments can be revoked, but Public Service roles should remain non-political.
Private Legal Practitioner, Francis Opoku, has weighed in on the government’s decision to revoke all appointments and recruitments made into the Public Service after December 7, 2024, highlighting both its legal and moral implications.
Speaking on the Lawson TV/Radio Ghana Se Sen Show, Lawyer Opoku explained that, legally, an outgoing government retains the authority to make appointments and recruitments from December 7 to January 7, the period before a new administration assumes office.
However, he emphasized that the moral perspective suggests that such decisions could be left to the incoming government to avoid potential controversies.
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, recently announced the revocation of all such appointments and recruitments, a move that has sparked varied opinions.
Addressing the issue of political appointments, Lawyer Opoku stated, “In political appointments, the government has the power to appoint and disappoint. The same power the former government used to make these appointments is what the current government is using to revoke them.”
However, he expressed reservations regarding the revocation of appointments for Public Service workers.
“Appointments of Public Service workers should not have any political connection or affiliation. If these individuals were appointed based on merit and qualifications, why should their appointments be revoked?” he questioned.
