Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has reiterated the need to review article 199 of the 1992 constitution as amended in Act 527 of Parliament.
The article speaks of the reengagement of public servants after their retirement at age 60, to which he is averse. It reads in part, “Article 199 of the constitution is amended by the insertion after clause (3) of the following:
“(4) notwithstanding clause (1) of this article, a public officer who has retired from the public service after attaining the age of sixty years may, where the exigencies of the service require, be engaged for a limited period of not more than two at a time but not exceeding five years in all and upon such other terms and conditions as the appointing authority shall determine.”
Mr. Anyidoho argued on the Anↄpa Bↄfoↄ morning show on Angel FM that the engagement of the retirees at the attainment of 60 years, no longer qualifies to be a public service but a political assignment.
He said: “If you are a man or woman in uniform, and you reach your retirement age, and I am president and I extend your appointment, as far as I am concerned, you cease to be an officer in uniform; you are now a politician.
“Because it is a politician that has given you the extension, not the service. As for your service, the code says that you have retired. But the politician says stay there.”
He added that it is an absurd for someone who has been in office and reached the acme of his career to want an extension after his term of service has elapsed.
“if the whole democracy is about fairness, and equity, why was ‘bob no rank’ asked to vacate his post on retirement, and you who have reached the highest point in your career, want an extension after four or two years of service?”
Mr. Anyidoho’s comments was in connection with the systemic issues confronting the practice of democracy in the country, where change in government affects the economic lives of people at the lowest levels, creating tensions among the civil servants who in turn kick against the government.
“Change a president or government and it trickles down to even the public latrine attendant [they are substituted]; the toll booth attendant is affected. What kind of democracy is that one? There’s something wrong with the democracy,” he said.
