Black-out on TV viewing in public offices good but not enough- Nduom

Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom Presidential Candidate of the Convention People’s Party in the 2008 elections, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom has welcomed President Mills’ directive for Public Officials to desist from watching TV during working hours but said that alone is not enough. “This matter of watching television for me is an important matter. It may seem small to some people but it is a good item to highlight but it must not be highlighted in isolation. It should be a part of an over all scheme to increase productivity and also to sensitise and train supervisory personnel to begin from they themselves,” he told Joy News in an interview on Tuesday. According to Dr. Nduom several other activities distract public officials from carrying out their core duties and hoped government will turn its attention to them. “The people who are going around from office to office selling cloth, selling chicken, selling goats and selling all manner of things, including those who had set up kiosks at the ministries area selling lotto tickets are a part of the problem,” he added. Dr. Nduom as minister of Public Sector Reforms under the erstwhile Kufuor administration in 2005 recommended key policies including the banning of all commercial activities around the ministries which was geared towards bringing sanity at the ministry area and increasing productivity. But the policy seemed to have died a natural death. Nduom said for the black-out policy on TV viewing to work at the ministries and other public offices, the ministers and directors of public departments who have TV, and DSTV connected in their offices must lead by example. Minister of Local Government, Joseph Yieleh-Chireh observed that TV undoubtedly distracts employees of the ministries pledged to lead by example. He said the pressure under which he operates makes it difficult for him to watch TV’s during working hours. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana