President Yahya Jammeh on Wednesday presided at the swearing-in ceremony for the newly-appointed minister of Presidential Affairs and National Assembly Matters, who is also the Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service.
The ceremony, held at State House in Banjul, also saw the swearing-in of two new members of the Public Service Commission, Alhagie Waka Joof and Alieu B. Jallow.
Administered by Ramou Cole-Ceesay, secretary to Cabinet, the new appointees took the oaths of office, allegiance and secrecy.
Speaking shortly after the top government officials were sworn in, President Jammeh said gone are the days when the Public Service Commission will be twisting and turning people to the extent that they were discouraged.
“Why wasting somebody’s time whose CV has already been screened before his interview and in turn twisting and turning him; wasting his time for nothing. Is this what is expected of a Public Service Commission that is serving the interest of the people without any ulterior motive?” the Gambian leader asked.
While commending the Chairman of the Public Service Commission and his staff for accepting the appointment, President Jammeh said no position is more important than others in his government because, as he put it, “when you look at government, it is just like a vehicle, every component of it is important.
“No matter where you are in Government and at what level you are, you should not see yourself as less important than the person you think is higher than you,” he said, adding that every member of the civil and the government is as important as the President.
Noting that he was increasingly alarmed by the level of indiscipline in the civil service, President Jammeh said Public Service Commission should not be an institution of “whom you know, but what you know.”
The Gambian leader also frowned at the increasing number of people that are sent for overseas training and at the end of their training, they decide not to come back home, but stay there to pursue what they want, stressing that those people should be automatically dismissed.
Speaking shortly after taking his oath, Dr Njogu L Bah said with all that President Jammeh did for him, if he does anything other than rallying behind him, supporting him, working for him and for the nation, then he will betray the trust and confidence bestowed on him and, if that happens, the Almighty Allah will punish him.
He assured the Gambian leader of his fullest commitment and loyalty to his (Jammeh’s) vision and mission; to what President Jammeh believes in, what he stands for and what he is working for.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Alhagie Waka Joof, the new PSC member said the Public Service Commission has under-gone huge transformation for a long time, while assuring President Jammeh that the changes at PSC are for the better.
G.O Bright, Chairman PSC said the mandate of the PSC is to identify and recruit competent and qualified personnel for the civil service, and also to ensure an effective and efficient civil service, in addition to implementing disciplinary actions against civil servants and public officers.
Mr. Bright said in the execution of their mandate, his PSC members were guided by principles of fair play and impartiality, which is in-line with the code of conduct of the Gambia civil service and also enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia.
Ramou Cole-Ceesay, acting secretary to the cabinet, chaired the ceremony.