PUBLIC Service Commission chairperson Salmaan Jacobs has defended the integrity of public servants.
He says it is unfair to generalise and label them all as criminals when the majority are hardworking and ethical individuals.
“It is unfortunate that public servants are often projected as if they are working with criminals. In reality, many of them
uphold fairness, honesty and truthfulness, as they are required to do by signing performance agreements with their
supervisors,” he says.
Jacobs said this in an interview with The Namibian on Wednesday.
He was responding to claims made by former police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga who said criminals are in
cahoots with well placed officials.
“The commission and government ministries have put strict checks and balances in place to ensure that all employees
meet the required standards,” he said.
He said reference checks are conducted to confirm whether applicants meet the requirements of job advertisements and to verify their identities.
This process is carried out by the respective ministries as part of the recruitment procedure.
“The reference check ensures that every aspect of the application is verified. Vetting is done selectively, depending on the sensitivity of the position. For example, positions within the home affairs ministry are vetted for everyone due to the ministry’s
sensitive nature.
“However, for junior positions in other ministries, vetting is reserved for top-level positions such as those within the offices of the presidency, the prime minister, and the vice president. These are vetted by the Namibia Central Intelligence Service.
“For candidates coming from outside the public service, reference checks are conducted with their previous employers to ensure compliance with recruitment policies. The commission also conducts regular audits to ensure that all ministries
adhere to these standards,” he said.
According to Jacobs, once employees are on board, they undergo compulsory induction programmes in most ministries.
“These programmes emphasise core values such as honesty, fairness and friendliness. Public servants are expected to
uphold the highest standards of integrity. There are checks and balances in place to ensure that they are not involved in
activities that could negatively impact the ministry or the government. If there are isolated cases of misconduct or criminal behavior, those individuals are reported, dealt with and held accountable,” he said.
While acknowledging that there might be a few bad apples within the system, Jacobs cautioned against generalising.
“Let us not generalise and make it seem like the entire public sector is involved in criminal activities. If there are incidents,
they must be reported and addressed, but they should not overshadow the good work being done by the majority,” he said.
“When you work with them physically, you realise that many public servants have good virtues. The notion that they are
lazy is often exaggerated. Generally, they are doing their work diligently,” he said.
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