INDIA
PS entry exam expanded
Candidates for the Public Service examination in the Indian State of Rajasthan will be expected to answer questions on Hindu sacred texts in future.
The Rajasthan Public Service Commission has added the new unit to the general knowledge paper, which will now include questions from the Bhagavad Gita.
Candidates can expect questions from the 18 chapters of the text dealing with management and administrative lessons drawn from the conversation of Lord Krishna with Arjun before the Battle of Kurukshetra.
A Commission official said the aim was “to expose students to the relevance of the administrative and management teachings from the book”.
Jaipur, 17 April 2018
SOUTH AFRICA
Union locks up negotiators
Angry public sector union leaders said they have locked South African Government negotiators into offices and will not release them until they come up with a satisfactory offer on pay and conditions.
The move came as frustrations rose over delayed pay talks, with unions losing patience when they were told the Government negotiators had no mandate to make an improved offer.
Deputy General Manager of the Public Servants Association of South Africa, Tahir Maepa said this was a slap in the face for his members.
However, Secretary General of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, Frikkie De Bruin downplayed the lock-up, saying it was a “usual occurrence during the negotiating season”.
Pretoria, 19 April 2018
IRELAND
Easier PS sacking planned
New legislation before the Irish Parliament will make it easier to sack Public Servants.
This follows an internal review of the Public Service Disciplinary Code that found the existing procedures were unnecessarily complex, with the Department of Public Expenditure saying that only 97 Government workers were dismissed between 2008 and 2016.
The new legislation will also simplify the appeals procedure for disciplined PS staff to ensure cases are heard more quickly.
A spokesperson for the Department said the key provisions of the proposed legislative amendments would contribute to empowering managers to manage their staff effectively rather than having all serious sanctions determined at the very top of an organisation.
Dublin, 14 April 2018
MALDIVES
PS to be apolitical
Public Servants in the island nation of the Maldives have been urged to put aside their political differences as they “are serving the people on behalf of the administration in office at the time”.
Vice-President, Abdulla Jihad said a recent decision by his Government to increase the salary of PS employees “is a way of appreciating their work with the hope it will improve their performance”.
He urged the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to continue to work on enhancing the services provided to the public, by “utilising the latest technologies available in the globalised world”.
“We are formulating a policy to recruit employees based on their competency and capability,” Mr Jihad said.
Malé, 16 April 2018
ETHIOPIA
Military to be accountable
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali has promised to introduce a system of accountability to the Government’s security and intelligence forces, which have been operating out of control.
Mr Abiy admitted the Army and security forces had often been accused of using brutal force and human rights violations during operations to repress protests against the Government.
The Prime Minister has been tasked with halting anti-Government protests throughout the country, and also pledged to reform the judiciary after laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation have been described as repressive and restrictive on democracy.
He said the Public Service would be reformed, with the aim of creating more job opportunities for young people.
Addis Ababa, 16 April 2017
IRELAND
Bank rejects PS Card
Ireland’s controversial Public Services Card has hit another roadblock after it was reported that the country’s Central Bank would not accept it as valid proof of an individual’s identification.
The card was originally created so that people could access public services with one fully state-authenticated identity document and not have to keep providing documentation to multiple organisations.
However, the card is apparently redundant when borrowers apply for personal credit reports from the Central Bank’s Credit Register.
The Register, which opened to the public over a month ago, is a centralised system that collects and stores information to generate individual credit reports on borrowers.
Lenders can use the credit reports to decide whether borrowers can get a loan.
Dublin, 19 April 2018
SLOVAKIA
Public broadcaster in doubt
Mounting concerns over the future of Slovakia’s public broadcaster, RTVS have been realised after tensions emerged between the Director-General, Jaroslav Reznik and journalists working for both television and radio.
In January, Mr Reznik dropped the broadcaster’s only investigative program before pledging to reintroduce it after a public outcry.
A month later, the head of news and the head of television announced their resignations.
Reporters were then banned from wearing #allforJan badges on screen in support of the families of murdered investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancé.
The broadcaster’s management said the badges were a political statement that did not belong on the screen of a public service broadcaster.
Journalists said the badges were in solidarity with a murdered colleague and a sign of their determination to preserve media freedom.
Bratislava, 13 April 2018
