DENMARK
Public broadcast licence lifted
Denmark’s national broadcaster, DR has been told to streamline its operations after Parliament passed a proposal to abolish the mandatory licence fee.
The Government said scrapping the fee paid by households reflected a change in the way modern media was consumed, with streaming services such as Netflix and HBO gaining popularity.
Every household currently pays an annual amount of DKK2,527 (A$540) to fund public broadcasting, which dominates Denmark’s news output and airs the most-watched programs.
The fee will be phased out over five years starting on 1 January 2019, and public service broadcasters will instead be financed through taxes.
Copenhagen, 6 April 2018
ZIMBABWE
PS staff banned from election
Zimbabwe’s Public Servants and members of its Defence Force have been banned from taking part in the country’s Zanu-PF Primary Elections, which choose candidates to represent the ruling party at the next General Election.
Secretary for Legal Affairs at Zanu-PF, Paul Mangwana said the decision was reached after intense deliberations.
“Only those who produce proof that they have resigned from the Public Service will be allowed to participate in the internal polls,” Mr Mangwana said.
He said in the current environment, with the country grappling with high unemployment, it was wrong for PS employees to pursue two different jobs.
Harare, 7 April 2018
KENYA
Call for uniform PS retirement age
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) has called for a uniform retirement age for all Public Servants.
The move follows a Government directive scrapping the age and term limits for Chief Executives of state corporations.
Chair of the ICPAK, Julius Mwatu said this defeated the rationale for the establishment of a mandatory retirement age that was meant to bring in fresh thinking and promote accountability in the Public Service.
He said the directive effectively gave the CEOs of state corporations the latitude to be reappointed as many times as the appointing authority deemed fit and to work beyond the mandatory retirement age of sixty.
Nairobi, 11 April 2018
SOUTH KOREA
PS joined for job security
A survey of some of the 440,000 South Koreans preparing to take the country’s Public Service entry examinations has found that more than half listed “job security” as their primary motivation for wanting a government career.
The survey also found that 48 per cent said they studied more than 10 hours every day for the tests.
About 34 per cent of test applicants said they decided to prepare for the examination in their first or second year at university.
Only 2.9 per cent said they wanted to be a PS employee to “to serve the country”, while 21.3 per cent answered their motivation was “to get a stable income”.
Seoul, 9 April 2018
UNITED KINGDOM
Low morale hits Defence lab
A survey has revealed that staff at the UK Government’s Porton Down centre suffer from low morale and lack confidence in their leadership.
It comes as British scientists working at the world-renowned Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) have been at the centre of Britain’s response to the use of a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter.
According to an internal Public Service staff survey, just 26 per cent expressed confidence in the decisions made by DSTL’s senior managers, while 19 per cent agreed that change was managed well within the organisation.
The Opposition Labour Party said the survey — conducted at the end of 2017 — was evidence that on the watch of the Conservative Government the “morale of defence staff is falling as fast as their budgets”.
London, 8 April 2018
BOTSWANA
President praises PS
The President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi has praised his Public Servants, saying their dedication to professionalism and neutrality has given the country a competitive advantage in areas of integrity and ethical conduct.
In his address to the nation after being sworn in as President, Mr Masisi said the Public Service had also managed to remain apolitical — something that was a source of inspiration and hope for all.
“We pride ourselves on our untainted commitment to this ideal, which is a source of inspiration and hope to all of us,” Mr Masisi said.
He said the narrative and reality that Botswana is peaceful and stable should not be seen in isolation from the daily work to make it so.
“I therefore urge all of you to be vigilant in order to maintain the peace and security that this country has enjoyed for more than five decades,” Mr Masisi said.
Gaborone, 6 April 2018
BANGLADESH
PS quotas may be dropped
Reports circulating in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka suggest the Government is getting ready to scrap the controversial quota system for entry into the Public Service.
Students have attacked the system — which allocates a large number of places to descendants of freedom fighters in the 1971 war that detached the country from Pakistan — as unfair and outdated.
A leader of the reform movement, Jakir Hossain said Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina had given him an assurance that the quotas would be repealed.
However, other agitators said they would continue their protests until there was a specific declaration from the Prime Minister.
Dhaka, 12 April 2018
