Alhaji Umar Abdul Kadir, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Chief Imam, has called on public servants to develop the spirit of volunteerism at their workplaces to increase productivity towards accelerated national development. He noted that: “some workers in government institutions refuse to voluntarily engage in extra activities that could help to improve the image of their institutions. “They want to be paid for any extra service they render.” The Chief Imam was addressing a section of Muslims to mark this year’s May Day celebration at the central mosque in Sunyani. Alhaji Kadir expressed regret about the level of conflict of interest, selfishness, corruption and lack of commitment among workers, which he said were major factors hindering the progress of public institutions. He deplored the negative practice by some workers who engaged in their private businesses during working hours, absented themselves from work without any tangible reasons or slept during working hours, saying they had the potential to decrease productivity. Alhaji Kadir noted with regret the alarming rate of haughtiness, indiscipline and other retrogressive attitudes that employees exhibited towards their institutional heads and called for a change so they could contribute immensely towards national socio-economic development. “The future of the country depends on public servants and there is the need for the government to pay particular attention to them and their needs,” the Chief Imam stated. Alhaji Kadir called for effective supervision in public departments to ensure that employees performed satisfactorily and appealed to the government to support and motivate them through the provision of incentives and awards to boost their morale. Source: GNA