BUENOS AIRES (August 3): Brazil has taken over custody of the Argentine embassy in Caracas after Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro ordered staff to leave and cut off power to the building.
Argentina is among seven Latin American countries whose diplomatic staff were asked to leave Venezuela after their Governments signed a joint statement asking for a complete review of the Venezuelan election results, which Mr Maduro (pictured) claimed to have won, but which has been widely disputed.
Brazil later said it had been given assurances that the integrity of the Embassy would be respected and six Venezuelan opposition figures who sought protection there would not be removed.
Argentine Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino called for countries "to collaborate with diplomatic efforts and the protection of asylum seekers," during an emergency meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States in Washington.
While hailing diplomatic ties with Brazil, Argentine President, Javier Milei said he had "no doubt that we will soon reopen our Embassy in a free and democratic Venezuela".
Venezuela has plunged into political crisis since authorities announced Mr Maduro was the narrow victor of the recent election. The opposition has cried foul, claiming it had evidence its candidate had won by a comfortable margin.
Numerous nations, including Brazil and the United States, as well as the European Union, have demanded Venezuelan authorities release detailed voting data, with the White House warning that the international community's patience was running out.
As well as Argentina, diplomats from Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay have been ordered to leave Venezuela, which also ordered the withdrawal of its representatives from those countries.
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Civil Service quota protests bring down PM
DHAKA (August 5): What began as street protests over a quota system for the Bangladesh Civil Service has resulted in the fall of the country’s Prime Minister, the dissolution of Parliament, hundreds of deaths and an interim Government headed by an 84-year-old Nobel Laureate.
Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, initially to India, and in an address to the nation, Army Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman said an interim Government would be formed headed by 2006 Peace Prize recipient, Muhammad Yunus.
The ousting of Ms Hasina (76), Bangladesh’s longest-serving leader, followed weeks of rioting as the protest over Civil Service quotas developed into a mass movement against what critics said was her increasingly autocratic rule.
Once hailed for fighting for Bangladesh’s democracy, Ms Hasina has more recently been accused of vote-rigging, arresting opposition politicians, stifling press freedom and the forced disappearance of hundreds of dissidents, straining relations with the United States and other Western nations.
In January, she won a fourth straight term in an election boycotted by her main opponents and which the US said was not free or fair.
The allocation of Government jobs has long been a sensitive issue in Bangladesh, where authorities have struggled to tame inflation amid high poverty and a youth unemployment rate of almost one third.
Young people consider Government jobs to be a guaranteed path to a comfortable future — a path that could be blocked by the quota system Ms Hasina sought to reintroduce.
The previous system, which reserved 30 per cent of Civil Service jobs for the descendants of those who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan, was in place until 2018 when it was scrapped after violent demonstrations.
A Bangladeshi Court revived the quotas in June, setting off the latest protests.
The Supreme Court cut the quota down to five per cent, which calmed the streets for a few days, but protesters gathered again, demanding justice for those who had been killed earlier.
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Corrupt officers ‘damaging bureaucracy’
KUALA LUMPUR (August 5): President of Transparency International – Malaysia, Muhammad Mohan says he is “stunned” by the revelation of gift-giving practices done with impunity within the nation’s Civil Service.
Dr Mohan said lavish events and gifts regularly organised for high-ranking officials was impacting the morale and work performances of ordinary Civil Servants.
His words were echoed by President of Malaysian Corruption Watch, Jais Abdul Karim who said these practices not only created a negative perception, but could also damage the integrity of the Civil Service generally.
He called for a fair and ethical culture that rewarded high-performing officials, with a ‘no gift policy’ upheld throughout the bureaucracy.
"Compliance with this policy is not only important to prevent corruption, but also to maintain a culture of integrity and transparency. We believe that compliance will help to create for a more clean and professional work environment," Mr Jais said.
Chair of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission, Ismail Bakar said the practice of giving gifts, organising parties, and sponsoring Civil Service programs posed a risk of fostering a culture of bribery if left unchecked.
Meanwhile, Dr Mohan said the fact the practice persisted was surprising as there was already a policy in place against it. However, this was ignored by officials and no action was taken against those who engaged in it.
"This is clearly a non-compliance issue and failure in governance. The Chief Secretary to the Government should immediately find out why such policies exist and why Civil Servants or the heads of Departments are not following it," Dr Mohan said.
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UK pensions-pay trade-off advocated
LONDON (August 1): The United Kingdom’s Institute for Government (IFG) has called on Civil Servants to have the choice of higher take-home pay at the expense of less-generous pension contributions.
That proposal is part of a 20-point plan presented to Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer by the Whitehall-focused think tank.
The IFG said the aim was to address problems with the Civil Service that have dogged Sir Keir’s predecessors.
The Institute also proposes new measures to put the brakes on Departmental churn, such as minimum-service requirements that would give managers greater discretion over when staff can apply for roles in other Departments.
It says Departments could potentially offset some recruitment difficulties if they were able to give staff the chance to have higher take-home pay at the expense of less-generous pension contributions.
Earlier this year, the IFG's annual Whitehall Monitor snapshot of the state of the Civil Service reported that 11.9 per cent of staff either moved between Departments or left the Civil Service altogether in 2022-23.
Although the figure is lower than the 13.6 per cent churn recorded in 2021-22, the IFG said it was the second-highest rate since at least 2010-11.
The IFG is also calling on the Prime Minister to scrap the Civil Service's success profiles system for assessing job candidates.
It says that although the framework is well intentioned, it is confusing for external candidates but allows those in the know to tailor their answers to ensure they tick all of the right boxes to maximise their chances of securing the job they want.
The IFG wants that system to be replaced with a more adaptable framework of guidance for Departments to follow, but one that does not jeopardise the principle of recruitment on merit.
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Second chance for overweight exam candidate
NEW DELHI (August 2): Almost a decade after Rakshit Shivam Prakash passed India’s Civil Services examination only to be declared "temporarily unfit" to be a bureaucrat because of his obesity, the Supreme Court ruled that he should be granted a new medical examination.
The court directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to conduct a fresh physical fitness test for Mr Prakash, who ranked 93 in the 2014 Civil Service examination, but lost out due to an "unacceptable" Body Mass Index (BMI).
At the time his BMI was 31.75, higher than the prescribed standard of 30. He was declared "temporarily unfit" and consequently, denied employment. He could not take part in the second medical test, scheduled on July 14, 2015.Article 142 of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to pass "any decree or order necessary for doing complete justice in any case or matter pending before it".
Exercising this power the court, comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Pankaj Mithal, stated: "Having considered the facts and circumstances of the case, we consider it appropriate to grant a limited relief.”
It ordered the UPSC to reschedule the 2015 medical test “which the petitioner unfortunately missed".
However, it rejected a plea by Mr Prakash’s legal team that he be granted all consequential benefits with other similarly-placed candidates of the 2014 test as if he had been accepted into the Civil Service.
The court ruled that if Mr Prakash cleared the
medical test, “his services shall commence from the date of any appointment
made”.
It stated that the case was exceptional and should not be treated as a precedent.
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‘Chatbot ruling’ shocks Dutch judiciary
THE HAGUE (August 3): The news that a judge had put questions to ChatGPT to help in a legal dispute before his court has sent shockwaves through the judiciary in the Netherlands.
The District Judge in Gelderland later reproduced part of the artificial intelligence chatbot's answer in his judgement on a dispute between two home-owners.
It is believed to be the first time in the history of the Dutch judiciary that AI chatbots have been used to help reach a verdict.
AI expert, Henk van Ess said he was dismayed. “I hope this incident is a special case. It is unacceptable for a District Judge to base compensation partly on a voice computer," Mr van Ess said.
The judge used ChatGPT to determine the efficiency of solar panels in the dispute. One party was adding a floor to his house, which caused the neighbour to worry about whether his solar panels would lose efficiency because the house would overshadow them.
The Gelderland judge handed down a ruling in which he used the chatbot to determine the average lifespan of solar panels.
The judge also apparently used ChatGPT to determine the current average price per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Mr Van Ess said the ruling was a disaster, as the question of the lifespan of solar panels was a complicated issue.
"You can't just state a lifespan of X based on ChatGPT. I am appalled by so much ignorance and hope that other judges do not secretly use the same methodology," Mr Van Ess said
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Immigrant health care limits opposed
HELSINKI (August 3): State Agencies, municipal authorities and unions have lined up in opposition to the Finnish Government’s plan to restrict the right of undocumented immigrants to health care.
The Government of Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo is intent on passing the legislation that would limit the immigrants’ access to health care, except for life-threatening emergencies.
Exceptions would also be made for children and others in a particularly vulnerable position.
The proposal would effectively overturn a decision of the former Government to expand the health care of undocumented immigrants to necessary care, such as the treatment of chronic diseases.
Up to 6,000 people are estimated to be affected by the proposal.
Among the authorities, institutes and organisations opposing the proposal are the City of Helsinki, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the Finnish Medical Association, specialist health care provider HUS, and the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland (TEHY).
The THL, for example, warned that the Bill could result in serious and possibly fatal medical complications, thus infringing on the constitutional right to life and indispensable subsistence and care.
It also rebutted the justification as incredible and unacceptable, adding that the proposal could lead to a rise in total health care costs because it is typically more affordable to treat conditions before they have deteriorated to a degree that merits urgent care.
In a statement, the City of Helsinki said its social and health care staff had neither the skills nor training to determine whether a patient was in the country legally, especially if the patient was in the middle of an appeals process.
The TEHY, Finnish Medical Association and the Finnish Red Cross all pointed to the ethical obligations of health care professionals.
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German State orders fax fade-out
BERLIN (August 2): The German state of Bavaria is finally joining the digital age by phasing out fax machines from its Public Service.
After announcing faxes would go in December, Minister for Digital Affairs, Fabian Mehring said the number of machines still in use had fallen from 3766 to 1869.
“Fax machines are a relic of the digital Stone Age and do not fit with a modern state in the artificial intelligence era,” Mr Mehring said.
The Ministry clarified that the fax ban would not affect private individuals and companies who could continue to fax documents to the authorities, which would then reprocess them digitally.
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Japan digitising national credentials
TOKYO (August 2): Japan’s Digital Minister plans to begin digitising the application processes for national qualifications.
Taro Kono said care workers, social workers, mental health workers and certified psychologists will be the first to obtain digital qualification certificates online.
“We plan to gradually expand the range of qualifications and procedures covered,” Mr Kono said
Under the current system, qualification holders must obtain documents such as a resident certificate by taking evidence of their credentials to Government offices. The new procedure will eliminate the need for submitting physical documents.
The Government plans to digitise a total of 84 national qualifications, including those for medical doctors, by fiscal 2025.
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Departments mobilised with new vehicles
ACCRA (August 5): Three Ghanaian Civil Service Departments have received pick-up vehicles under a program to improve their service delivery.
The Management Service Department, Public Records and Archives Administration, and the Procurement and Supply Chain Management Department were the recipients.
Civil Service head, Evans Aggrey-Darkoh said the new vehicles would significantly enhance the Departments’ ability to conduct timely inspections and field monitoring.
Dr Aggrey-Darkoh was assured by the Department heads that they would take good care of the vehicles and implement a vigorous maintenance program to maximise their durability and effectiveness.
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