CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE __________________________________________________________________________ clarity in job descriptions; ignorance of the reforms by technical sector organisations and the public; and politicisation of the public service. 239. The CRM noted a recurring criticism from stakeholders during meetings. This was the politicisation of the public service. This supported the observations made by the focus groups to the effect that interpersonal relations in the service are governed by the patronage caused by political affiliation and nepotism. Consequently, competent officers are not promoted, while those appointed are often not competent. Politicisation of the service will lead to low capacity and performance and to the demotivation of numerous workers and staff who become frustrated and disappointed to discover that experience, integrity, hard work and merit no longer count for promotion in a sector that is so crucial for economic and social development. 240. The weakness of the evaluation, promotion and disciplinary process also came up during meetings. This problem was attributed largely to the politicisation of the public service. The CRM also noted that Benin’s public service is ageing. Several speakers at meetings thought that the austerity measures – adopted for public service recruitment following the implementation of the SAP of the 1990s – did not encourage new recruitment. Some ministries have not done any recruiting since 1986. The participants also expressed their disappointment with the quota system of recruitment because it promotes mediocrity in the public service. 241. The stakeholders mentioned the lack of transparency in the public service. Public officials always claim confidentiality to justify why they do not release relevant and reliable information. In the name of secrecy, officials withhold a lot of information. The lack of information hinders the smooth operation of the state machinery, widens the gap between the public service and consumers, and places the legitimacy of public services in doubt. 242. Another weakness in the public service, mentioned during meetings, was poor and disparate salaries. In all the regions visited, participants agreed that salary increases would improve living conditions and help fight corruption. Corruption, in the opinion of several observers, is one of the most serious vices plaguing the public service. 243. The participants stressed the inefficiency of Benin’s public service and confirmed consumers’ dissatisfaction with the quality of services rendered. This confirms the observation made in the preliminary study, where 58.22% of people interviewed said they were not satisfied with the reception and the quality of the services given in government institutions. It must also be noted that the problem of capacity is caused, in part, by the ‘brain drain’ affecting certain key sectors like health. 101