SACCORD BACKS MOVE TO RETIRE CIVIL SERVANTS FRUSTRATING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
By Elesani Phiri
The Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes –SACCORD- has backed government’s plan to retire in national interest public servants who frustrate national development.
SACCORD Executive Director Arthur Muyunda says public workers have a responsibility to implement programmes based on the manifesto of the party in power and should remain non-partisan while supporting the implementation of government programmes aimed at delivering development to citizens.
Mr. Muyunda says civil servants who deliberately undermine government programmes risk contributing to national failure and should either improve their performance or step aside for technocrats capable of implementing the government’s agenda.
He has told Phoenix News that supporting government programmes should not be equated to turning civil servants into political cadres, as technocrats can support a government’s development vision without being members of the ruling party.
Mr. Muyunda has also defended calls for performance-based assessments in the civil service, saying government has a responsibility to ensure that public workers contribute effectively to national development.
Recently, Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Nicholas Phiri said government will retire in national interest civil servants who frustrate government efforts in bettering the nation.
PHOENIX NEWS
Such a move can easily be used to victimise innocent people. What criteria are you going to use to determine who is frustrating national development? Who will be identifying the saboteurs?
This is treading on dangerous grounds. It was bad during PF and it will be equally bad under the UPND government.