THE SPEECH THAT WAS SPEECHLESS
By Miles B. Sampa, MP (13.11.2022)
It’s a clear cut sabotage for the Minister’s speech to be a wrong one in front of the President and the huge audience that included diplomats and executives in the health industry.
Clearly something is not adding up given that speeches for ministers are prepared by senior civil servants at director level. Then the PS has to approve it before the Minister can read it. As if the speech mishap was not embarrassing enough, it turned out the flag on the Presidential table was hoisted upside down. What a coincidence.
Easy to deduce that Hon Masebo is being fought or arm twisted at the Ministry either for her past deeds or lack of. In theory, she would have to give in and contract or pay whoever is looking to supply drugs to the Ministry or build whatever seems to have annoyed some within or outside the Ministry.
That’s how powerful our civil servants have become time immemorial. They have seen Ministers come and ago. You mess them up , they mess you more. They know the Minister has no powers to fire them. Reminds me of the Council. Most Town Clerks like one I had were coerced by some of my then seniors to frustrate my office duties.
The question is who is coercing the Health Ministry civil servants to frustrate and embarrass the Minister 🤔. Only this time their target also embarrassed the appointing authority that was present.
If I was the Minister and find myself in that situation, I would have just spoken off cuff. Thank the President and the people for attending and then one line on the importance of the occasion. After all she was not the key note speaker.
The Minister and other Ministers are well advised to spend time revising and understanding contents of their speeches atleast a day before the event. This is so important that Zambia 🇿🇲 is never again embarrassed to the international community with such occurrences. Our Ministers need to pull up their socks and be competent to address us on any topic without having to rely 100% on a ‘ copy and paste’ written speech.
MBS13.11.2022
