Secretary to Cabinet Press Briefing highly Irregular
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Monday, 10th June 2024
This is a follow up article to my earlier article titled; “Civil Service in its Current Form is in Peril”.
Following the Press Conference held by President Hakainde Hichilema in which he raised matters regarding national unity, rule of law, corruption and responses to the disaster and food insecurity that was partly caused by drought, he directed that the Secretary to Cabinet reduces his remarks and utterances to actionable policies, programs, measures and projects to respond to his concerns.
To this effect, the Secretary to Cabinet, Mr. Patrick Kangwa proceeded to effect some of the decisions and policy pronouncements as directed by the President.
IRREGULAR PRESS CONFERENCE
Mr. Kangwa proceeded to hold his own press conference to respond and announce actions taken.
He pronounced that all recruitments, transfers, promotions and dismissals must not not be based on tribaslim or regionalism but must reflect the national character of the country.
Mr. Kangwa also announced new austerity measures regarding travel and holding of workshops outside public facilities and called for prudence in the application of public resources.
He directed the immediate installation of alternative energy sources to supplement ZESCO supply for public buildings as the loadshedding will be experienced for sometime and required that public service delivery and work of public service workers were not disrupted.
He also directed civil servants to apportion their own land to grow their own food. “Spare a hectare and plant some maize” he said.
He also encouraged public service workers to set up solar systems at their private homes.
He also banned civil servants from driving government vehicles.
Now, this approach is totally wrong and misunderstands pronouncements made by an already bewildered and bemused President, a President that appears to know very little about civil service regulations and the operations of the public sector, in general.
PROCEDURE IMPROPRIETY
The action by the Secretary to Cabinet is riddled with procedural impropriety.
He is Chief Government advisor to the President on the Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, conveys and implements Cabinet decisions through a Memorandum or Cabinet Circular.
He cannot make those decisions.
What was expected of the Secretary to Cabinet was to prepare and process a Cabinet Memorandum (Cab Memo) to seek counsel and approval of Cabinet, the pronouncements, remarks and utterance made by the President and turn them into official policies.
This is because some pronouncements have legal, administrative and policy implications.
For example, the pronouncement on austerity measures requires Ministry of Finance which runs the Budget to consider parts and travels that must be exempted.
The ban and cancellation of GRZ competence certificates for senior servants which is aimed to prohibit them from driving and save costs required that the Ministry of Transport and Communication handles such a matter.
The Order for civil servants to grow their own food and erect their own solar units at their own homes, is merely rhetoric and advisory as implementation of such a programme may require government support in the form of loans, land and solar equipment.
At the moment the civil servants can barely afford their lives and survive, it’s a hand-to-mouth scenario because of the meagre salaries hit hard by inflation and the high cost of living.
CONCLUSION
Therefore the pronouncements made by Mr. Kangwa violate procedures, may lack legality and may go to interfere with conditions of service provided for civil servants.
Further, the wanton abuse of transfers and recruitment processes that has resulted in massive victimisation of civil servants and the hire of a tribal cabal to run the civil service, have occurred right under the nose of Mr. Kangwa.
Therefore the rhetoric on national unity by both President Hichilema and Mr. Kangwa are a clear mockery to the national values and principles that must be abided by and promoted as enshrined in Article 8 and 9 of the Republican Constitution.
For these pronounced policy actions to enjoy legality and legitimacy, Mr. Kangwa is encouraged to process and seek Cabinet approval.