By Isaac Zulu
Major Ben Phiri has observed that the delay to replace permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants is beginning to negatively impact on the aggregate performance of the government.
In a statement availed to Daily Revelation, Maj Phiri, who is former Luapula Province permanent secretary, said the new government has placed emphasis on revamping the productive sector in a practical way.
“The New Dawn government is certainly on course in the area of transforming our country from being overly consumption based to one that will place emphasis on revamping the productive sector in a practical way,” Maj Phiri stated.
He was, however, quick to state that the delay to appoint new permanent secretaries could be attributed to the fact that the UPND government is cognisant of the fact that some PF appointees might sabotage the implementation of the new government’s policies.
“That notwithstanding, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the continued delay in replacing senior civil servants particularly those at permanent secretary, deputy permanent secretaries and director levels, is beginning to negatively impact on the aggregate performance of our government,” he stated. “This can largely be attributed to the inevitable fact that PF appointees across the board are not expected to support programs initiated by the UPND led government. Their (PF’s) appointees major function is understandably to frustrate and sabotage the implementation of the most if not all government policies and this alone makes it absolutely necessary to replace these permanent secretaries speedily so that the entire civil service machinery can begin to function in a more responsive manner than what is currently obtaining.”
Maj Phiri continued.
“The dismissal of Dr Simon Kamwendo Miti was long overdue as his loyalty to President Hakainde Hichilema was always questionable. The present arrangement where the policy makers are loyal UPND members while the implementers of the same policies are Paya Farmer appointees is logically neither tenable nor sustainable for obvious reasons the most prominent being the latter’s inherent desire to shoot down whatever the New Dawn government may contemplate irrespective of the predictable and foreseeable benefits that such policies mat portend for the Zambian citizens.”
