By Merlyn Mwanza
Major Ben Phiri has disagreed with what he views as Angela Cifire’s flawed position that appointments in government are heavily skewed towards Southern, Western and North Western provinces, arguing that President Hakainde Hichilema is working on correcting things from the seven years of Edgar Lungu’s misrule.
Speaking with Daily Revelation over what many view as tribal appointments into government key public positions that are heavily skewed towards Southern, Western and North western province despite President Hichilema having received significant votes even in areas where he lost, with Eastern Province producing a split vote (51 percent for president Edgar Lungu who hails from that region and 49 percent for President Hakainde Hichilema), former Health minister Cifire said appointments in government must be given in recognition that the 2021 general elections was a 10-province programme and not having a situation where the presidency is now being captured in terms “uyu wesu or uyu nguwezu.”
The Daily Revelation story quoting Cifire was posted in one of the whatsapp groups run by Casilla with a membership of over 400 plus people and is still being discussed in several social media platforms.
However, Maj Phiri disagreed with Cifire.
“I vehemently disagree with the recent statement attributed to the former health minister in the MMD government Angela Chifire in which she generally portrays President Hichilema’s appointments to various positions in government as being ethnically inclined and is specifically quoted as lamenting that people from Eastern province have been excluded from the governance matrix,” Maj Phiri stated. “That is both incorrect and seriously wrong in all conceivable dimensions. It is an incontestable fact that President Hichilema is perhaps the only other Head of State to flaunt a regionally balanced cabinet with a genuine and visible national complexion. HH’s cabinet has representation from all the ten provinces of Zambia feat that was an alien phenomenal in the PF regime especially under Lungu’s disastrous seven agonising years of gross misrule. Lest we forget, under Edgar Lungu’s tenure, virtually all top positions in government and parastatal institutions were to all practical intents and purposes, the exclusive preserve of two groupings from the northern and eastern axis of our country.”
Major Phiri stated that notwithstanding that he hails from Eastern Province, he could not concur with Cifire’s position because President Hichilema has been consistently toiling to “remedy the multiple ills and extensive destruction caused by Lungus mismanagement.”
“In the brief period that President Hakainde has been at the helm of the country”s administrative pyramid as the repository of executive powers, he has inter alia, reintroduced meal allowances in public universities rolled out the free education concept in practical terms countrywide, resolved the hitherto persistent load shedding conundrum and put a decisive end to all forms of ‘cadrerism’ which was an ignominious norm in Lungu’ s gocermemnt. HH was able to employ thousands of teachers and health personnel at one goal and to the chagrin of the PF, President Hichilema raised the sum of the constituency development fund (CDF) from a paltry albeit selectively PF disbursed K1.6m to a whopping K28 plus million per constituency!” stated Maj Phiri who is an assistant for general duties in the UPND secretary general’s office. “Therefore, contrary to the erroneous assertions made by my sister Angela, President Hichilema has among his key State House staff Easterners like Levy Ngoma, Joseph Lungu etc. I wish to urge Angela to try and be politically objective and rational and begin to acknowledge and appreciate President Hichilema’s efforts of embracing everybody on his non discriminatory development journey intended to permanently liberate Zambians from the catastrophic and unenviable destruction the country suffered under Edgar Lungu who will never bounce back to power in a thousand years.”
Former University of Zambia vice-chancellor Professor Luke Mumba in agreeing with Cifire stated that departing from the ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ motto was recipe for trouble.
“Good morning, the loud silence on Mrs Cifire’s observations is surprising. I thought she raises pertinent concerns which deserve comments from this forum. Is it because she has raised issues that many do not want to face head on? Is she raising a ‘hot potato’, too hot to handle?” asked Prof Mumba. “I appreciate that this forum is more about business and economics but business cannot thrive in an environment which is poisoned with divisions. Zambia has thrived on cohesion based on the motto of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ but also being sensitive to the numerous ethnic tribes in all the 10 provinces of the country. Any attempt to depart from this cohesion is a recipe for trouble. Meritocracy can still be observed while respecting our Motto.
The Prof argued that “it cannot be true that most deserving candidates in these recent appointments can only be found from the provinces mentioned by madam Cifire.”
“If her observations are true, the appointing authorities need to rethink the path they have taken. This is a path to self-destruction. Zambians are watching,” stated Prof Mumba. “Good morning. Am observing…dead silence! Reality check!”
Another blogger mentioned how they felt that the President has sealed the judiciary appointments via his nepotistic and tribal appointments.
“1. Minister of Justice – Mulambe Haimbe SC- Tonga, 2. Attorney general- Mulilo Kabesha-Lenje, 3. Solicitor general- Marshal Muchende nephew to President Hakainde Hichilema –Tonga, 4. Chief Justice- Mumba Mailila- Soli, 5. Constitutional court President- Prof Margaret Munalula-Lozi, 6. Constitutional Court Deputy President- Arnold Mweetwa Shilimi-Tonga, 7. Court of Appeal President – Mwiinde Siavwapa-Tonga, 8. Judicial Service Commission Chairperson- Mwikisa Mukande- Lozi, 9. Judicial Complaints Commission -Vincent Blackskin Malambo –Tonga. President Hichilema has also appointed his niece, Judge Maria Mapani Kawimbe as Constitutional Court Justice,” the blogger submitted. “Mrs. Maria Mapani Kawimbe enjoys (joins) her sibling that have benefited from the Uncle’s nepotistic appointments; Victor Ben Mapani, ZESCO Managing Director and new IDC CEO Perry Mapani.”
But another blogger going by the name “Silence is safer” argued that Zambian citizens were stratified by a number of dimensions, including: by gender as male and female; by age; by religion; by race; profession; by vocation; by economic status; by nationality; by party affiliation, and that Tribe is just one of the dimensions and certainly not the most important.
“Every job has a job description (list of duties) and job specification (list of qualifications). In appointing persons to any job, what’s important is ensure that the person with the best blend of qualifications and relevant experiences is selected. Simply put, the appointee must be competent. That’s the essence of meritocracy,” the blogger submitted. “Of course appointments of people are made by people. To err is human. Indeed, a few errors have been made; a few appointees in various portfolios in Cabinet, at PS level, in parastatals, in government agencies and in Zambian Embassies are not competent, as evidenced by failure meet the KPIs for their respective jobs. Stakeholders, including opposition politicians, have legitimate locus standi in the performance of their officials. Incompetence harms the nation.”
Socialist Party (SP) leader Dr Fred M’membe recently said that critics are asking if what they are seeing is equal to what they were promised, mentioning the various positions including that of President (Tonga), Vice-President (Bemba married to a Lozi), Speaker (Lozi), Chief Justice (Lenje), Acting President of the Constitutional Court (Lozi), Attorney General (Lenje), Solicitor General (Tonga), Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (Lozi), Chairman of the Judicial Complaints Commission (Tonga), Commissioner of Lands (Tonga), Chief Legal Advisor to the President (Lozi). Dr M’membe further stated that appointments to key ministries that can’t easily be done away with flowed in the same direction including Home Affairs (Tonga), Local Government (Tonga), Education (Tonga), Tourism (Tonga), Justice (Tonga), Foreign Affairs (Lenje), Health (Soli), Defence (Luvale), Infrastructure (Lozi), Finance (Lozi), Lands (Lunda), Governor of the Bank of Zambia (Tonga).
In the Defence Forces, Zambia Army Commander (Lozi), Zambia Air Force (Kaonde), ZNS Commandant (Luvale), Inspector General of Police (Kaonde), Director General of Intelligence (Lozi), Commissioner of Correctional Services (Tonga), Chief Immigration Officer (Lozi), FRA Board Chairman (Tonga).
At the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), chairperson (Lozi), vice-chairperson (Mambwe), and that the three other commissioners are Tonga, Lozi and Lunda.
