DOWN TO WORK

NOW that the election mood and the celebratory hype are over, new civic leaders must get down to work and expend much of their energies on offering selfless service. Yes, the gruelling campaigns for the Local Government by-elections in Lusaka, Chilanga and other areas offered an opportunity for participating parties to sell their manifestos and ideas. Victorious officials should thus remain focused and actualise their ideas in good time so that they sustain the confidence vested into them by the voters. While the polls were generally marred by widespread apathy, Zambians must accept that the few that voted have reposed sufficient mandate in the office bearers to carry out their duties. Yes, the elections were held for the positions of mayor for Lusaka and council chairpersons in Chilanga, Chasefu, Chipangali, Kasenengwa, Lumezi, Lusangazi and Chifunabuli. Elsewhere, polls were held in Chachacha, Lwambazi, Kangwena, Kanongesha, Kanyama and Looma wards. Certainly, positions are not for prestige or self-aggrandisement but for leaders to present themselves with credibility, humility and respect as they discharge their civic duties satisfactorily. Some of the aspects that beg for attention include resource mobilisation and expending the resource prudently. Almost all councils in the country have been teetering on a knife edge because they have been unable to muster sufficient financial resources to meet the rising demand for services. A good number of them have accrued salary arrears and have been failing to meet many other financial obligations. Refuse collection, environmental inspections, development and planning as well as land management have been thrown into disarray. In short, service delivery in most councils has reached the lowest ebb. Worse still, morale among employees is extremely low because of non-payment of salaries and also because of lack of resources and proper facilities to carry out their duties effectively. This is the state of affairs which the new leaders along with workers must fully appreciate before they start planning afresh. Secondly, they must also appreciate that the task ahead is mammoth and demands total commitment, hard work and concerted efforts. It is also important for the new office bearers to look at residents in communities as equals and not as members of particular parties. Zambia has a multi-party political system; the system should therefore be viewed for what it is. But all people regardless of their political inclination should have equal access to civic facilities and services. At the same time, they must respect all the people and also appreciate the fact that the Patriotic Front (PF) is in charge of the government and has the responsibility of running the public affairs of the entire country. Respect for Government is paramount. Although civic leaders are sponsored by political parties, they are representatives of people in their respective communities; they are expected to exercise maximum neutrality and objectivity. Henceforth, they must get down to work and initiate a robust resource mobilisation programme. Resources are required to clear salary arrears and also improve service delivery. Secondly, civic leaders and their respective management teams should work towards facilitating a mind-set change among the workers. They should introduce the Performance Management System (PMS), which holds employees accountable for the actions. The beauty about PMS is that it promotes continuous employee development. Additionally, PMS enables tracking and monitoring employees, departments and the overall organisation – in this case the entire council. In short, mayors, council chairpersons and councillors as well as their management teams countrywide must rejuvenate local authorities now. They should be able to apply themselves fully through innovative ideas and not only apply straitjacket outcomes of full council meetings. They must get down to work.