CHONGWE NUISANCE

NOT again. The madness that is being perpetrat ed in Chongwe must be stopped immediately to ensure that civil servants work in peace.

They should never be objects of any form of witch-hunt.

They must be left to work in peace so that the country gains from their expertise. They should not be frustrated by misguided political cadres.

The UPND cadres in Chongwe are reportedly on the warpath against the District Administrative Officer (DAO), Father Lawrence Chibwe.

They have accused him of frustrating the de velopment programmes of the new dawn administration.

Apparently, the seed was planted by the Chongwe Member of Parliament, Ms Sylvia Masebo during Labour Day observed last Sunday.

Ms Masebo, who is also Minister of Health de scribed the Labour Day celebrations as a disaster

With this revelation, the party officials have blamed the DAO for what they describe as a poorly organised public event and have given him up to tomorrow to vacate the office.

In a post on one of the UPND WhatsApp groups, the Chongwe media team reported that they were not happy with the conduct of the DAO and want him out at all cost.

UPND District youth chairman, Robert Mubanga alleged that the DAO who was handpicked by the former district commissioner was clearly work ing against the government of the day and was on a mission to make its programmes fail.

He claimed that the DAO had instituted a team which was helping him achieve his agenda. He therefore warned that the UPND would not take kindly to such manoeuvres.

One wonders how a civil servant can set up a unit within the civil service for the sole purpose of frustrating government efforts.

The nation must not buy into such unfounded allegations which if not stopped could end up be ing replicated in other parts of the country, and eventually become the norm.

We are of the view that politics must not be taken into the civil service where officers will not be free to work with a free conscience for fear of annoying the powerful cadres.

President Hakainde Hichilema has already overhauled the civil service with a new crop of Permanent Secretaries said to be aligned to his philosophy.

But even then, it would not make sense to start accusing junior civil servants of frustrating gov ernment development programmes when they do not have the means to do so.

What is clear from the confusion in Chongwe is that the DAO, Father Chibwe is viewed as a remnant of the former ruling Patriotic Front, what with their claims that he was handpicked by the former District Commissioner.

Mr Mubanga claims that the decision to have the DAO removed was in the best interest of the public and government operations.

What would be in the best interest of the pub lic and the government is for Mr Mubanga’s team to stop politicking and work with all the civil ser vants in the district not blaming individuals for the collective failures.

Let the Chongwe nuisance stop.