Cynical employment trick by HH

Dear Editor I FIND it unacceptable that President Hakainde Hichilema last weekend took advantage of the Cholera crisis to advance his political cause by pausing for a picture opportunity to win accolades by way of offering jobs to part timers at the facility.

The whole point of going to the cholera centre was not about concern for the patients but the opportunity to use the disease for political purposes. This was a very cynical abuse of authority and at worst playing with people’s emotions, because the recruitment of part timers had already started and the rumours that the list was being doctored by Ministry of Health officials.

In essence, the President went to the cholera centre, not for the disease but for the pictures and publicity opportunity as well as to rectify what was emerging as a very serious scandal where Health officials were recruiting outside those who were already serving.

However, what I found most offensive is the fact that the President chose to visit at a time when infection and death rates were going down, when basically there was a scaling down of activities. There was therefore only one reason he visited - to give jobs.

I have nothing against giving jobs, but I have everything in personalising this activity to a political office at the expense of public funds.

There are certainly many volunteers at various levels of the Ministry of Health rendering invaluable service to the society and community in general.

These must also be given an opportunity to enter mainstream Government service, they should not be made to wait for a Presidential visit.

In my view, recruitment in Government must be a clear and well documented practice to ensure that a clear and well documented criteria is developed. It should not depend on the generosity or indeed caprice of an individual.

In as far as the Ministry of Health is concerned, the President could do well to seriously consider a shakeup to revamp the collapsed system which is serving very little purpose while costing the tax payer an arm and a leg literary.

This is a ministry that meets the people of Zambia at a point of need. The failures including the deaths occasioned by cholera and secret burials will consolidate with the deaths at cancer centres and those caused by shortage of drugs.

These will haunt the regime for a long time, possibly long after 2026 because those who have lost relatives are putting faces to their losses.

Zambians have long memories. They will remember that nothing was done at the worst of times when timely action would have ensured that hospitals had diabetes drugs, that the Lusaka Cancer Hospital had no equipment because authorities chose to starve the hospital of finance to shop for expensive irregularly acquired drugs in Egypt and elsewhere.

The chicken will come to roost one day. This is the nature of karma.