STOP THE MADNESS
WHEN will politicking end in public service to allow professionals to do their work without fear of victimisation on unsubstantiated political grounds?
The reported dismissal of almost the entire staff under the National Designated Authority (NDA) is nothing short of a purge, that has continued unabated not only in the civil service but in quasi government institutions.
It is not plausible that all workers in an organisation with running contracts can be found wanting and all be dismissed at the same time.
The NDA, a project office under the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment has ceased operations after the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Douty Chibamba resolved not to renew the contracts of all staff members, with the exception of only three at a time the nation is facing a drought emergency situation.
Sources have revealed that operations of the office have been paralysed after almost the entire staff were fired on allegations that they were Patriotic Front (PF) cadres and loyalists.
“Dr Chibamba has sent to the streets almost the entire staff at NDA beginning with the office orderly, driver and ending with the boss, the National Coordinator.
While President Hakainde Hichilema is on record to maintain efficient civil servants, Dr. Chibamba has done the opposite, firing almost the entire staff at NDA who are not even political cadres,” the sources said.
“He did not even appraise these affected staff using the Government’s Annual Performance Appraisal and in his quick action, failed to even follow the proper procedure of surrendering some of the staff back to the Ministry of Finance and Planning where they were seconded from,” the sources said.
What makes sad reading is that there has been no explanation from the government to explain the dismissals.
According to sources, Dr Chibamba’s action were based on instructions from Mr Collins Nzovu, the Minister of Green Economy and Environment, who had created a narrative that there were big issues at NDA and that it was allegedly in a mess to gain State House and Cabinet support.
And to resolve this problem, the sources said, Mr Nzovu needed to get rid of almost all the staff members, and recruit new ones and that to advance the narrative, the minister and his Permanent Secretary had been championing the allegations that the entire staff at NDA, including supporting staff were PF loyalists who were siphoning the money to support the former ruling party.
We agree with Mr Antonio Mwanza, the Socialist Party deputy secretary general that the situation is unprecedented, very suspicious and extremely worrying.
He said the government need to tell the nation what the officers did which has warranted the termination of their contracts.
The dismissals at the NDA, if anything, are continuation of the continued purge of workers whose only crime has been to work under the PF.
Already, Inspector General of Police Graphael Musamba has announced the purging of police officers recruited during the period the PF was in government ostensibly to pave way for the recruitment of those who would be affiliated and be loyal to the UPND government.
We are not surprised that Musamba has come under fire for having embarked on a nihilistic programme of purging police officers who were recruited during the PF tenure whom he has described as junkies.
Mr Harry Kalaba, the leader of the Citizens First is right to demand that President Hakainde Hichilema should immediately stop the purging of the police officers, including other civil servants and live to his promise of uniting the country by avoiding dismissals and retirement of citizens on ethnic grounds.
There are already hundreds of suffered persecution by being dumped at Cabinet Office and placed in holding positions because they were accused of being PF loyalists.
The new dawn administration is not helping the nation to heal and develop by continuing on this destructive trajectory that has seen professional staff being dismissed on ethnic grounds.
The madness must stop now.