Spoilers doomed

AS the Government realigns financial oversight functions, public service workers must cooperate and ensure prudent management of public resources. The Government has amended the Public Financial Management Act and also upgraded the office of Controller of Audit to Permanent Secretary level to curb financial mismanagement. Spoilers are doomed! Public workers at all levels must adhere to the provisions of the revised Act as the Government moves to protect public funds. It is evident that the recently introduced measures are yielding positive results as evidenced from the disciplinary action meted out against accounting and other members of staff in Government, who were cited to have mishandled public resources. Erring accounting employees at the Ministry of General Education have received the boot including those from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry. The whip was extended to the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare. It appears though that the financial impropriety was happening in many other ministries, provinces and spending agencies. Soon, the law will catch up with more officers that went on a wanton looting of public resources. No one should be spared in the cleansing of the public service. The civil service is the ‘engine room’ of Government operations and requires first-rate supervision and efficiency. It is criminal and counterproductive for any public officer to engage in theft of public funds which should otherwise be expended on development of the nation. Controlling officers who include Permanent Secretaries should scrutinise all payments while the office of the Auditor General should upscale operations. The Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) and many other Government agencies must seal all possible loopholes through which malpractices could be channelled. Law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police Service should work extra hard to detect, arrest and prosecute public service workers involved in the theft of Government funds. It will be difficult for the Government to realise the set macroeconomic objectives if the public service remains contaminated. The focus for public workers including those at policy-making level is to ensure that Zambia’s development agenda succeeds. Zambia has a mammoth task of ensuring prudent implementation of the 2019 National Budget and the efficient execution of the Economic Growth Stabilisation Programme. The 2019-21 Mid-Term Expenditure Framework is another important national document, which requires religious attention. Therefore, in implementing many important programmes, Government requires to have a dedicated cadre of professionals in the civil service. Zambia cannot afford to have ‘spoilers’ in the system at the time there are preparations for engagements with multilateral institutions. The Government has lined up engagements with the International Monetary Funds (IMF) on the possible support programme. On that account, all public workers must adhere to the provisions of the law and civil service regulations. There is no room for incompetent and dishonest employees. All workers must embrace values such as honesty, integrity, hard work, team spirit and professionalism. The work ethic must be up to the scratch. On a larger scale, the general populace must not unfairly cast negative aspersions on the Government; blanket condemnation is grossly unfair. Zambians must exude goodwill and remain patriotic as the country continues on the growth path. They should only engage in constructive criticism. Spoilers are therefore doomed.