By PETER SICHALI
STATE agencies should probe the reported recruitment of civil servants for clandestine activities by the Socialist Party as this amounts to state capture, Inter-Africa Governance Network (AFRINET) has said
AFRINET has also accused the Socialist Party of copromising civil servants and which has been described as being tantamount to State capture. And AFRINET executive director, Maurice Malambo has called on the Public Service Commission to identify such politically inclined civil servants and weed them out of the public sector without delay.
In an interview, Mr Malambo said he had repeated credible reports that the party was mobilising and recruiting youngsters in schools and health facilities through civil servants.
He said, “AFRINET through its grassroots membership in the Northern circuit of the country largely in Luapula, Muchinga and Northern provinces is in receipt of repeated credible reports to the effect that the Socialist Party is mobilising itself and generating young voters in schools and health facilities largely through the teacher unions, the hardest hit being Shiwan’gandu and Mpika.”
Mr Malambo who said the conduct was tantamount to State capture, urged the law enforcement agencies to urgently probe the matter.
“This conduct is a representation of State capture in which a sector of the government department is compromised regards its mandate to advance an agenda of private individuals and such kind of politics are not only invasive to the stability and functionality of the civil service, but also the rights of the citizens who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of the none-interfered services from the government of the day,” he said.
Therefore, he added, as an organization, our clarion call is that the Public Service Commission, other relevant government authorities and the trade unions should engage in identifying such politically inclined civil servants and weed them out of the public sector forthwith. Mr Malambo has also advised all the civil servants across the country to desist from engaging in active politics as it is an abrogation of the general orders that regulate the civil service.
He said civil servants who wish to engage in active politics must first resign as they were required to be non-partisan.
Mr Malambo also advised political parties to resist the temptation of using unorthodox means of generating votes because the erosion of professionalism in the civil service may be permanent and weaken the service delivery system of government, thereby compromising development.
