Sat, 25 Feb 2017 10:46:32 +0000
BY OSCAR MALIPENGA
VICE President Inonge Wina has accused leader of the opposition in Parliament and United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament for Monze Central Jack Mwiimbu of trying to divide the people of Zambia.
And Mrs Wina told Parliament that the Patriotic Front (PF) government was not discriminatory and would never take any discriminatory measures against any civil servant based on colour, tribe or sex.
Mrs Wina said this during the 45-minutes Vice President’s Question Time in response to a question by Mr Mwiimbu.
Mr Mwiimbu wanted to find out from the Vice President if it was the Patriotic Front (PF) government’s policy to punish civil servants by virtue of their political affiliation and where they hail from.
“Your honour, of late the nation has experienced unprecedented labour and tribal
xenophobia in the civil service where a number of civil servants who are perceived to be supporters of the UPND and who hail from North Western, Western, Southern and Central provinces have been dismissed from the civil service and other parastatal institutions in national interest.
“Your honour, is it your policy to punish people by virtue of their political affiliation, if any, and where they hail from and what measures are you going to take against those who are perpetrating this evil vice,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
But in her response, the Vice President reminded Members of Parliament that President Lungu had on various occasions expressed the fact that his Government was not discriminatory.
“Mr Speaker, the President of this country, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has on various occasions expressed the fact that this Government is not discriminatory and will not take any discriminatory measures against any Zambians based on colour, tribe or sex,” Mrs Wina said.
She explained that the civil service had its own regulations and if there were any civil servants that had been transferred, disciplined or retired then the civil service regulations must have been followed.
“There are certain regulations that have been followed, so the issues of civil servants hailing from certain regions to be targeted for retirement I do not think this carries water because as I have said the civil service have its own way of handling the conduct, retirement, benefits and all the issues that relate to the civil servants employment.
“So the honourbale member (Mwiimbu) should realize that bringing up question like this or issues like this in Parliament is merely aimed at dividing the people of Zambia,” Mrs Wina said.
