“If you engage in corruption, you are on your own”: Hichilema puts civil servants and MPs on notice President Hakainde Hichilema has told civil servants that clocking in and out no longer counts as work and warned MPs that every extra allowance is money that could keep a child in…

“If you engage in corruption, you are on your own”: Hichilema puts civil servants and MPs on notice

President Hakainde Hichilema has told civil servants that clocking in and out no longer counts as work and warned MPs that every extra allowance is money that could keep a child in school. He also repeated that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption. The President delivered the warnings as he opened the First Session of the 14th National Assembly in Lusaka on Friday.

“We reiterate our position that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption. None. None at all,” he said.

“As we have stated before, if you engage in corruption, you are on your own.”

Eight to five is not delivery

The President called an efficient, results-oriented public service a cornerstone of national development. He said it will be judged by what it produces, not by time spent at a desk.

“The value of the public service can no longer be measured by reporting at 8 hours and knocking off at 17 hours, without measurable deliverables and benefits to our people,” he said.

He went further from the floor. “That does not constitute work. It does not constitute delivery.”

He acknowledged that the approach makes some people uncomfortable, but insisted it must happen. He said hard and smart work has placed a high premium on service delivery.

Delivery units brought into line

Government created the Presidential Delivery Unit and the Public Private Dialogue Forum to improve the delivery of public services. The President said both will now be streamlined so that they help meet the Grow Zambia targets.

“After all, they are born out of public resources, so they must be accountable to the public,” Mr Hichilema said.

Parastatals and other quasi-government bodies will be held to the same standard. He said the aim is to create savings for investment rather than consumption.

More services will be added to ZamPortal and the Government Service Bus to make them easier and cheaper to reach. The President also promised fewer administrative barriers, more transparency and a lower cost of dealing with Government.

A word to the House on allowances

Some of the President’s sharpest words were for the MPs in front of him. He reminded them that they too are public officers, created and funded by the people.

“When we put pressure on the Speaker for more allowances, remember we could use those allowances to keep more kids in school,” he said.

“Maybe we are already comfortable ourselves. Let’s release resources to those who need them the most.”

CDF: more money, better use

The Head of State described the rise in the Constituency Development Fund from K1.6 million to K40 million per constituency as revolutionary. He also admitted that the fund is not always used well.

“All of us in this House must agree that we can do better in effective utilisation of this tool, and it has got no partisanship in it,” he said.

His written address committed Government to strengthening how the fund is used, so that it responds to local development needs. Protecting the CDF was one of the reasons Government gave for restoring excise duty on fuel this month, along with free education, school feeding and the Social Cash Transfer.

The same message is going out to councils. At the installation of Livingstone Mayor Bright Hanakamba, Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Gabriel Pollen urged local authorities to turn their revenue into better services through strict financial discipline and accountable spending.

“Local Government is an engine for development because of its proximity to communities. The Government has continued providing substantial financial support through the Constituency Development Fund,” Dr Pollen said.

He said a council’s ability to meet residents’ expectations depends on raising enough revenue and spending it on critical activities within its approved budget. He also called for Ward Development Committees so that residents have a greater say in decisions.

“They cry isms”

Departing from his text, the President took aim at people who claim discrimination once they are charged.

“When people get prosecuted, they cry isms. Whatever isms are convenient,” he said.

“Public resources belong to the public. Full stop. We must not quarrel about this issue.”

He said oversight institutions have had their autonomy restored and law-enforcement agencies have been strengthened, with progress made against corruption, economic crimes and financial misconduct. Technology, he added, is now helping to detect the abuse of public resources early.

He called on every citizen to join the fight. “Corruption undermines development, weakens public institutions and deprives our people of essential services,” he said.

The ACC at work

The Anti-Corruption Commission made an arrest the same week. ACC head of corporate communications Joseph Mwenya said a 25-year-old Lusaka taxi driver had been charged with one count of corrupt practices.

He is alleged to have sent K5,000 by mobile money to officers of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Nakonde. The commission says the money was an inducement to release 56 vulturine guineafowl the officers had intercepted at Nakonde Bus Station. The birds are valued at more than K200,000.

“The birds were being transported to Lusaka, and the suspect had no authority to import or possess them,” Mr Mwenya said.

Order in public spaces

The President linked accountability to the rule of law. He said negative cadreism has been curtailed and markets and bus stations reclaimed, making them safer, more orderly and open to all.

“No lawlessness shall be tolerated, regardless of political or other affiliation,” he said.

He also promised that legal aid, alternative dispute resolution and legal services closer to communities will make justice more timely and affordable, whatever a person’s income or location.

What comes next

Moving the vote of thanks, nominated MP Mubita Anakoka urged all MPs to study the speech closely so that they can respond to it from an informed position.

The House now takes up the President’s policy pronouncements. The streamlining of the delivery units, and any legislation needed to enforce results across the public service, will be the first measures to come before MPs.