Maravi

Reshuffles in agriculture ministry worry Scott

Reshuffles in agriculture ministry worry Scott
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sat 09 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front vice-president Dr Guy Scott has expressed concern over the constant reshuffles in the Ministry of Agriculture. In an interview yesterday, Dr Scott said it was not possible for a minister to achieve anything in one season.

He said it was clear that the country was going back to the days of former president Frederick Chiluba where he never kept a minister at the Ministry of Agriculture for more than one season.

Dr Scott, a former minister of agriculture, in the Chiluba administration, said it was not possible to put in place an agriculture policy if the government changes a minister every season because people need time to put in place a system that works.

"I was happy with (late president Levy) Mwanawasa's approach where he kept Mundia Sikatana. And now under (President) Rupiah Banda we have had three ministers in 14 months. Even if you split the ministry, the ministry under the crop side has had three ministers now we have (Peter) Daka. The point is not to have the ability but to have stability because you can't just bring up policies every year," he said.

He said he could not see what was working in President Banda's mind and it was like the wako ni wako system was working.

"Why change Dr Chituwo when he was doing a great job? If he was given more time, he could have come up with good change. You can't deprive a person of time and put in someone else. This is not the way to run the agriculture sector. You can't change the agriculture policy in one month or two months," he said.

Dr Scott said the solution to the problems with the fertiliser support programme and the food inputs support programme did not lie in changing the minister but getting specialisation in the ministry and genuine priorities.

He said the problems in the agriculture sector needed to be addressed with consistent policies.

"Even if Daka is not a cadre and just a minister, you can't achieve anything in one year because at this rate, he will be replaced in one year. We are going back to the Chiluba style of mismanagement of policy where civil servants just laugh at politicians," he said.

Dr Scott was the agriculture minister from 1991 to 1993. President Banda appointed Daka this week after he moved Dr Chituwo to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr Chituwo replaced former science and technology minister Gabriel Namulambe who was recently fired.

Labels: BRIAN CHITUWO, FSP, GUY SCOTT, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, PF

posted by MrK @ 2:34 PM