Maravi

Cadres and government jobs

Cadres and government jobs
By The Post
Wed 14 Mar. 2012, 12:00 CAT

THERE is increasing discourse on the appointment of cadres of the ruling party to civil service or public sector jobs. The general feeling seems to be that cadres of the ruling party should not be appointed to such jobs at all. But what are the consequences of taking such an extreme position towards political cadres in general? Why is there general hatred towards political cadres and politicians in general? Are we saying politicians and political cadres are not important to the governance of our country and as such we should do away with them?

We are of the view that it is not right for us as a nation to have such a negative view and generalised hatred for people in politics, for those who toil and sacrifice everything to make the political changes we desire possible. A political cadre sacrifices a lot and should not be made to count for nothing at the end of the day.

Those who have struggled for something, for anything know what we are talking about, can feel what we are talking about. And moreover, who is a cadre? In simple English, a cadre is said to be a member of a small group of people who are specially chosen and trained for a particular purpose; a member of this kind of group.

Of course, the word cadre seems to mean something different to our people today. It is associated with political hooligans, thugs paid to harass people and do all sorts of evil things in the name of their party and those who lead it. It is associated with those characters that go around markets harassing, beating people and forcing them to support their party.

But being a political cadre is more than that; it's something very noble. It is therefore important that a lot of attention is paid by our political parties to the development of cadres. But what kind of cadre do we need or not need? Partly, what is causing this dislike or resentment of cadres is the decline in political morality, ethics and values.

This has caused considerable strain on the moral standing of politicians and political cadres. We need to have political cadres who conduct themselves in a decent manner. We need cadres who are grounded in the theory and practice of democracy and can analyse situations on the basis of them being democrats first and not on the basis of their deployment.

We need political cadres who are selfless and are not taking or influencing decisions based on their own interests, and who are willing and are able to subordinate their interests to those of the people. We need cadres who understand the broader national and international situation and understand the significance, relevance of their role in our multi-party politics.

We need cadres who view accountability as an important duty of their work. Our cadres must be rooted and grounded in society, and understand what their role in transforming our society is. We need cadres who are rooted in the masses, found where our people are, and who are also active in social movements.

Cadres must be ready to influence people, communities and structures. We need cadres who are gender activists and who fight against all forms of oppression. We need cadres who respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. Given all this, all our political parties need to invest in cadre development.

We say this because we have witnessed absence of political education and cadre development programmes in all our political parties. If we do this, the prestige of our cadres will increase and they will be more liked and trusted by our people.

Asking for the total exclusion of political cadres from government and state jobs may be asking too much in our circumstances. Suggesting that anyone who is a political cadre should not be employed by the civil service or the public sector in general is actually unconstitutional and a form of discrimination on the basis of one's political affiliation.

Why should one be discriminated for a public job or service on account of their political affiliation? There is no law in this country that encourages or condones the discrimination of those who are politically active. What should matter is not one's political affiliation or activism but merit. The question should be whether or not they are the most competent, the most experienced or qualified for the job.

Equally, employing people in the civil service or public sector purely on the basis of their political affiliation, on the basis of them being cadres of the ruling party is wrong and may be violating the Constitution if more competent people are sidelined or excluded in their preference.

What we should not lose sight of is the fact that every competent Zambian has the right to take up any job in our civil or public service, unless there are factors which, by law, exclude them. This means that political cadres with the necessary qualifications and experience should not be discriminated against when it comes to employment in the public sector.

What is wrong is employing political cadres who do not have the competence, experience and qualifications required by the job other than that they are members of the ruling party.

We must, therefore, purposefully train tens of thousands of cadres and hundreds of first-rate mass leaders. They must be cadres and leaders versed in the tenets of democracy, politically far-sighted, competent in work, full of the spirit of self-sacrifice, capable of tackling problems on their own, steadfast in the midst of difficulties and loyal and devoted in serving the nation.

Such cadres and leaders must be free from selfishness, from individualistic heroism, ostentation, sloth, passivity and arrogance and they must be selfless national heroes; such are the qualities and the style of work demanded of our cadres and indeed of all our political leaders. Cadres are a decisive factor, once the political line is determined.

Therefore, it is the collective task of our political leaders to train large numbers of cadres in a planned way. They must know how to use cadres well. In the final analysis, leadership involves two main responsibilities: to work out ideas and to use cadres well. They must know how to take good care of cadres.

There are several ways of doing so. First, give them guidance. Second, raise their level. This means educating them by giving them the opportunity to study so that they can enhance their theoretical understanding and their working ability. Third, check up on their work, and help them sum up their experience, carry forward their achievements and correct their mistakes.

Fourth, help them with their difficulties. This is how to take good care of cadres. The concern of our leaders should extend to non-party cadres as well as their party cadres. There are many capable people outside the ruling party whom they must not ignore.

The duty of every good political leader is to rid himself of aloofness and arrogance and to work well with non-party cadres and enlist their initiative in the great cause of developing our country and of removing our people from poverty. In a word, our leaders should not discriminate against anyone on the basis of political affiliation.

Political cadres are also people, are also citizens deserving all the rights of a citizen. They should be not discriminated against in any way. It is from these cadres that the top leadership of our country develops. Michael Sata was once a UNIP cadre. Alexander Chikwanda was once a UNIP cadre. Today they are top leaders of our country.

We need to continually develop the political leadership of our country. Moreover, judging by the record of the past, the two most decisive factors affecting the future consolidation and expansion of our democracy and governance will be economic development and political leadership.

Economic development makes democracy possible; political leadership makes it real.

Labels: CADRES

posted by MrK @ 7:09 PM