Maravi

Government won't condone strikes, warns Sata

Government won't condone strikes, warns Sata
By Mwala Kalaluka
Sat 10 Mar. 2012, 13:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata yesterday warned civil servants that his government will not condone strikes. During a swearing-in ceremony at State House yesterday morning, President Sata said the civil service was still full of MMD people that wanted to sabotage the government.

President Sata said those elements trying to frustrate his six-month-old government will not succeed because the PF had been in the governance game for a long time. He warned civil servants against striking, saying they would be met by the government.

Those sworn-in include Emerine Kabanshi as chiefs and traditional affairs minister, Evans Chibiliti as Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Patrick Nkanza as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Early Education, and Alexander Museba as chairperson for the Police and Prisons Service Commission.

As Kabanshi, who is PF Bangweulu member of parliament, was taking her oath before him, President Sata was heard saying his government had many women.
"We have to trim some of them," he said lightly.

President Sata said some people that had predicted that he would die within two months in office and that there would be a presidential by-election were not happy that the PF government had clocked six months.

"The six months we have been in office, our friends are not very happy because they predicted that we will not last three months. They predicted that I will die in two months, there will be a by-election," he said.

"Especially you Mr Chibiliti and you Mr Museba, we have seen threats, civil servants union, teachers union, judicial service union, if we don't give them what they want they will strike. Let them strike, we will be waiting for them. They have been working for too long, others would also like to work."

President Sata said in essence, he was urging Chibiliti to move and see what was happening and also prod district commissioners to "start moving as well".

"We don't appoint a district commissioner just to get stuck at one place. Let them move like the colonial district commissioners," President Sata said.

"And you Minister of Chiefs you have to see where the chiefs are, the conditions of the chiefs, the condition of their accommodation and many more other things."

President Sata asked Dr Nkanza to look at the education institutions and see if all the schools had the necessary scientific equipment.

"And I want to see this programme of abolishing basic schools. You can either have a junior secondary school but basic, what is so basic about it? Why should others go to basic schools and others go to a proper school?" President Sata asked.

"So Dr John Phiri started that but you have to assist, because if there was basic, you would not be a doctor today."

President Sata said Museba, being a former policeman, should move and see how the conditions under which the police officers were operating.

"Because for the police to be alert, they must be comfortable. If they are not comfortable they will not be alert," President Sata said. "All the people who are doing, some of them for example in Southern Province, they want to fund the youths to say when they are march-passing on Monday, they want to start demonstrating but they will just be march-passing and I will not be there and we understand unemployment what it can create in people's minds."

President Sata told Museba to get up and train the police officers.

"We will strengthen your board," President Sata said. "And Mr. Chibiliti now you have been ratified by Parliament, we still have lots of MMD cadres who are trying to sabotage this government in each and every ministry and when you find, if you are too slow, you will just be receiving the letters of some of the people ‘I am retiring' and if you don't move, next letter you receive is yours because we want to move. We don't want to be frustrated."

President Sata said there were so many people that wanted to frustrate his government.

"We have seen so many people who are frustrating us left, right and centre but they will not succeed because we have been in this game before, much longer than all of you will be, because we worked in this game when it was tough to be in government under UNIP," he said.

"So Mr Chibiliti, don't be complacent. Now that you have been confirmed, inspire your colleagues, inspire the permanent secretaries, inspire the directors, inspire the assistant directors and start moving."

President Sata said if Chibiliti did not know what to tell the district commissioners, he should consult his superiors and they will tell him what to do.

Labels: MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 11:24 PM