CIVIL SERVANTS SERVE ZAMBIA, NOT POLITICAL PARTIES - AAAZ

In a statement shared to Brave Heart News today, AAAZ Communications Officer Ms. Melbourne Mushitu said civil servants, like any other citizens, have the right to hold political views and support political parties, but that political loyalty must not interfere with their professional duties.

“Civil servants serve the Republic of Zambia and its people, not a political party,” Ms. Mushitu said.

She said the responsibility of a public officer does not change when a different political party takes over Government.

“Once a Government is elected and assumes office, the public service has a duty to professionally implement lawful Government policies and programmes and to continue delivering public services to all citizens without political discrimination,” Ms. Mushitu said.

Ms. Mushitu said Zambia’s Constitution and the Code of Ethics for the Public Service provide a clear framework for how public officers should conduct themselves.

She pointed to Article 173 of the Constitution, which provides for professional ethics, integrity, impartiality and fair and equitable provision of public services.

She said the Code of Ethics for the Public Service and Local Government (2023) also requires public service employees to maintain allegiance to the Government of the day regardless of their political, religious, ethnic, social or cultural beliefs.

Ms. Mushitu said elections determine who gets the mandate to govern, but they do not turn the public service into a political structure.

“While elections determine which political leadership receives the mandate to govern, they do not change the fundamental responsibility of the public service,” she said.

“The machinery of Government must continue to function, institutions must continue to serve citizens and public servants must continue to discharge their responsibilities professionally.”

According to Ms. Mushitu, this becomes particularly important after elections because civil servants who supported one party should still be able to professionally serve a Government formed by another party.

She said the same principle applies to civil servants who supported the party that forms Government.

“A civil servant who supported the political party in power must understand that their responsibility as a public officer is not to promote that party, but to serve the Republic,” Ms. Mushitu said.

AAAZ is concerned that political pressure within public institutions could create a culture where civil servants feel they must demonstrate loyalty to a particular political party.

Ms. Mushitu warned that such a situation could weaken public confidence in Government institutions and affect service delivery.

“Such practices can weaken public trust, compromise service delivery and undermine the effectiveness of public institutions,” she said.

Ms. Mushitu said political parties have the right to campaign, produce manifestos and seek political power, but once elected, their policies must be implemented through public institutions in accordance with the Constitution, laws, national development plans and approved Government policies.

“The public service should therefore not be treated as an extension of the political party in power,” she said.

She also called on political leaders to understand their role in relation to civil servants.

“Political leaders have the mandate to set policy direction and provide political leadership, while public servants have the responsibility to provide professional advice and implement lawful policies and programmes in the public interest,” Ms. Mushitu said.

AAAZ has called on relevant institutions to strengthen awareness of the rules governing public officers, particularly on political neutrality, ethical conduct, accountability and professionalism.

Ms. Mushitu said the rights of civil servants as citizens must be respected, but so must their obligations as public officers.

“Political parties may change and Governments may change, but the public service must remain committed to serving the Republic of Zambia and its people,” she said.

JUST TO UNLOCK YOUR MIND

The argument from AAAZ is that, a Government may change after an election, but the State does not change.

A civil servant should therefore be able to wake up the day after an election and continue doing the job regardless of which party won. Politicians come into office with mandates and manifestos; civil servants provide the professional machinery needed to turn lawful Government decisions into actual services for citizens.

If that line disappears, the danger is bigger than politics. It can affect who gets served, how public resources are used and whether citizens can trust Government institutions to treat them fairly.

Recently UPND's Obvious Mwaliteta said civil servants in Kafue who celebrated when Brian Mundubile's prematurely declared that he won the August polls are "going," 

President Hakainde Hichilema in his inauguration speech said whether a person voted for him or not, that person he/she is a Zambian and will be treated equally.

[Brave Heart News  | UnlockingMinds]