Kitwe’s Nkana Lawmaker Alexander Chiteme says misappropriation of public funds will not end until there is a drastic change of the current service which has served from Kaunda era.
Speaking when he appeared on the last PF interactive forum of the year 2017, Mr Chiteme charged that the reforms needed in the civil service were an emergency if corruption was to be completely uprooted.
“We can change goverment today, we have changed goverment before; from UNIP into MMD, from MMD into the current goverment of PF. What we have not changed drastically is the civil service”, Said Hon Chiteme
“If you go in Chalala you will find houses built in Nigerian style and if you ask for the owner you will hear it is the accountant in education ministry,”Â
“It is the same civil service that was in Kaunda goverment, the same that was in MMD goverment, same civil service that is working in this goverment,” He added
He stated that most of the issues of misappropriation reported in the auditors report where caused by civil servants yet it is politicians who receive the backlash.
“Who stole the money at the ministry of education as reported in the auditors general report? Is it the Minister of Education? The civil servants working in those government ministries, the people in charge of expending those budgets we are approving in parliament are the ones behaving like monkeys in a maize field. Stealing resources meant to educate our children but where does the bucks stop? On the politician.”
Mr Chiteme observed that though the civil service reforms are expensive, the current generation of monkeys in the maize fields needed to be replaced with professional people with a heart of the people.
Mr Alexander Chiteme alleged that Civil servants are living better lives than Members of Parliament adding that most stlyish houses in chalala are being constructed owned by then.
“If you go in Chalala you will find houses built in Nigerian style and if you ask for the owner you will hear it is the accountant in education ministry,” Observed Chiteme
Mr Chiteme has clarified that not all issues reported in the auditor’s report are as a result of misappropriation, noting that failure to punish the offenders has led the scourge to continue.
..the current generation of monkeys in the maize fields needed to be replaced with professional people with a heart of the people.
The Kitwe lawmaker also castigated opposition leaders who were not adding value to the political dispensation of the country by merely lying to the public and trying so hard to paint the government as corrupt.
“I always wonder why some people who are elected to make laws and represents their constituencies forget their mandate and instead focus on lies, baseless claims & cheap politicking,” he said.
The Nkana Law maker further wondered why opposition MPs brought motions to Parliament for no reason other than for political mileage only.
“Most of the motions that we see our colleagues from the opposition bring into parliament are of less use and for lack of a better term, useless! On the floor of the house, we are supposed to debate matters that are of great importance to the people than mere smearing campaigns; it’s regrettable.
“For example how does an MP bring to the floor of the house a motion to urge government to pay retirees, when it’s evident that the PF government has been increasing the budgetary allocation to retirees and has been paying them,” Hon Chiteme wondered.
Hon Chiteme urged journalists in the country to take keen interest in Investigative Journalism so that they could take on some politicians who were in the habit of spreading falsehoods armed with facts and truths.
The law maker also encouraged youths and women to stand up and be counted as the President and the PF leadership had embraced young people and women in the governance of the nation.
“It’s only in this administration that we have seen the President give alot of young people and women positions of influence. We have alot of young people in Parliament now in their 20s and 30s
“Look at the DCs we have, look at the Mayors, mostly young people…Our Kitwe DC Binwell Mpundu is a young man, Nathan Chanda the Mayor of Luanshya is a youth, am a young guy too. This is a testimony that our President means well for us the young people,” he said.
Spot on,white collar criminal. It pains me a lot. They do not want to work hard but only to steal.Kaunda has tougher rules because people used to keep receipts. They have used to conduct clean -up.People had to explain how they acquired all the property.It doesn’t happen anymore because loop hole in the law and weak defendant’s
One major problem is the government procurement system. Why ask for suppliers when government can go directly to Toyota and buy ambulances? The middlemen inflate prices and it ends up being a normal.
Ignore this man. There is no proof money has been misappropriated
People like him make me so angry
Im PhD holder.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
This is just nonsense the buck stops at Edgar.
This country is slowly losing it do you think zaire and Zimbabwe just got unlucky?
No its when people start thinking that corruption is normal that it is wrong to criticise visionless presidents!
If the amount of debt PF has accumulated is anything to go by then our country is finished.
Yet you are in POWER and you have failed to bring these “corrupt” civil servants to BOOK. If you know which civil servant is corrupt, why bring it on PF Forum instead of ‘reporting to the Authorities’ , just to borrow the words of your president
Yet you are in POWER and you have failed to bring these “corrupt” civil servants to BOOK. If you know which civil servant is corrupt, why bring it on PF Forum instead of ‘reporting to the Authorities’ , just to borrow the words of your president
No no no children emit their parents behaviours….corruption should be arrested first from plot one and the rest of the country will follow! PERIOD! We r not children sir!!
Genuine civil service reform MUST include
1.) overhaul of the archaic, prehistoric salary ceiling so that these long suffering people are paid a living wage based on their individual and collective performance and given incentives including mortgages that deter them from stealing,
2.) destruction of the position of District Commissioner, which is a partisan functionary drawing a civil service salary, and
3.) selection on merit of key civil servants and swearing of same by parliament, NOT by office of president to ensure loyalty to THE PEOPLE
You have never led a country so you are ranting from your backside.
Stop it !
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Mushota just shut up!
THAT NEEDS A PRESIDENT WITH A VISION AND ALSO WITH CAPACITY TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM FROM OUTSIDE AND NOT ASK THE SYSTEM TO CHANGE ITSELF NO NO
Shut it Edwin.
You have that President in Lungu
Are you blind ?
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Zambia is a country where more than 90% of the so called civil servants become rich by stealing from the government!
Says a nobody.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Again an MP deflecting away from governmentzl abuses, sure the civil servants do as well but look ar your fellow mps as welll.
If realistic wages were paid and consistently paid on time then tne temptation wpuld be lessened,
Do Mps wait 2-3 months for their salaries.a
At a PF intera tive forum are you going to hear negatives about government so tne declect onto civil servants
What are you talking about ?
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Civil servants can steel peanuts, it is the executive which has introduced institutionalized corruption, nepotism and subverted independence of civil service and judiciary.
Does the fish start rotting from the head or tail?
This is the truth everyone in both the ruling party and the opposition refuse to face head on. The civil servants belong to both the ruling party and opposition parties. They steal through workshops, inflating prices of goods, kick backs, supplying air, the list goes on. When you hear civil servants complain about salaries and you advise them to leave government and join the private sector , they refuse and bring in issues of job security.They have no loans, no inheritance but raising flash mansions whilst BMWs and Mercs are packed. Ofcourse not every civil servants is involved. If one can’t prove the source of their wealthy is genuine why not prosecute them? Government should repossess every property that was acquired through theft of public funds.
Mushota nalyo mulilo lelo
She is just a stu.p!d cow!
Napepa ichamba lelo
This chiteme is talking using his anus. He has no idea about the civil service because he has never worked their.
PF has politicised civil to make it dysfunctional. Cabinet ministers perpetuate corruption by influencing all contracts. Each time they travel out of station them demand cash as subsistence allowance. When the accounta6goes to the bank to pick cash for the travelling minister he sees an opportunity. The civil service is non functional with Msiska as Secretary to the Cabinet. Because of his bootlicker acumen he will remain there to sink the civil service even further.
Ati “Nigerian style” ? Not good to mention another sovereign state in such a distasteful statement. Nigeria could take offence and that could raise a diplomatic war
Chiteme you are very correct. There is so much indiscipline starting with the controlling officers up to the Secretary to the Cabinet. Discipline is nothing preached let alone enforced. Civil servants are not scared of committing crime because they are not held accountable. The Civil Service that KK built and other institutions went with him. On the issue of the young people, sorry you guys are failing – you are getting these positions prematurely and therefore cannot make decisions.
Hon Chiteme, your analogy on monkeys in the maize field is correct:”civil servants working in those government ministries, the people in charge of expending those budgets we are approving in parliament are the ones behaving like monkeys in a maize field. Stealing resources meant to educate our children but where does the bucks stop? On the politician.” Monkeys only behave foolishly in a maize field if the owner of the field is foolish. Civil servant monkeys are prying on treasury because your crop of politicians are foolish. Clever farmers guard their crop jealously, all day, and thereby lose no maize. Better still they trap foolish ones, skin them alive, eat them they never step a foot at that field again! So bottom line, your crop in government are the like of foolish maize farmer.
Ba LT, why is my moderate comment waiting moderation?
Because is to much “moderate” for Plunderers Federation liking?
I just wonder, who supervises the civil service? A master pointing a finger at his slave. PF does not accept they are in control to change things. They still want to blame someone for their failure. Typical of Koswe Mumpoto
Spot on!!!this is the gospel truth which Mr Chiteme has said.Govnts can be changed but as long as same corrupt civil servants remain in charge of our money,corruption shall continue.senior civil servants are damn rich and own mansions across Zambia!!
Govnt should retire all old civil servants (who even have fake qualifications or forged certificates) but steal millions of money from Govnt coffers every year!!YOU DONT EMPLOY US YOUNG ONES WITH PROPER QUALIFICATIONS AND A HEART TO SERVE OUR MOTHER ZAMBIA!!!yes we blame politicians,but the thieves are senior civil servants!!IF I WERE ECL,I WOULD ASK EACH SENIOR GOVNT OFFICER TO EXPLAIN THE SOURCE OF THEIR MONEY!!these greedy officers own a lot of properties and have millions in their accounts WHILE MAJORITY ZAMBIANS FAIL TO AFFORD 3 DECENT…
“..I WERE ECL,I WOULD ASK EACH SENIOR GOVNT OFFICER TO EXPLAIN THE SOURCE OF THEIR MONEY!!…”
Can lungu explain the source of his money ???? He is being called a corrupt theif every day…..
@chichi;even if you have HH in state house,these senior Govnt workers would continue stealing!!they have formed a cartel across ministries and steal money with impunity!!THE PRESIDENT CANT BE ALL OVER!!MPS MUST COME UP WITH NEW LAWS IN PARLIAMENT WHICH SHOULD BE PUNISHING THOSE WHO STEAL GOVNT MONEY!!anybody found wanting must lose the job,no pension,all his or her properties forfeited to the state and jailed!!!IF THIS IS DONE,CIVIL SERVANT SHALL HAVE FEAR!!!like what ZRA is doing to stop smuggling(all smuggled goods and vessel used are forfeited to the state)!!these are serious measures!!CHEAP TALK WONT ENABLE CIVIL SERVANTS TO STOP CORRUPT ACTIVICTIES-MARK MY WORDS!!serious laws should be made in parliament urgently to cage corrupt officers.
NJIMBU BB 2017!!
If lungu does not mind being called a corrupt theif every day , civil servants will see nothing wrong with being a corrupt theif……
PF rats are leading by example……
If keener of a shop finds stealing with impunity among the shop worker , the buck stops with management……the lungu GRZ is the most corrupt ever.
Lungu does not mind being called a corrupt theif everyday and the civil service have picked up on that…..
This just the blame game using poor civil servant as the “sacrificial lamb”. How do you explain the corruption and thieving being perpetrated by the ministers themselves who of whom have prominently featured in the financial report? Fish rots from the head; the civil servants have been following the example given by people up in the hierarchy of government. Your hands of your colleagues are dirtier than the civil servants you want to blame and that is where “sanitisation” should start!! Kaunda’s civil service could have been as corrupt because the ministers are not as corrupt as this cabal of thieves in the present government. Look yourself in the mirror and tell us what you see.
Chiteme for President! He is the kind of leader we need in Zed. Lungu is a lazy bum. The civil service needs a revolution. It’s a money drain. Lusaka will soon have 20 shanties like that one in Nairobi
Uyu Njimbu chipuba. Your contributions are so childish like Chitemene
Civil servants have mansions ‘because of education’ not stealing. As you heard from someone’s source of wealth! Wealth must be explainable, if not, there is definitely some stealing somewhere, its just cleverly covered through ‘education’. ‘Educated monkeys’ are more dangerous in government.
100% true, honourable. Even about the opposition mps, they are busy calling govt corrupt but when you peek at their work in their constituencies, pathetic.
Also consider and investigate political sabotage as an objective of these financial irregularities. Remember there are leaders who have vowed to bring down edgar lungu at ALL costs.
Awe kwena elo lwanya nomba. Bakolwe mumabala yamataba na bakoswe mumpoto. Are we going to survive. There is nothing correct Mr MP has said. Corruption starts from the top to the bottom. If these monkeys in the field are stealing it is because bakoswe are busy eating in the barn. Stop sugar coating lies. Bonsefye muleiba.
You can’t just say civil servants are stealing and stop there. There are people in various positions who are in charge of the civil service aren’t there? There are politicians who ‘design’ policy and some who ensure that systems and procedures are adhered to, aren’t there? There can only be rampant theft and corruption if the system allows it and those with the authority to halt it, do nothing!
The current situation occurs when the collective culture of those who have assumed the reigns of power and authority is ‘ukulilapo’.
This MP should be ignored because he’s attacked civil servants under KK who have since retired and these where not corrupt…Civil servants started to be corrupt after the Government liberalised the civil service and leased out NIPA to the private sector under FTJ Presidency of MMD
And you are not corrupt??????????????????????????????????