The National Dialogue forum has by consensus endorsed the amendment of the constitution to re-introduce the position of Deputy Ministers.
The measure is aimed at resolving the gap that was created in the management of government ministries following the 2016 Constitution that abolished the position of Deputy Ministers.
National Dialogue Forum (NDF) Spokesperson Isaac Mwanza announced this during a press briefing in Lusaka .
Mr. Mwanza further said the NDF is exploring avenues to strengthen the position of deputy ministers for them to act as Ministers in the absence of their superiors.
In the past arrangement deputy Ministers were not clothed with constitutional powers to act as Ministers in the absence of their superiors.
The proposal to re-introduce the position for deputy ministers was aimed to save money Government spends on maintaining the large number of permanent secretaries, the national dialogue forum has proposed.
In 2016 an academician Mark Simuwe has that International Communities will consider Zambia as an imprudent Country if the position of Deputy Ministers which was recently phased out is brought back.
Speaking on Pan African Radio Programme dubbed “African News Round Up” anchored by Hermit Hachilonde on 27th November, 2016, Simuwe who is also a media critique said the idea of bringing back Deputy Ministers is retrogressive to the unstable economy.
He explained that Deputy Ministers’ position was done away with as part of Government’s austerity measures on the Zambian economy and bringing back Deputy Ministers will be ridiculous.
Simuwe added that it was significant for President Edgar Lungu emulate Jomo Kenyatta the late Kenyan President who reduced his cabinet the moment he moved into executive office as a way of controlling the flow of resources in Governance system.
He further stated that even the Brazilian Government when the country was faced with numerous economic challenges, their president employed the same austerity measures to revamp the economy.
Simuwe has since noted that the International Communities may raise their eyebrows on Zambia, a country that is asking for handouts from International Momentary Fund (IMF) to broaden its cabinet.
“International Communities will consider Zambia as a foolish Country if the position of Deputy Ministers is brought back” Simuwe said.
Useless NDF
Fool.sh Zedians, mulifipuba why let politicians do what ever they want
You can not pay civil savants on time, pay student meal allowances, buy medicines in hospitals but have money for D. Ministers, Mulifipuba bose kuma nama voters who allow such
SIMUWE speaking from without doesn’t help at all.
You could have been within the NDF.
As they say, “Honey catches more flies than vinegar.”
Don’t worry. We have heard you but it won’t count.
Real useless dialogue. Full of aspirants to state house appointments. Was this dialogue representative of the nation?
Surly you people ,what do you want to do with our beloved country. You want to add deputies who will do nothing but kill off our country. Surly economically we not doing well and you want to add more problems . More fuel,more cars, more salaries . I think the President has to come in and stop this .
This is stupid. We already have a bloated government. We just need one Minister in each portfolio and one permanent secretary.
We are struggling right now to pay civil service people why make the problem worse
Useless arguments, ati international community bla blaa! Who the heck is international community? We can’t do our own thing without talking about people who don’t count
What did I just read????? These guys are joking….shame NDF……shame PF…shame Lungu
AAAshiii Awe mwe ala ififntu nafiLUNGUla!!!
This is retrogressive of advancement in that reasoning behind removal of deputy minister position is still credible to austerity measures and a lean government! The deputy ministers will still have mostly nothing to do other than bloating government expenses with some investing their time visiting ng’anga to create opportunities for promotions! I hope the next parliament quickly strikes down this nonsense!
This is an insult to the Zambian. Was this a controversial issue in the constitution? Please you people political leadership is not for rewarding those we feel campaigned. In Zambia we change government when feel being taken advantage of. PF should not push people who still have respect for them to the limit. Please President Lungu don’t ascent to this constitution with deputy ministers in it.
Why are you even complaining? Stay completely the hell out’a it.
Terrible whiners; good for nothing unpatriotic goons.
Let them do what they want, they stayed in, you stayed out so, shut the hell up.
What a mind boggling decision, how and why
What value will these deputies bring In executing ministerial duties. How are these ministries currently functioning? PF pls don’t dig your own grave, you still have time to clear your misdeeds!
One step forward and three behind
True, one step forward, two steps backward down Inna Zambia. Its a shame.
Even six steps backwards
Really useless so called ‘national dialogue forum’… what a failed state this is!
I thought this forum was a dialogue gathering to heal the political divide in the nation, and not a constitution amendment gathering. It is definitely bound to fail with these types of decisions. Unbelievable!
A gathering of imbeciles bastardizing the constitution to suit their political survival! Chagwa is a curse to this nation!
The worst decision ever for a poor country like Zambia. Just where do you get the cash to give handout to D Ministers when UNZA lecturers and other civil servants are not paid . Its clear now that PF have a hand in this to broaden cadres in the Ministries. Just as well the Church did not want to be part of this disaster.
Disaster!
You got to be joking !!!! Are you serious. I thought the NDF had agenda items and Deputy Ministers was not one of those items. What is going on now?
Asking for extensions so you can bloat Government? Come guys, get serious here. There is no justification for this which ever way you slice it and this item was never a controversial issue or a LACUNA THE CONSTITUTION. This is Day light Robbery of Tax Payers Money. Deputy Cabinet Ministers item should not have been on this Agenda in the first place.
Basically this is back to square 1, I tactic PF and Lungu would use to distablise the opposition. Mark my words, Deputy Ministers will be sourced from UPND to just disturb the opposition.
This is not what Zambia needed.
How About FIRING PF cadre PS who are not performing?
Ba Simuwe naimwe give some rational criticism otherwise you are spoiling our arguments.
Ati Simuwe has since noted that the International Communities may raise their eyebrows on Zambia, a country that is asking for handouts from International Momentary Fund (IMF) to broaden its cabinet.
IMF doesn’t give hand outs. It’s a capitalist instrument. It lends money just like any capitalist bank
Kikikiki, ba UPND! First u refuse to be part of NDF and now you are crying! Kikikiki yaba! Kwena tamwakwata amano!
You should have been there to argue your case, not being cry babies!
Infact just shut up, you cowards!
UPND can not be part of this nonsense
……just this move of wanting to eat more by adopting D Ministers shows UPND was right, this is just a gathering of job seekers instructed by PF
The PF had already created consensus by deciding the attendance list in advance and upnd attendance was not going to make any difference.
A Highly indebted Poor Country which is failing to pay public workers and retirees decides to increase its expenditure.
This is pure “dununa reverse” thinking
ZAMBIA is doomed
Stupid decision. There are too many ministers in government now. Trim the government now fools.
Any classical organisation world over deserves having a deputy for effective and efficient operations.Deputies in most cases do even more work than the number 1.The decision made by the forum is progressive.
Are you an interested party? Our country is in a mess because of educated morons like this Professor From CBU…were is that other idyot from the EIZ to guide us on the economic impact of this pronouncement.
Progressive indeed but your broke PF treasury can not afford it.
@Truth if deputies work harder than ministers, then maybe we should do away with ministers and keep the deputies!
this drama will cost pf and their lungu
Actually this wont impact PF’s support base…The majority of PF are uneducated zealots who lack an understanding of very basic life issues.
As UPPZ President Charles Chanda noted PF MP’s would raise up hands in support of something without even uttering a word during the debates.
Lila limo banya aba ngabafumapo
How can you think so low. The Zambian people decided to abolish it but can these fools do such a thing?
Rubber stamp MP’s everything ni yayaya…..!
This is what we call a strategy for 2021. A campaign team is being put in place with all government resources, this will even be improved further at the NDF if it has not already, that Ministers and deputy ministers will be in office even after dissolution of parliament. 2021 Campaign team dubbed deputy ministers will soon be in place. Very sad but DONE
Tragic and stupid decision by fools..I praise the mother bodies for refusing to be part of this stupidity. Now we start campaigning for removal of PF in our churches come 2021.
Many grant aided institutions are 3 months behind in salaries then you add salaries,fuel,telephones, SUV’s costing $55,000 each while many hospitals do not even have an Ultrasound machine worth $5,000,no reagents in labs,just a country in deep crisis but whose leaders live in Fool’s Paridise
We had so many constitution commissions and during all their seatings the people proposed to do away with the position of deputy minister & what gives the right to this small group to go against the wishes of the zambian populace.
Sorry, we have a serious problem in zambia. If this is EL’s idea, then, we are doomed. We just have to go for hh even if we know he is a triboooolist
PF forum for National Destruction …. a govt failing to meet its payroll wants to expand its budget, yeah … useless forum with unecessarily educated people in Zambia, waste of space and time.
bwafya
What a useless country Zambia has become under PF. The guys in PF are really criminals to bring back something people have always rejected at a time when they have totally impoverised the country through corruption and incompetence. ECL will have a troublesome retirement.At this juncture I do not care who Zambians vote for in 2021 as long as it is not PF. Zambians please wake up,otherwise very soon you will have no country at all . The PF is up to no good.
This is why UPND keeps failing the Zambian people. These are issues they would have stood to defend. The only hope now is the CSO to demonstrate or the or no presidential ascent.
That’s the characteristics of a failed regime- no direction left, right, forward, back chimpante- mpante fye lyonse
The people have consistently called doe a lean Government. Now a small group of mainly partisan individuals and their cohorts gather under a discredited law to mutilate the people’s will all for self preservation? Just where are we headed? Is this the best way to build a nation and its institutions? I have my doubts.
PAY RETIREES
Where law ends, tyranny begins!
These leaders have got not heart for the poor Zambians. How could you reintroduce the position of deputy ministers while the country has got no money. What are these deputy ministers going to do while we already have excess ministers who are doing nothing just eating our tax payers money. I think this NDF is not useful.
I indicated in my previous blog on the NDF’s ‘exclusive declaration of Zambia as a christian country’, that this charade is a self interest orchestration. Bringing back deputy ministers partly confirms this. Creating positions for their kindred at a time when the nation is on it’s knees economically. What has since changed from the previous decision that was meant to save resources by getting rid of the deputies? The current ministers don’t even carry out any ‘value to the nation’ work. What will an added deputy minister contribute?
The participants at the NDF are largely unthinking characters being used to bulldoze the PF interests. It wouldn’t have made any difference even if those who boycotted were in attendance – especially with the threats and ‘powers’ from the NDF ACT…
… a ‘dialogue’ that punishes people depending on their views?
I think it is a waste of time attending NDF regarding re-introduction of deputy ministers. It is about greed. When we had deputy ministers economy was sinking down. The deputy ministers will add no value to economy or performance, but an expense to tax payer’s money. The Zambian government is wasteful. No wonder the ministers and MPs could award themselves salary increment when Zambian economy was still sinking. Is PF government thinking.
We pray that Zambians suffer more for another 400 years for them to learn how to choose leaders! May the Diaspora host nations turn their heat on Zambians so that they learn to look after their country!
Too many potholes in the brains of our voters and their misleaders!
The Bible is right!
Drunkennes Destroys a Nation (Jeremiah 25:27) and Drunkennes has no Cure (Revelation 18:3)
LUNGU-MUST-GO. The day pf chose him was the death of PF project.
HH needs good spin doctors and more than ever must distance himself from TRIBALISM so that he takes over in 2021
I hate this government with a passion. They are swallowing their own vomit. With the current economic situations can they surely bring back Deputy Ministers who don’t even add value to the Ministries they are assigned but just draw huge expenses!!
stup!d thinkers, ati leaders foolish fags
The title of this gathering is misleading. It should have been titled Constitution amendment forum.
THERE ARE JOKERS IN ZAMBIA.
THE ISSUE OF DEPUTY MINISTERS WAS DONE AWAY WITH WITH VERY GOOD REASONS AND TODAY SOME BODY FROM SOMEWHERE IS BRINGING IT BACK.WHAT A SHAME.
NEXT WE WILL HEAR THAT THEY HAVE DONE AWAY WITH GRADE 12 CERTIFICATE AS A REQUIREMENT FOR ANY STANDING AS COUNCILLOR OR MP.
ZAMBIA TWASEBANA.
IF PF LOOSES POWER IN 2021,THE GOVT THAT WILL TAKE OVER WILL COME AND ABOLISH THE POSITION OF DEPUTY MINISTERS.
This is a sick society that can only produce sick leadership to produce sick jokes at every turn.
FOR THE MEMBERS TO SUPPORT SUCH A MOVE OF D.MINISTERS, THEY HAVE ALSO BENEFITS OUT OF IT. I DO NOT AGREE SEEING LEARNED PERSON VOTING FOR THIS MOVE WHICH WILL EAT POOR ZAMBIANS. NB: ALL OF YOU HAVE EXTENDED FAMILIES WHO ARE LANGUISHING IN POVERTY. I WILL NOT WANT TO SEE SUCH A SITUATION SUPPORTED EVEN BY OUR ABLE TRADITIONAL LEADERS.
IF YOU WERE FORCED PLEASE DO LIKE WHAT KANG’OMBE AND THE ZPP LEADER HAS DONE BY WALKING OUT OF IT. NO ONE SHALL ARREST YOU FOR SPEAKING OUT FOR YOUR PEOPLE
No wonder they can even suggest to force pipo to sing the national anthem, & now deputy ministers again in this time and age… OMG!!!!
National Dialogue Forum is the most useless organization on earth. Deputy Ministers for what purpose?? To increase the wage bill in the Ministres. Yaba awe Mwandini elyo chapwa fye nomba
Can the useless National Dialogue Forum give us reasons
“The proposal to re-introduce the position for deputy ministers was aimed to save money Government spends on maintaining the large number of permanent secretaries, the national dialogue forum has proposed”
If the number of permanent secretaries is too large the best way is not to replace them once they retire. Freeze the employment of new Permanet Secretaries with immediate effect
I propose that the powers given to the President to nominate 10 members of parliament be quashed, as these are the ones who are appointed deputy ministers. All members of Parliament must elected and not appointed
This will be a waste of my taxes. A huge wage bill and all sorts other expenses. I don’t see any productivity in this government, only increase in personal wealth by high office bearers. This ndf will be a benefit to whom? Cut down on ministries, cut down on allowances, everyone to pay taxes, including the president.