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Don’t politicise reforms—Govt

 

Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi has cautioned observers against politicising the public service reforms programme which reverted to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) six months ago.

Dausi’s explanation during a news conference at the Central Office of Information in Lilongwe yesterday was in direct reaction to a story The Nation published in its July 28 edition in which observers and implementing agencies feared that the reforms were virtually on the deathbed since they were moved from the Public Service Reforms Commission which Vice-President Saulos Chilima headed for two years.

White: Do not sensationalise
White: Do not sensationalise

In its analysis, The Nation found that there was little contact between the Department of Public Service Reforms now in OPC and implementing ministries, departments and government agencies which had submitted proposed reforms to the Commission.

Some stakeholders in the reforms programme cited lack of interest from OPC in reforms progress, contrary to the constant direction they were getting when the reforms were under the Vice-President-led commission as one of the contributing factors to the snag.

Ironically, The Nation findings were in tandem with the fears the Chilima Commission expressed in its exit report submitted to President Peter Mutharika in March this year. The Commission recommended that a separate independent committee be formed to take over the oversight and monitoring functions of the reforms, which was being undertaken by the Commission.

But responding to a question from The Nation on specific reform areas implemented since the reforms unit moved to OPC from the Office of the Vice-President, Dausi, who is also the official government spokesperson, said people should avoid politicising the programme and look into the positive impact that has been made so far.

He said: “The Office of the Vice-President works under the supervision of the President. Let us not create divisions and politicise the issue just because the Vice-President was involved.

“Everything is going according to plan and reforms are happening. Whatever the Vice-President was doing, we are continuing. So, stop politicising the issue.”

The minister also stressed that reforms were not just about trimming the powers of the President as some sectors have been agitating, saying it was not fair to just demand the reduction in presidential powers, especially in making certain appointments.

On her part, chief director of Public Sector Reforms Unit, Seodi White, asked the media to avoid sensationalising the public service reforms.

She mentioned the planned introduction of the Integrated Public Service Delivery Centres to be launched later this month as one of the successes of the programme.

White, who was a member of the Chilima Commission, said the reforms have been segmented into four categories of public service management, institutional restructuring, recapitalisation and programming.

But most of the so-called new developments and progress on reforms she mentioned were already contained in the exit report of the Commission.

The Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance and Public Sector Reforms observed last week it was difficult to track progress and status of the reforms in the absence of a timeline of implementation and interaction with the committee.

However, other analysts have said a comprehensive evaluation of the reforms was necessary to determine level of progress. n

 

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