Chakwera deplores laziness among civil servants

Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has condemned laziness and laissez faire way of doing business among employees in government ministries, departments and agencies, warning that his administration will not tolerate this behavior anymore.

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Chakwera disclosed that he has directed Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) to immediately engage the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD) to identify and hold accountable employees who are not showing up for work or spend their time chatting instead of working.

The President made the sentiments at the celebrations of Kamuzu Day held at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday.

Apparently, majority of the civil servants spend most of their otherwise productive hours either gossiping or plaiting hair, a situation that has resulted in the lowering down of service delivery in public offices.

Chakwera said his administration is ready to deal with anyone civil servant that sits on their laurels and slowing down the country’s progress instead of doing their work, or who are not complying with the law.

“In fact, I want to see a robust mechanism immediately developed and implemented for regularly assessing the efficiency, impartiality, and integrity of every MDA and Statutory Corporation so that those MDAs that are excelling can be celebrated and supported and those that are failing can be disciplined, including defunding them where appropriate. And I want to see every civil servant being required to take an oath of service and allegiance every year, as a reminder of what is required of them and the standards they will be held accountable to,” he said.

The President urged the civil servants and all Malawians to emulate the departed leader who demonstrated courage and selflessness in his service to the nation.

According to Chakwera, Kamuzu created the best civil service in Southern Africa, but has, for three decades, been steadily destroyed on the watch of some controlling officers who are afraid to discipline their charges and others who participate in the indiscipline.

He warned that his administration will not allow this to continue.

“So, whether one likes it or not, I will not allow this to continue, because we are fixing this country. We are fixing this country institution by institution, layer by layer, district by district, village by village, road by road, and sector by sector. Kamuzu already showed us the way, and all we must do is return our feet to that path,” emphasized Chakwera.