JOMIC CO-Chairman Professor Welshman Ncube loosing his bearings on Civil Service reforms neccesssary for the coalition government to move forwardThere are disturbing signals from the interview JOMIC co-chairman Professor Welshman Ncube’s recent interview with SW Radio Africa that must be guarded against if newly found power in JOMIC is not going to be put to waste and or abused with disastrous consequences to the National aspirations of the people.
Lest it be lost in the euphoria of the newly found hope that the coalition government presents for turning around the country’s fortunes, the objectives of the coalition government are summarised in...Article XXIII of the Global Political Agreement signed on 15 September 2008 and has now been incorporated in Constitutional Amendment No 19.
“23.1 Having regard to the Objectives and Priorities of the New Government as set out in this Agreement, the Parties hereby agree that:
(a) they shall constitute a committee composed of 2 representatives each to review on an annual basis progress on the implementation and achievement of the priorities and objectives set out in this Agreement, namely: Economic (restoration of economic stability and growth, sanctions, land question) Political (new constitution, promotion of equality, national healing and cohesion and unity, external interference, free political activity, rule of law, state organs and institutions, legislative agenda and priorities) Security (security of persons and prevention of violence) and Communication (media and external radio stations); the following time frames shall apply:” reads the article in part.
The coalition government is bound by the Zimbabwe Constitution to address;
The Economic environment through restoration of economic stability and growth, sanctions, land question;
The Political environment through production of a new constitution, promotion of equality, national healing and cohesion and unity, external interference, free political activity, rule of law, state organs and institutions, legislative agenda and priorities;
The National security environment through guaranteeing security of persons and prevention of violence; and
The relaxation of restrictive National communication controls through licensing media and external radio stations.
That at the very minimum, is what is expected of the coalition government and JOMIC being the monitoring mechanism to ensure implementation adherence to the agreed terms, must assess events against these agreed objectives of the coalition government.
Listening to Professor Ncube’s interview with SWRadioafrica, I could not help but feel an alarming sense that JOMIC has reached a consensus to ignore some pertinent issues that are crucial to attainment of the noble objectives of the Constitution governing the coalition government processes.
Asked why it had taken nearly two months after the formation of the inclusive government for Appointments and swearing in of Provincial Governors, Roy Bennett as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and the appointments of the Attorney General, Reserve Bank Governor and Permanent secretaries to be finalised the JOMIC co-chairperson was not forthright with his answers.
While he disclosed that JOMIC had dealt with the outstanding issue from negotiations about Provincial Governor allotments between coalesce parties in the inclusive government he was reluctant to disclose what had actually delayed implementation of the JOMIC resolution merely speculating that the bereavement of the Premier could have a lot to doo with the delay.
The import of that speculation is that the JOMIC resolution has been accepted by principals but could not be implemented at a time when one of theirs was grieving the accidental death of his wife.
The morality of such compassionate considerations is beyond reproach if it was the cause. However a week after his return to duty from compassionate leave the same appointments are yet to be done.
When that is read in a context where Professor Ncube found it improper to disclose who is now funding JOMIC programmes after admitting it had secured such funding from when it was commissioned without a budget one wonders if the JOMIC co-chair was not deliberately withholding disclosure of the real cause of the delayed implementation of the JOMIC resolution on Provincial Governors’ allotment.
Added to this irritating aspersion is the disclosure by Professor Ncube that there was no agreement that Permanent Secretaries and Ambassador positions are automatically vacant but rather that whenever need arises to fill such vacant positions if any.
The agreement upon which the coalition government is premised is tacit and allows for no ambiguity in its interpretation in this regard.
Article 20.1.1 reads; “The Executive Authority of the Inclusive Government shall vest in, and be shared among the President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, as provided for in this Constitution and legislation.
The President of the Republic shall exercise executive authority subject to the Constitution and the law.
The Prime Minister of the Republic shall exercise executive authority subject to the Constitution and the law.
The Cabinet of the Republic shall exercise executive authority subject to the Constitution and the law.
In the exercise of executive authority, the President, Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers must have regard to the principles and spirit underlying the formation of the Inclusive Government and accordingly act in a manner that seeks to promote cohesion both inside and outside government.”
Averring to the penultimate paragraph of Article 20.1.1 one would want to know what the principles and spirit underlying the formation of the Inclusive government are and these are found in Article II of the agreement which reads;
“2. The Parties hereby declare and agree to work together to create a genuine, viable, permanent, sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the Zimbabwe situation and in particular to implement the following agreement with the aims of resolving once and for all the current political and economic situations and charting a new political direction for the country.”
It cannot be seriously disputed by any rational person let alone Professor Ncube that appointments of key Public Servants is a critical area in which Government exercises executive power.
In tandem with that it naturally follows that key positions in government must be held by the most capable and competent managers with not just impressive academic qualifications but exemplary track records in management.
The GPA acknowledges that assumption and specifically regulates that area at Article 20.1.3(l-p) which reads;
“(l) after consultation with the Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Ministers, allocates Ministerial portfolios in accordance with this Agreement;
(m) accredits, receives and recognizes diplomatic agents and consular officers;
(n) appoints independent Constitutional Commissions in terms of the Constitution;
(o) appoints service/executive Commissions in terms of the Constitution and in consultation with the Prime Minister;
(p) in consultation with the Prime Minister, makes key appointments the President is required to make under and in terms of the Constitution or any Act of Parliament;”
By disclosing that there was never agreement that positions of Permanent secretaries and Ambassadors would fall vacant and need filling up at the inception of the coalition government Professor Ncube opens JOMIC to criticism for delays in resolution of a key aspect of the change expectation from the coalition government.
The immediate question that arises from his reasoning that Permanent secretaries are professional technocrats whose employment should not be tempered with politically professor Ncube implies an unwelcome consensus in JOMIC that the current holders of these positions have been and are still apolitical and professional.
But these are the same secretaries who were in charge of the creation of the issues the coalition government is grappling with.
One is thus left wondering if ever there was merit and substance in the spirit and letter of the GPA if those that were at the helm of an administration that created the polarisation the government is trying to redress are now being acknowledged as competent professionals not requiring any form of interventions to see through the reform change envisaged in Article II of the GPA.
The fact of the matter is that all the Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors inherited by the coalition government were appointed on political patronage considerations and their allegiance is still to the former administration that entrusted them the responsibilities they now carry.
To argue that Civil Service reform is work in progress that will take kingdom come to complete if ever it will be completed brings into question the philosophy driving JOMIC and its ability to deliver change expected by the Zimbabweans outside coalition government structures.
Simply put Zimbabweans have no faith in the Zanunised Permanent Secretaries, Ambassadors, Provincial Governors, Heads of Parastatals and Commissions, Attorney General, Reserve Bank Governor and Judiciary.
The expectation is that there is urgent and imperative need to depoliticise the leadership of the key functional business units of the State and that cannot be possible without a leadership change and or extensive deliberate and costly reorientation programme being undertaken forthwith.
If the co-chairman of JOMIC does not understand that but still expects the inclusive government to deliver the change envisaged in Article II of the GPA we may as well tell him here and now that he is daydreaming.
Successful implementation of the GPA can only be achieved by people whose commitment to change is unquestionable and former Zanu PF appointees cannot be expected to accept policies they did not wish to pursue before the coalition government was formed simply because it is now a reality.
If anything they are expected to push through the failed policies they were pursuing because they had in their professional judgement crafted them and must believe in them yet they were the reason we are in the mess the Inclusive government is trying to clean up.
A few examples are instructive in this regard.
The bloated expansion of Cabinet from the agreed 31 Ministries to 71 is because Zanu PF refused to dispense with burdensome and unproductive Ministers of State whose performance in the past has no residual benefit that can be identified to have accrued to Zimbabwe.
The continued incarceration of political activists and judicial harassment of new entrants in the coalition government is being crafted by the same technocrats the JOMIC co-chairman would like us to believe are in their positions purely on professional considerations. Surely Professor Moyo cannot be so naive as to believe that the coalition Cabinet is fully behind the arrest of Roy Bennett and the persecution of alleged insurgents and terrorists on remand or in prisons.
The upsurge in farm invasions and occupations is being coordinated by the very technocrats Professor Ncube believes are apolitical professionals. If he seriously believes the upsurge is spontaneous he must have his head examined by a psychiatrist forthwith.
The delays in prosecuting known political criminals are being coordinated by the very professionals whom JOMIC appears to have placed faith in.
By terminating their contracts and asking them to reapply and be reconsidered on their allegiance to the new order the coalition government will achieve the reforms that will support its programmes in the shortest possible time.
There is a more sinister political agenda behind the JOMIC co-chair’s disclosures and it is a frightening prospect.
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