STATE HOUSE RULES OUT REINTRODUCTION OF DEPUTY MINISTERS
STATE HOUSE RULES OUT REINTRODUCTION OF DEPUTY MINISTERS
President Hakainde Hichilema is not considering reintroducing the position of Deputy Ministers, as he believes in the prudent utilisation of public resources, State House has said.
State House Chief Communication Specialist Clayson Hamasaka said this amid calls from organisations such as the Christian Coalition (CC) for President Hichilema to reintroduce the position of Deputy Ministers.
In an interview, Mr Hamasaka said it would not be prudent for Government to reintroduce Deputy Ministers, as doing so would increase public expenditure.
“There’s no such a thing on the President’s table at least for now. That amounts to increasing ministers. This is a President who is very prudent in the utilisation of resources. So we do not think it’s prudent to have Deputy Ministers and thereby increase the budget and expenditure, human resource,” he said.
However, CC governance and elections consultant Professor Charles Mwape said in a statement yesterday that the coalition believed the reintroduction of Deputy Ministers would enhance service delivery.
Professor Mwape said the position could help strengthen ministerial operations and improve Government’s capacity to effectively deliver services to citizens.