Africa-Press – Zambia. Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has taken note of the appointments, pending National Assembly ratification, of Mr. Patrick Kangwa as Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr. Tom Trevor Shamakamba as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and Mrs Mwangala Zaloumis, Mr Ali Simwinga and Mr. McDonald Chipenzi as Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), respectively.
We welcome Mr. Kangwa’s appointment, as we believe that he has generally demonstrated professionalism all through his service as Acting Secretary to the Cabinet, spanning two administrations.
Now that he will become the substantive holder of the position, we urge him to continue exhibiting professionalism, and do everything in his power to enhance the efficiency and professionalism of Zambia’s civil service, which has for a long time been associated with polarization along partisan or tribal lines.
It is our fervent hope that Mr. Kangwa will help to clean up the image of the civil service, in order to enable it contribute effectively to Zambia’s development. We further urge Mr. Kangwa to sternly deal with any civil servant playing or actively getting involved in politics or openly demonstrating affinity to any political party.
We are also happy that a substantive Director General has been appointed at the ACC, and we are looking forward to working with Mr. Shamakamba in our continued efforts to rid Zambia of corruption. It is our hope that the renewed energy and dedication that Mr. Gilbert Phiri brought to the ACC is something that Mr. Shamakamba will build on, and we therefore wish him well in that respect.
We are also happy that the process of filling the gaps that exist at the ECZ has started in earnest. We do however note the concerns that members of the public and other stakeholders have raised about some of the individuals appointed to serve at the ECZ. While their credentials and
experience cannot be doubted, both Mrs. Zaloumis and Mr. Chipenzi are known to have a close affiliation to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).
For an institution that is effectively the referee in the electoral process, any real or perceived bias in any of its officials has the potential to undermine the electoral process by causing citizens to lose trust in the Commission.
We therefore strongly urge the concerned individuals to publicly renounce any known association to the ruling party, and give Zambians an assurance that they will serve with professionalism and integrity.
In the same vein, we urge Zambians to take interest in, and pay even closer attention, to the work of the ECZ as a way of helping to ensure accountability, transparency and impartiality in its operations.
Lastly, we continue to remind the UPND administration that there remains no substantive Director General at the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), whose new Board of Directors has also not been constituted. We urge the administration to address this anomaly without further delay, as the FIC is too important an institution to be left without a substantive leadership for a long time.
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