George Charamba must behave like a civil servant not a party cadre
By Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo
Our country has really gone to dogs and it is embarrassing to have people like George Charamba, the presidential spokesperson for President Mugabe masquerading as a civil servant when he goes to Zanu PF meetings wearing party regalia. It is a shame to portray such a picture.
We are a country that has failed to attract meaningful investments from the outside world, and how then do you take such people to be serious when it comes to national matters? This is how most senior government officials have stooped very low and they have gone below the belt just to please their pay masters.
If I was Charamba, I would have tendered his resignation on Monday but alas this will never happen because they have never tasted the outside world. Whilst the embarrassment came at the right time, at the same time it was long overdue because civil servants are not supposed to meddle in partisan politics. They have a duty to protect the public service, and this shows that our country will never achieve anything unless they change their stance on politics.
From my intelligence sources it is revealed that Charamba is one the most educated officials in the Government and he should have stuck to his paying job. What Grace Mugabe raised was very correct though it was long overdue. The Herald and The Sunday mail have become a tool for factional politics instead of development. Nowhere in this world have you seen state newspapers with ministers all over. So where is the journalism essence? In fact, The Herald and The Sunday mail should be titled Zanu PF press, because useless stories have been written promoting factional agendas instead of national development and enhancing economic growth.
Charamba was a nuisance in the media fraternity and this has to be corrected. We need civil servants who rise above politics and enhance national development. In fact, the whole Zanu PF gang has turned the whole civil service system into a battle ground for factional politics when the whole nation is languishing in poverty.
We need men and women who rise above partisan politics and who are beyond factionalism. If you look at the economy of this country you can easily tell that Zanu PF and the whole executive are far from reality. It is not all about elections but this is beyond electoral victory but simply provide food on the table for everyone.
We as analysts we have observed that every time when Mugabe and Zanu PF has rallies or any other public gatherings which have nothing to do with national development, the whole Government business will be brought to halt and this affects the whole civil service.
We have seen ministers, permanent secretaries and other important dignitaries in the Government attending party functions which have nothing to do with their mandate, and it is wise for civil servants to stay away from factional politics and work for the betterment of this country.
Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes in his personal capacity as the Director of Southern Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (SIPAR) which is responsible for Policy Research and Analysis. He is also an academic and researcher. He can be contacted at [email protected]
