A LONG hiatus to holding consultative meetings and seminars for public servants is among reasons that exposed weaknesses among ministerial leaders, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has said.
Such weakness has seen the civil servants engaging in unnecessary squabbles, thus compromising government’s efficiency in their places of work, the President argued, stressing the need to groom and brush-up leaders.
The Head of State disclosed here yesterday that presidential appointees have been embroiled in rows, openly at times, because they’ve not been exposed to seminars and retreats that were meant to not only strengthen service delivery and the governance of the executive machinery, but also government officials to become responsible leaders in the cabinet.
Thanks to the rows and clashes, the President reiterated that she was left with no chance, other than removing some faces from the cabinet.
“No wonder you’ve been treated to reshuffles happening now and then, these are meant to enhance efficiency and mold good and responsible leaders,” Dr Samia explained, while opening a three-day consultative seminar for Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Deputy PSs and other government officials at the Arusha International Conference Center (AICC).
Dr Samia further observed that civil servants risk starting off on the wrong footing without such consultative meetings.
Through the meeting and retreat, the president said the civil servants will have an opportunity to do soul-searching and see if they’re deemed fit to head their dockets.
“Some of you have been engaged in open quarrels and don’t seem to be reading from the same script simply because you weren’t prepared before assuming your new duties and responsibilities,” said the president.
Dr Samia underscored the importance of an appointee to be acquainted with their new dockets before getting off to work.
She reminded the civil servants to adhere to familiarise themselves with their duties and responsibilities, once they take oath of office.
According to the Head of State, when a leader is sent packing, it’s not only a shame for his family, but for the public as well.
“Government leaders are supposed to be role models to their family members, but those who fall short of that have to be removed,” she insisted.
In the same vein, Dr Samia defended her routine reshuffling of public servants, saying it was meant to cushion the government against non-performing leaders and addressing disputes between senior leaders in the government.
She equally made it clear that the three-day consultative seminar-cum retreat was not targeting newly appointed leaders only.
The last consultative seminar for Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Permanent Secretaries was held in 2006, under Jakaya Kikwete’s administration, at the erstwhile five-star Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge.
Thereafter followed consultative seminars for Regional Commissioners, District Commissioners and DEDs which neither lasted for long.
