ED Has Nothing To Apologise For Even If He Appoints Qualified Relatives To Key Govt Posts - Dr Mavaza
Dr Masimba Mavaza, a political commentator, has said nothing stops President Emmerson Mnangagwa from appointing his relatives to the Cabinet.
His remarks come after Mnangagwa received criticism from some quarters for appointing his son Kudakwashe, and his brother’s son, Tongai, as Deputy Ministers.
Mnangagwa also recently conferred a Doctor of Philosophy in Law Honorary Degree on his wife, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.
But in a column in The Herald, Mavaza said the President enjoys freedom in choosing his personal staff and Cabinet. He wrote:
The President’s office is not an executive agency and that cannot stop him from hiring family as Cabinet and or State House staff – which would justify appointments of the Mnangagwa duo as deputy ministers.
In other words, while the President is chief executive, rules barring nepotism in an executive agency don’t count or relate to presidential appointments because the Cabinet and the State House are not agencies.
Basically, it’s the office of the President. So, other legal provisions that apply to hiring in government would undermine decisions made about Cabinet or State House staffing.
Such a statutory catchall gives President Mnangagwa broad leeway to hire just about anyone for his office and his Cabinet.
… The President should not apologise for appointing anyone into government, including his own relatives, as long as they are qualified and have the right credentials to occupy the office.
The argument from the different quarters saying President Mnangagwa was engaging in nepotism by appointing his trusted cadres is neither here nor there.
Mavaza claimed that politics in India, which is dubbed “the world’s largest democracy”, have been dominated by political dynasties since the country gained independence from the British a few years after the end of World War Two. He said:
In fact, in 2009, nearly a third of the country’s elected Members of Parliament had relatives who served in public office immediately before them or at the same time.
According to one survey, 46 percent of Indians said that they would prefer voting for a candidate who comes from a political family. They say he most probably has experience and will not be seeking to fill his pockets.
There are no explicit laws that say the President cannot appoint a relative to any official government post if they are qualified and trusted by the President.
In the event that a President’s relative is widely perceived to be the best qualified for a certain role, that appointment can be evaluated on the merits.
Mavaza, however, said the appointment of family members to key government positions should be the exception, not the norm.
More: Pindula News
