Civil servants urged to be humble, respectful

Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska has urged civil servants in the country to be humble and to exhibit high integrity in order for them to provide good services to the public.

Dr. Msiska said civil servants should be oriented that they exist to serve the public and not to be bosses.

The Secretary to the Cabinet said this in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today shortly after touring exhibition stands at Levy Park Junction during celebrations to mark the Africa Public Service Day which falls on June 21 annually.

Dr. Msiska warned civil servants that if citizens were not happy with the services they provide, they risk not lasting long in their careers.

He said civil servants must treat citizens who seek their services with a lot of dignity, respect and humility.

Dr. Msiska reminded public service workers that being in the public service meant that they were called to serve and not to be masters.

“When you are a public servant, your orientation is like that of a maid. You look at what can please the master. My counsel to civil servants is that we must get to a point where we start treating Zambians that come to our point of service with a lot of humility, dignity and respect,” he said.

He also urged civil servants to always pledge their loyalty to the government of the day.

Meanwhile, Dr. Msiska expressed happiness that various ministries which exhibited at Levy Junction for the public service day interpreted the theme correctly for this year’s Africa public service day.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is “African public service in the age of open government: giving voice to citizens”.