Minister condemns officials for laxity

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR


Minister of Information and Civic Education Patricia Kaliati has condemned officials at Department of Information Systems Technology Management Services (DISTMS) for lacking political will in developing ICT in the country.

Kaliati said it was surprising that her officials were holding strategic planning workshops now and then yet there nothing on the ground as far as information communication technology is concerned.

“We started talking about ICT (computers, internet services and phones) sometime back, yet years are going without seeing any improvement in ICT delivery. What are you people doing?” she queried.

“You are just sitting phwii at Capital Hill or organizing workshops where you’re claiming government allowances. Za boma zaphweka, eti?” wondered Kaliati who was looking directly into the eyes of the participants of the Strategic Planning workshop in Salima.

Kaliati intimated that that government would not entertain any excuses from DISTMS officials for the failure to roll out ICT programmes in the rural areas. She also criticised the planners for coming up with a long-time plans, which she said are tehn reviewed now and then before implementation saying such behaviour costs governemtn of its meagre resources.

“You are coming up with a three-year plan, for what? What are you waiting for? What are you going to be doing all this time? Organizing other training workshops in mid months for allowances? You have all the resources it takes to roll out ICT in the rural areas. We need ICT-led Malawi now, not in 2011.,” demanded Kaliati.

DISTMS has just come up with a three-year strategic planning, which runs from July this year to July 2011. But Minister of Information and Civic Education argued that there was no justification for DISTMS to delay ICT services to the people as if there were no resources available to roll out.
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