Opinion / Columnist
Position Of Senior Minister
08 Oct 2014 at 05:23hrs | Views
Vice President Dr. Joshua Nkomo; Dr. Bernard Chidzero; Comrade Morris Nyagumbo; and Vice President Dr. Joseph Msika, were all senior Ministers of Home Affairs, Finance, Political Affairs and Local Government respectively.
These were Senior Ministers heading Ministries with Deputy Ministers and full staff compliments headed by Permanent Secretaries as accounting officers.
The difference between the given above Senior Minister positions and a position of Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office, is that the Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the Presidents Office, is simple that there is no Ministry and there is no staff compliment but an office to work from.
The post under discussion should not suggest that the incumbent should automatically become Vice President, like Dr. Nkomo or Dr Msika because this post has its level of responsibility and mandate.
However the country has ten Provincial Ministers of State. But they have their own administrative structures.
The Minister of State in the President's Office responsible for State Security should not be confused with the position of Minister of Stste Without Portfolio in the President's Office because the former has a staff complement headed by an accounting officer.
Therefore the role of the Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office, could be explained as the overall authority responsible for administering the Provincial Ministers of State, or other assignments and responsibilities as assigned by the President.
There is however a difference between stand alone Ministries and the Ministry of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office. The two have different mandates. Therefore the Minister of Stste Without Portfolio in the Presidents Office will find it difficult to supervise stand alone Ministries unless commissioned to do so.
These were Senior Ministers heading Ministries with Deputy Ministers and full staff compliments headed by Permanent Secretaries as accounting officers.
The difference between the given above Senior Minister positions and a position of Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office, is that the Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the Presidents Office, is simple that there is no Ministry and there is no staff compliment but an office to work from.
The post under discussion should not suggest that the incumbent should automatically become Vice President, like Dr. Nkomo or Dr Msika because this post has its level of responsibility and mandate.
However the country has ten Provincial Ministers of State. But they have their own administrative structures.
The Minister of State in the President's Office responsible for State Security should not be confused with the position of Minister of Stste Without Portfolio in the President's Office because the former has a staff complement headed by an accounting officer.
Therefore the role of the Senior Minister of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office, could be explained as the overall authority responsible for administering the Provincial Ministers of State, or other assignments and responsibilities as assigned by the President.
There is however a difference between stand alone Ministries and the Ministry of State Without Portfolio in the President's Office. The two have different mandates. Therefore the Minister of Stste Without Portfolio in the Presidents Office will find it difficult to supervise stand alone Ministries unless commissioned to do so.
Source - John Songo
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