Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Pic by Malawi Digest.By Lucy Liponda
Malawi State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika in his capacity as Minister responsible for the Civil Service, on Monday granted all civil servants a four-day holiday towards the end of this year, Malawi Digest can reveal.
The holidays, will run from the 28th to the 31st of December, 2009.
In a press statement issued by the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) at Capital Hill on Monday and made available to Malawi Digest, the holiday is aimed at allowing civil servants sufficient time to celebrate the Christmas and New Year festive season with their families.
However, the OPC statement says the holiday is not across-the-board as some servants will still be required to work.
“His Excellency the President’s special dispensation does not apply to civil servants involved in the provision or delivery of emergency and essential services,” says the statement.
It says that those not to go on leave are health personnel, immigration and customs officials, the Malawi Police Service and others.
“In this regard, controlling officers of such Ministries or Departments are required to make appropriate arrangements to ensure that civil servants shall work during this period,” says the statement.
The statement calls on controlling officers to ensure that civil servants who will work when their colleagues are on this presidential holiday to be granted an equivalent number of days in the course of the new year.
The OPC says that the State President’s special dispensation to civil servants is not a declaration of Public Holidays in Malawi in respect of those days.
The statement finishes with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year wish from the State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu for all civil servants in Malawi and cautioning them to take special care during the festive season and avoid activities that would jeopardise their own safety and the well being of other members of the public.
This is not the first time that the State President has granted civil servants a holiday during the festive season.
According to some civil servants that Malawi Digest has spoken to, many people are pleased with what President Mutharika has done as this will give them enough time to enjoy the birth of Jesus Christ as well as the coming New Year.
In normal circumstances, civil servants only go holiday on 25th December, 26th of December and the 1st of January only-Malawi Digest.
No comments:
Post a Comment